Emerging Travel Group Appoints Head of Direct Supply

In her new role, Simone will be responsible for the company's hotel and lodging strategy development, consolidating a team of over 50 professionals. Based in Alicante, Simone will leverage her expertise to forge hotel partnerships globally.

In her travel industry career spanning over two decades, Simone has held senior positions in destination management, business development and partnership building in companies including Dnata Travel Group and W2M. 

Felix Shpilman, CEO of Emerging Travel Group, commented: “Aiming to provide our customers with the broadest supply choice possible, our longstanding strategy focused on consolidating numerous wholesalers and contracting hotels directly. While we have mastered working with suppliers unlike anyone else in the market, we strategically shifted towards developing direct connections in the European and Middle Eastern regions. In 2023 these efforts led to a remarkable 32% growth in directly contracted accommodations, reaching a total of 90,000 properties. Simone’s strong travel industry background, deep industry knowledge and extensive experience that she brings to the company will undoubtedly accelerate our growth further.”

Commenting on her new role, Simone Large said: “I am excited to join the ambitious team of Emerging Travel Group during this pivotal time and to lead the Direct Supply division. We are fostering collaboration with hoteliers willing to access tailor-made distribution across the Group’s multiple platforms. I look forward to applying my expertise to drive the company's growth and long-term value.”

Emerging Travel Group (ETG) consolidates a total inventory of over 2.5 million options, with 90,000 of them being connected directly through the company’s proprietary extranet system. By connecting to the ETG’s extranet, hoteliers and property owners can leverage the distribution channels across all ETG’s brands, including platforms designed for individual travelers (ZenHotels), travel agents and industry professionals (RateHawk), and business travelers (Roundtrip). The Group’s platforms are used by over 10 million B2C consumers and 100,000 B2B customers. To provide greater visibility among target audiences, the company offers the Top Stays program for directly contracted properties. Additionally, the Group collaborates with the majority of channel managers in the market, empowering property owners to manage their distribution seamlessly.

In 2023, Emerging Travel Group achieved a gross transaction value of $2.6 billion. The company employs more than 2,800 people in 80 countries. The company has offices in Wilmington, London, Berlin, Milan, Lisbon, Warsaw, Dubai and Limassol.