Uniguest Continues To Build Its Footprint, Acquiring Norway’s Otrum AS

June 8, 2022 by Dave Haynes

Nashville-based hospitality and digital signage solutions-focused Uniguest has acquired the Norwegian software firm Otrum AS, which also focuses mainly on hotel guest messaging.

Founded in 1985 and based in Oslo, Norway, says PR on the deal, Otrum AS delivers interactive TV and digital signage solutions allowing its technology to engage audiences through any digital surface and boasts over 2.5 million users per month.

“Since meeting with Stein and the team we have learned so much more about their platform and their culture and feel this is a great fit with Uniguest,” says Uniguest CEO Jeff Hiscox. “As we carefully integrate Otrum into our business we will explore opportunities to extend the reach of our entire offering into our combined client base, enhancing our solutions and our customers’ experience with us.”

“There are few companies who have such an impressive array of clients, deep and lasting partnerships in their chosen markets and as broad a range of technologies as Uniguest,” says Stein Surlien, CEO at Otrum AS, who will stay on with Uniguest after the acquisition. “To join this team was an easy decision, we believe in the vision of the Uniguest leadership team and are excited to be part of it. We have worked hard to build a great business and exceptional technology platform that we are rightly very proud of, and we are excited by the prospect of the coming together of our business with Uniguest.”

Uniguest has been growing both organically and through acquisitions in the last few years, backed by Atlantic Street Capital. This marks its first acquisition of 2022 following on from JANUS Displays, Sagely, UCView, Volara and Planet eStream in 2021. The company had earlier acquired ONELAN and Tripleplay.

The PR does not get into the deal details or rationale, but I assume this extends the reach and footprint of the collective Uniguest offer to the Nordics region. There is some duplication of capability, as TriplePlay does hotel TV and IPTV, but part of the deal with growing by acquisition is ending up with redundant roles (like finance and HR) and lots of duplicated or similar software capabilities.

I do like how the M&A strategy is focused on a couple of vertical markets – hotels and seniors residences (which operate a lot like hotels).