Startup profile: Impala

 

  • Impala is a London-based hotel technology solution provider.
  • Since its launch in 2016, Impala has worked with more than 300 hotels.
  • The latest round of funding raised $20 million in Series B investment. 

 

About Impala

 

Impala was launched in 2016 by CEO Ben Stephenson and COO Charles Cowley to connect hotel systems with the outside world. The London-based company provides software services that offer data about hotel rooms. The Hotel API platform allows apps of any kind to integrate with hotel systems to quickly and accurately access data. The platform also allows app developers to side-step commission fees on hotel information. Impala sees this as a solution to a complex problem that has held back the hotel industry. 

 

the impala team
The Impala team with founder and CEO Ben Stephenson at centre

 

Ben Stephenson, Impala CEO and co-founder discussed the aims of Impala. “By democratising access to hotel data, Impala will fundamentally change the way people book hotels and interact with the places they stay. We want to become the rails on which hotel travel runs.”

The startup has seen an impressive speed of growth and reportedly has a customer waitlist of over 3500 hotels. Impala’s customers include major brands such as Mercure hotels and Hyatt-branded hotels. 

 

How Does It Work?

 

The Impala Data Reader is installed on the hotel server and gathers the information needed by a software company. It sends the data to the Impala API which can then be accessed by travel developers. Hotels don’t need to switch to a different property management system but only upgrade with the Impala API, making it simpler to exchange data. It uses “robotic process automation” to comprise individual room data such as size, facilities and view which is then available to product developers. It can also work with “smart hotel” technologies with internet-connected appliances such as thermostats, keycards, and TVs. Any app developer wishing to provide its customers with such information can do so via the Impala platform.

As a result, Impala provides Hoteliers around the world with a cheaper alternative to relying on Booking.com and Expedia to sell their rooms, and provides travellers with more personalised booking options. The company plans to allow businesses to sell rooms directly through the Impala platform. This has the potential to eliminate the need for the channel management technologies that currently distribute and update room data.

 

Impala Raises $20 Million In Funding

 

Impala has secured another round of funding, raising $20 million in Series B investment. This follows just a few months after the first round which raised $11 million in Series A funding. Lakestar leads the latest round with participation from Latitude Ventures. Impala said that they will use the funding to grow the team and support larger hotel brands. Since raising the Series B funding round, Impala have tripled their team size and are continuing to hire. The new funding will also be invested in providing direct booking via the Impala API.