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HRS's history
1972-1977
An idea becomes a company
- 1972
-
- Robert Ragge (*1937) founds HRS - Hotel Reservation Service, in a former vegetable shop in Cologne.
- Corporate aim: finding hotel rooms for business travellers, especially for trade fairs, as well as additional services
- Number of employees: 2
- 1974
-
- First "transfer catalogue" for tour operators abroad, price lists for trips, bus transport, city guides and rental cars
1978-1987
The company adopts technology
- 1978
-
- The company moves to the Haus der Handwerkskammer at Heumarkt 14
- 1980
-
- Move to computers
- 1985
-
- Own computer hotel reservation system developed
- Industry-atypical self-payment system introduced
- 1986
-
- "Hotel directory" introduced, the first HRS hotel catalogue, listing 2500 hotels
1988-1990
New ideas
- 1988
-
- Special department for individual bookings founded
- 1989
-
- HRS moves to BTX teletext
- 1st edition of corporate catalogue
- Number of employees: 35
- 1990
-
- 12 employees travel to the former East Germany to sign up hotels there. The special "GDR hotels visited for you!" catalogue appears.
1991-1993
Innovation and responsibility
- 1991
-
- Move to Drususgasse 7-11
- Number of employees: 38
- 1992
-
- Cooperation with Mannesmann Mobilfunk
- German Choral Festival in Cologne, HRS finds accommodation for 30,000 participants
- 1993
-
- BTX with hotel photos
1994-2000
The Internet boom
- 1994
-
- Geographic hotel-searching
- 1995
-
- www.HRS.de: the first HRS Web site in several languages
- 1999
-
- WAP version for mobile phones
- 2000
-
- "Hotel Directory" CD-ROM
- Number of employees: 89
2001-2006
The network grows internationally
- 2001
-
- HRS develops special applications for corporate intranets
- 2002
-
- First foreign office opens in Shanghai
- Number of employees: 132
- 2004
-
- The company moves to Blaubach 32
- 2006
-
- HRS opens offices in London and Paris
2007-2008
Management passes to second generation
- 2007
-
- A change of generations: Tobias Ragge (*1976) takes over operational control from his father
- HRS opens office in Warsaw
- 2008
-
- The new HRS Web site is launched
- Takeover of the Austrian company Tiscover
- Number of employees: 330
2009-2010
From a company to a brand
- 2009
-
- Offices opened in Rome and Istanbul
- Named "Brand of the Century"
- HRS becomes the world's first hotel portal in the App Store
- 2010
-
- Corporate identity reworked, launch of a national ad campaign
- Moscow office opened
- Number of employees: more than 500 worldwide
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Awards for HRS
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