HolidayCheck Group

HolidayCheck Group is a German digital travel company headquartered in Munich. The business traces its corporate history to the 2001 merger of Focus Digital AG and Tomorrow Internet AG, after which the combined company operated under the name Tomorrow Focus AG. Its later development was shaped by a strategic concentration on travel technology and consumer services, particularly through HolidayCheck, a platform for hotel reviews, holiday information, travel comparison and bookings. HolidayCheck itself originated in 1999 when students in Konstanz created a website on which travelers could exchange information about hotels. The site became commercially organized after receiving wider public attention, including coverage by the German broadcaster RTL, and began operating as a registered commercial venture in November 2003. Its user-generated content model made hotel and destination reviews central to the customer journey: users could research accommodation, compare package-holiday offers, publish ratings and reviews, and in many cases complete a booking through the platform. Hubert Burda Media became the decisive shareholder in 2006, acquiring 80 percent of HolidayCheck AG for €60 million through Tomorrow Focus AG and Burda Digital Ventures. Tomorrow Focus subsequently consolidated ownership. It acquired Burda Digital Ventures' stake in 2007, bought the Hotelcheck.de portal in the same year, and added Urlaub.com in 2008. The company increased its holding to 94 percent in 2009 and eventually became the sole owner after the remaining shares held by the founders were acquired in 2013. During the 2010s, Tomorrow Focus invested further in travel businesses while reducing exposure to some of its earlier online-publishing activities. Its travel portfolio expanded beyond the core HolidayCheck portal to include car-rental comparison through MietwagenCheck and additional review, weather and travel-information services operated through subsidiaries and affiliated companies. In 2016, the corporate group adopted the name HolidayCheck Group AG, reflecting the strategic importance of the travel business and the HolidayCheck brand. The group's principal consumer proposition combines trusted traveler-generated information with transaction services. HolidayCheck users can read hotel and holiday reviews, compare travel products, investigate destinations and book trips. The broader portfolio has included the MietwagenCheck car-rental comparison service, the Zoover review portals, and weather services such as Meteovista and Weeronline. The business primarily serves German-speaking travelers, while selected portfolio services operate in other European markets. Review authenticity and platform liability have been important issues for the company and the wider online-review sector. HolidayCheck received a favorable result in a 2013 Stiftung Warentest comparison of hotel-review portals, where the testing organization recognized its processes for automated screening and human investigation of suspicious submissions. In 2015, Germany's Federal Court of Justice clarified that a review portal generally does not have to pre-screen every user contribution, but can become liable after receiving sufficiently specific notice of an unlawful or false statement. In 2023, the Regional Court of Munich I ruled in HolidayCheck's favor in litigation involving Goldstar Marketing and fabricated reviews, finding the sale of fake reviews unlawful and ordering damages and disclosure concerning their origin. HolidayCheck Group remains an exchange-listed digital travel business. Reported revenue was approximately €138.9 million in 2018, with operating EBITDA of €10.7 million, while revenue for 2023 was reported at approximately €147 million. A management transition effective in February 2024 installed Christoph Ludmann as chief executive officer and Uta Fesefeldt as chief financial officer. The group's current identity is therefore best understood not as a general online-…

HolidayCheck Group's corporate lineage begins in 2001, when Focus Digital AG and Tomorrow Internet AG merged to form Tomorrow Focus AG. The resulting company initially had a broader online-media orientation, but travel became increasingly important through its investment in HolidayCheck. HolidayCheck began separately in 1999 as a hotel-review website created by students in Konstanz. The founders developed a user-generated platform where travelers could exchange hotel experiences and ratings. Following increased visibility, including a report by RTL in 2003, the venture was formalized as a commercial operation on 11 November 2003. In July 2006, Hubert Burda Media acquired 80 percent of HolidayCheck AG for €60 million. The stake was divided between Tomorrow Focus AG, which held 51 percent, and Burda Digital Ventures, which held 29 percent. Tomorrow Focus bought Burda Digital Ventures' interest in 2007, the same year HolidayCheck acquired Hotelcheck.de. In 2008, the company expanded again by acquiring Urlaub.com. Tomorrow Focus raised its stake in HolidayCheck to 94 percent in January 2009 for a further €21.6 million. The remaining shares held by the original founders were acquired in June 2013, making the parent company the sole owner. During this period, the group also pursued a broader portfolio strategy, investing in travel-related businesses while later divesting online-publishing properties including Focus Online and the Huffington Post operation. The group increasingly organized itself around travel comparison, review and booking services. HolidayCheck became its principal consumer brand, offering hotel and holiday reviews, offer comparison and online booking. Additional businesses included MietwagenCheck, operated through Drive Boo AG, and review and weather services associated with WebAssets B.V., including Zoover, Meteovista and Weeronline. In 2016, Tomorrow Focus AG changed its name to HolidayCheck Group AG. The renaming signaled the company's transition from a diversified online-media group to a more focused digital-travel enterprise. The group has concentrated primarily on Germany, Austria and Switzerland, while selected brands and services have operated across other European markets. The credibility of travel reviews has been a recurring legal and operational issue. In a 2013 Stiftung Warentest comparison, HolidayCheck ranked first among seven hotel-review portals, with the testers noting its automated and manual processes for identifying suspicious submissions. A 2015 Federal Court of Justice decision established an important legal framework for review platforms: operators generally are not required to verify all reviews before publication, but must respond when notified of a specific unlawful statement. In 2023, the Regional Court of Munich I addressed fabricated-review sales directly, ruling in HolidayCheck's favor against Goldstar Marketing and ordering damages and information about the provenance of disputed reviews. The company continues as a listed German internet and travel business. It reported 2018 revenue of €138.9 million and operating EBITDA of €10.7 million, and reported approximately €147 million in revenue for 2023. A leadership change effective February 2024 made Christoph Ludmann chief executive officer and Uta Fesefeldt chief financial officer.

• 2024

  New chief executive and chief financial officer

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Christoph Ludmann becomes CEO and Uta Fesefeldt becomes CFO effective 1 February.

• 2016

  Tomorrow Focus becomes HolidayCheck Group

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The corporate group changes its name to HolidayCheck Group AG.

• 2013

  HolidayCheck becomes wholly owned

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining shares held by HolidayCheck's founders are acquired, giving the parent company full ownership.

• 2009

  Ownership rises to 94 percent

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Tomorrow Focus increases its holding in HolidayCheck for a further €21.6 million.

• 2008

  Urlaub.com is acquired

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group acquires the competing travel portal Urlaub.com.

• 2007

  Hotelcheck.de is acquired

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  HolidayCheck expands its review and travel-information portfolio by acquiring Hotelcheck.de.

• 2006

  Hubert Burda Media acquires a majority stake

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Hubert Burda Media acquires 80 percent of HolidayCheck AG through Tomorrow Focus AG and Burda Digital Ventures.

• 2003

  HolidayCheck begins commercial operation

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  After gaining public attention, the HolidayCheck venture is registered commercially and begins operating on 11 November.

• 2001

  Tomorrow Focus AG is formed

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Focus Digital AG and Tomorrow Internet AG merge to create Tomorrow Focus AG.

• 1999

  HolidayCheck website is created

  [1]HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Students in Konstanz establish an early hotel-review website that later becomes the HolidayCheck platform.

A consumer-oriented digital travel platform that combines user-generated hotel and holiday reviews with travel comparison, booking and related mobility and weather services, with a particular focus on German-speaking European markets.

• Travel reviews, comparison and booking · 1999

  HolidayCheck

  HolidayCheck is the group's principal consumer travel platform. It combines hotel and holiday reviews, traveler ratings, destination information, offer comparison and booking functionality. Its value proposition is built around helping users research accommodation and package holidays through experiences contributed by other travelers, then compare and purchase suitable travel products.

• Car-rental comparison

  MietwagenCheck

  MietwagenCheck is a car-rental comparison service operated through Drive Boo AG. It allows travelers to compare rental-car offers and supports the group's broader strategy of providing ancillary services around the holiday-planning journey.

• Travel reviews and destination information

  Zoover

  Zoover is a travel-review portal within the group's wider European portfolio. Its services center on user feedback and travel information, extending the review-platform model beyond the core German-speaking HolidayCheck market.

• Weather information

  Meteovista

  Meteovista provides weather information relevant to travel planning and destination research. It is associated with the group's WebAssets portfolio and complements travel services with forecasting and destination-weather content.

• Weather information

  Weeronline

  Weeronline is a weather-information service operated within the group's broader European digital portfolio. Its inclusion gives the group an additional point of engagement with users planning travel or monitoring conditions at destinations.

• 2023

  Litigation over fabricated travel reviews

  The Regional Court of Munich I ruled in HolidayCheck's favor against Goldstar Marketing, finding the sale of fabricated reviews unlawful. The court also ordered damages and disclosure concerning the origin of the disputed reviews.

  Source

Read more

• 2016

  Corporate rebranding as HolidayCheck GroupStrategy

  Background

  Travel activities had become central to the group's identity while the company reduced some online-publishing activities.

  Action taken

  Tomorrow Focus AG changed its corporate name to HolidayCheck Group AG.

  Aftermath

  The new name emphasized HolidayCheck and the group's digital-travel positioning.

  Source

• 2006

  Hubert Burda Media acquires a majority stake in HolidayCheckM&A

  Background

  The acquisition gave Hubert Burda Media control of HolidayCheck through Tomorrow Focus AG and Burda Digital Ventures.

  Action taken

  An 80 percent stake was acquired for €60 million, with Tomorrow Focus AG holding 51 percent and Burda Digital Ventures holding 29 percent.

  Aftermath

  HolidayCheck became the foundation for Tomorrow Focus's later concentration on digital travel services.

  Acquisition price. €60 million (July 2006)

  Source

1. 1HolidayCheck Groupen.wikipedia.org