HRS was founded in 1972 by Robert Ragge in Cologne as a travel agency. Due to Cologne’s high volume of visitors to trade fairs, Ragge recognized the need for establishing a more efficient way to shop and book hotels for business travelers. The company went on to become the first distributor of print hotel catalogs, giving customers the means to compare and also enable hotels to market their services. In the 1990s, HRS was a leader in enabling the online shopping and booking of hotels online. In 2000, HRS opened its first of four offices in China. The company has since evolved into a leading global technology company with innovation at the forefront. Today, HRS works with 35% of the Fortune 500 on some elements of their hotel programs, while also breaking new barriers in the realm of automated payment.

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HRS has continuously adapted to new technologies. The company integrates and leverages new technological possibilities into its portfolio to provide more efficient accommodation, payment, and services. The introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning enabled HRS to evolve into an end-to-end platform, processing complex data in real-time for corporate clients, hotel suppliers and financial services providers.

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Working, traveling, and payment

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HRS’ platform provides companies with the means to tailor work, travel, and payment solutions to address varying corporate priorities, revolutionizing how companies approach travel and payment services.

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HRS is evolving to meet the changing needs of companies and their workforces, given the new workspace realities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. HRS’ platform can be configured to meet the changing requirements for corporate collaboration and idea-sharing. In addition to transient hotel bookings, the company now facilitates the booking of meeting rooms within hotels and new co-working spaces in major metro locations.

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HRS leverages the world’s leading comprehensive corporate lodging database to make travel more affordable and efficient. Transaction and travel behavior data are evaluated and applied to optimize daily processes, with virtual payment advancements included to reduce error margins and potential fraud threats.

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‍The future of travel

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As businesses reconsider their methods and models for collaborating and traveling, they face multiple pressure points to make these activities as efficient and inexpensive as possible. Budgets are scrutinized more tightly than before, as revenues have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Safety and security elements need to be accounted for when recommending lodging options to travelers. And with suppliers often challenged to have the right amount of trained service staff on-site, expectations tied to the guest experience need to be managed as well.

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HRS’ data-focused platform is evolving to address these realities, following the metrics and building off AI-driven processes to help clients meet and exceed their broadening scope of goals.

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Most recently, in 2021, HRS launched its groundbreaking Green Stay Initiative. The innovative technology facilitates sustainable corporate lodging practices from procurement on through to shopping and booking. The Green Stay Initiative provides a hotel’s data on carbon, water, and waste to corporations to help guide their purchasing decisions, while also providing hotels with a transparent, efficient avenue to showcase their sustainable investments.

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Demonstrating remarkable traction in less than 18 months, more than 300 hotel brands across 130 countries participate in the HRS Green Stay Initiative today. This advanced approach to addressing this prioritized component of modern managed travel has already won awards on multiple continents.

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HRS’ pioneering approach to building and leveraging technology to make business life better – from collaborating and meeting to everyday lodging and payment – will continue as the company builds upon 50 years of noteworthy achievements in the global travel technology marketplace.

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