Zen Rooms gets additional investment from South Korea’s Yanolja
Budget hotel platform ZEN Rooms has joined hands with South Korea based travel group Yanolja.
Yanolja was the lead strategic investor in ZEN Room’s $15 million funding round in 2018, and has doubled down with a strategic partnership and additional shareholding.
Booking Holdings backed Yanolja will take over the shareholding of early investor Asia Internet Holdings.
ZEN and Yanolja will collaborate on automation technology to improve the customer experience, and reduce budget hotels’ operating costs.
"We were honoured to be Yanolja’s first international investment. With this strategic alliance, we are joining forces with one of the most technologically innovative travel groups to create the first full service budget and mid-range hospitality group in SEA," said Nathan Boublil, co-founder and CEO of ZEN.
ZEN Rooms has about 13,000 rooms under franchise and claims to be the largest chain in the Philippines, with 5,500 rooms.
Yanolja plans to fully support ZEN to solidify its status as the leading full-stack hospitality company in the region," said Jongyoon Kim, CEO of Online Business at Yanolja.
Earlier this year Yanolja received funding of $180 million from GIC and Booking Holdings, valuing the business at about $1 billion.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026