From yesterday (5 August) all restaurants that were previously exclusive to Quandoo are available on OpenTable, with Opentable exclusive restaurants being listed on Quandoo over the coming months.
As part of the initial integration 10,000 restaurants will be made available across both in the UK, Germany, Australia, Italy and Singapore.
Pierpaolo Zollo, VP business development for Quandoo, told BigHospitality there will be no extra charge for restaurants listed on both platforms and the booking process will remain the same.
He says all restaurant partners have been informed of the changes, and existing reservation widgets on their websites will be unaffected.
“If a diner books a Quandoo partner through OpenTable we will charge the restaurant a couple of pounds per cover then share 50% of that with OpenTable,” he says. “There is no change from a restaurant point of view.”
Adrian Valeriano, VP, EMEA for OpenTable, says the partnership “made sense” and offered more choice to users of both platforms.
“When you look at our restaurants and Quandoo’s, there’s a little bit of overlap, but they are largely a complimentary set of restaurants that work together,” he says.
There are now numerous ways to book restaurants online, including through Google and Instagram, but Valeriano says booking sites such as OpenTable still offer a better user experience.
“Information is out there everywhere, whether it’s Google or Apple, but our verified reviews, images and menus make that experience unique,” he says.
Both companies say they are committed to continue sharing inventory across their respective platforms as the partnership progresses.
This will initially bring OpenTable’s offering to over 56,000 restaurants worldwide, while Quandoo’s restaurant partners will be increased to over 23,000.
“The vision we have for the business is we want to create the biggest marketplace in hospitality,” says Zollo.
“Many of the leading travel platforms offer exposure to competitors on their platform. This is something that is common practice in other industries. The rationale is joining forces to help the industry grow.”