H2O Hospitality Raises 30 Billion KRW in Series C Funding from Kakao, KDB, and Others

'Kezora-Intervest Fund' Also Participates
Expanding Overseas Business in Southeast Asia and Beyond

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Jeong-su] H2O Hospitality (CEO Lee Woong-hee), a leader in digitalizing the hotel industry, announced on the 7th that it has secured 30 billion KRW in Series C funding from multiple investors including Kakao Investment and KDB Industrial Bank.

This investment round included participation from numerous institutions such as Kakao Investment, KDB Industrial Bank, Gorilla PE, Intervest, and NICE Investment Partners. From overseas, the well-known Southeast Asian joint fund Kejora-Intervest Growth Fund joined, marking the official entry of H2O Hospitality into the Southeast Asian market.

Previously, the Series B funding attracted capital from prominent investors like Stonebridge Ventures and Samsung Venture Investment. A company representative stated, "This investment recognizes H2O Hospitality's innovation and value as a prospective unicorn," adding, "It solidifies our position as a leading company driving digitalization."

H2O Hospitality is an accommodation operation company that accelerates digital transformation in hotel management through its self-developed ICT-based integrated hotel operation system. The integrated operation system, which includes △CMS (Channel Management System) △PMS (Reservation Management System) △RMS (Room Management System) △FMS (Field Management System), enables automation through a ‘contactless and unmanned’ approach across overall hotel operations. This can lead to up to 50% reduction in fixed hotel costs and up to 20% increase in revenue.

Amid rising demand for contactless and unmanned services in industries like tourism and hotels due to COVID-19, H2O Hospitality is expanding its business scale. This year, it acquired the contactless hotel solution company ‘I'm Gate’ and the local symbiotic creator company ‘Replace,’ accelerating technological advancement and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management.

Building on its success in the Japanese market, the company is currently showing steady sales growth in both Korea and Thailand. With this new investment, it plans to accelerate global market expansion and system development, as well as broaden the scope of new businesses, services, and solutions.

Lee Woong-hee, CEO of H2O Hospitality, expressed, "Since our approach and method differ from traditional hotel operations, we offer innovative and efficient solutions," adding, "We will do our best to support smart hotel management for various accommodation facilities through digital transformation."

Meanwhile, H2O Hospitality was recently recognized for its growth potential and global competitiveness by being selected as one of Forbes Asia’s ‘Top 100 Promising Companies.’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.