Roomkey
{{Short description|Metasearch engine}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Roomkey
| logo =
| caption =
| type = Privately held company
| industry = Hospitality
| founder = John Davis
| foundation = {{Start date and age|2012}}
| dissolved = June 2020
| location = Dallas, Texas
| key_people = Steve Sickel, CEO
| services = Hotel Reservation metasearch engine
| owner = InterContinental Hotels Group
Hilton Worldwide
Hyatt
Marriott International
Choice Hotels
Wyndham Worldwide
| url = {{URL|https://www.roomkey.com/}}
}}
Roomkey, formerly Room Key, was a hotel metasearch engine.{{Cite web|date=2020-06-08|title=Hotels-Backed Online Search Platform Roomkey Suspends Operations|url=https://skift.com/2020/06/08/hotels-backed-online-search-platform-roomkey-suspends-operations/|access-date=2021-02-27|website=Skift|language=en-US}}{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203436904577155281434350016 |title=Hotels Ally on Booking Site| first=Alexandra | last=Berzon | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=January 12, 2012 | url-access=subscription}}{{cite news | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9F04E0DB1231F931A15752C0A9649D8B63.html | title=In Transit; Hotels Band to Offer Their Own Search Site | work=The New York Times | date=January 22, 2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/01/hotel-search-engines| title=Meet Roomkey|newspaper=The Economist|accessdate=23 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2012/05/30/new-website-roomkeycom-competes-with-online-travel-agencies.html|title=New Website RoomKey.com Competes With Online Travel Agencies|publisher=CNBC 25|access-date=23 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2012/09/la-quinta-millennium-leading-hotels-join-roomkeycom/70000994/1|title=RoomKey.com hotel search site adds more chains|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=23 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://vator.tv/news/2012-01-11-global-hotel-brands-join-forces-to-launch-roomkeycom|title=Global hotel brands join forces to launch Roomkey.com|publisher=Vator News|accessdate=23 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/business/restaurants-hotels/20120122-hotel-chains-launch-dallas-based-roomkey.com-to-reclaim-revenue-from-travel-sites.ece|title=Hotel chains launch Dallas-based Roomkey.com to reclaim revenue from travel sites|publisher=Dallas News|accessdate=23 January 2014}} Roomkey was a joint venture founded by Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, and Wyndham Worldwide, or their respective affiliates. There were over 45,000 hotels in 150 countries listed on Room Key, including 60 brands.{{cite web | url=https://www.roomkey.com/about | title=About Us | website=Room Key}}{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/As-hotel-booking-engine-Room-Key-turns-two-it-looks-to-loyalty-personalization | title=As hotel booking engine Room Key turns two, it looks to loyalty personalization | first=Sean | last=O'Neil | work=Phocuswire | date=March 28, 2014}}
The company was headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Its interim CEO was Steve Sickel.{{cite web|url=http://www.asianhospitality.com/industry-news/Roomkey.com+looks+forward+to+2nd+year/1104|title=Roomkey.com looks forward to 2nd year|publisher=Asian Hospitality|accessdate=23 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/travel/2012/01/11/hospitality-majors-birth-to-new-hotel-search-engine/|title=Hospitality Majors Give Birth to New Hotel Search Engine|publisher=Fox Business|accessdate=23 January 2014}}
History
Room Key was the successor of the website Travelweb (acquired by Booking Holdings).{{cite web |url=https://skift.com/2016/07/11/the-disappointing-life-of-hotel-industry-booking-site-room-key/|title=The Disappointing Life of Hotel Industry Booking Site Room Key|website=Skift.com|date=11 July 2016|author=Deanna Ting|accessdate=15 September 2019}}
In 2011, Room Key acquired hotelicopter, a Charlottesville, VA-based firm, and its technology platform, which provided the technology foundation for Roomkey.com.{{cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/01/11/six-hotel-giants-team-up-to-launch-hotel-search-engine-roomkey-com-buy-hotelicopter/ |title=Six Hotel Giants Team Up To Launch Hotel Search Engine Roomkey.com, Buy Hotelicopter | work=TechCrunch | date=January 11, 2012}}
Room Key launched its beta site and added Best Western International as its first commercial partner in January 2012.{{cite news | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/Hotel-giants-come-together-to-launch-Room-Key-search-site |title=Hotel giants come together to launch Room Key search site | first=Kevin | last=May | work=Phocuswire | date=January 11, 2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/print-edition/2012/01/20/hotel-site-sets-growth-strategy.html |title=Roomkey.com sets growth strategy | first=Steven R. |last=Thompson | work=American City Business Journals | date=January 20, 2012}} In March 2012, Room Key launched international websites in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.{{cite web| url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/room-key-launches-first-international-121340099.html|title=Room Key launches its first international websites|publisher=Yahoo! Finance|accessdate=23 January 2014}} That same month, Room Key added Preferred Hotel Group as a commercial partner, following with Worldhotels in April.{{cite news | url=https://www.travelpulse.com/news/travel-technology/roomkey-adds-preferred-hotel-group-as-commercial-partner.html | title=Roomkey Adds Preferred Hotel Group as Commercial Partner| first=Kate | last=RICE | work=TravelPulse | date=March 7, 2012}}{{cite web |url=https://www.phocuswire.com/What-Else-Worldhotels-Room-Key-WAYNs-Number-Agents-review-suppliers-Facebook-fact | title=What Else? Worldhotels-Room Key, WAYN's Number, Agents review suppliers, Facebook fact | work=Phocuswire | date=March 16, 2012}}
Room Key exited beta and fully launched in May 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.businesstravelerusa.com/news/roomkey.com-exits-beta,-fully-launches|title=RoomKey.com exits beta, fully launches|publisher=Business Traveler|accessdate=23 January 2014}} Best Western joined Roomkey a few days after it launched.
In September 2012, Room Key added La Quinta Inns & Suites, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, and Leading Hotels of the World as commercial partners. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group was added as a commercial partner in November 2012.
In 2014, Davis stepped down as CEO of Room Key. Steve Sickel was named interim CEO.{{cite web | url=https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Online-Travel/Room-Key-CEO-to-step-down | title=Room Key CEO to step down | first=Danny | last=King |work=Travel Weekly | date=September 5, 2014}}{{cite press release | url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140904005203/en/IHG-Executive-Steve-Sickel-Joins-Room-Key | title=Former IHG Executive Steve Sickel Joins Room Key as Interim CEO | publisher=Business Wire | date=September 4, 2014}}
In 2015, Accor CEO Sebastian Bazin mimicked a "pschitt" noise{{huh|date=July 2022}} to describe Room Key. In 2016, David Kong, CEO of Best Western, called Roomkey a "big disappointment".
On June 8, 2020, the company announced via email and social media that it would no longer be providing hotel search functionality and that all user data would be deleted, effective immediately. The message read, in part: "At Roomkey, our goal has always been honesty. The truth is that Roomkey is in the process of redefining our business operations. Starting June 8, Roomkey.com will no longer provide hotel search services." It was unclear at the time if the company was ceasing all operations permanently or planning to relaunch with a new product in the future.{{cite web| url=https://skift.com/2020/06/08/hotels-backed-online-search-platform-roomkey-suspends-operations/|title=Hotels-Backed Online Search Platform Roomkey Suspends Operations|date=8 June 2020 |publisher=Skift|accessdate=9 June 2020}}
Operations
Roomkey was owned by its founding partners: Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, and Wyndham Worldwide. Along with its founding partners’ properties, Roomkey’s website included properties from commercial partners. Commercial partners do not have an ownership stake in Roomkey. Roomkey also had partnerships with several central reservation systems (CRS), including Sabre SynXis, Trust, and TravelClick, which enable the listing of thousands of additional hotels on Roomkey’s website.{{cite news | url=https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Online-Travel/Room-Key-reaches-hotel-CRS-deal-with-Sabre |title=Room Key reaches hotel CRS deal with Sabre | first=Danny | last=King | work=Travel Weekly | date=June 28, 2012}}
When a Roomkey user attempted to book a room with any of Roomkey’s founding or commercial partners, the customer was directed to the partner’s site and booked a room directly with the hotel.{{cite web| url=http://www.gadling.com/2012/03/23/room-key-launches-first-international-sites/ |title=Room Key launches first international sites|date=23 March 2012 | publisher=Gadling|accessdate=23 January 2014}}