Hotel Giants form B2B Web Site

In the spirit of 'co-opetition' Bass Hotels and Resorts has joined in with Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and ClubCorp USA to become part of the newly named procurement company- Avendra LLC.

The Internet-enabled business-to-business hospitality procurement company, announced earlier this year by Marriott and Hyatt, is destined to become a leading player in e-procurement in North America.

The new procurement company, which is powered by GoCo-op, is designed to provide an electronic B2B procurement platform between hotel chains and vendors.

In addition to lower costs and efficiencies, Avendra will create industry standards. Avendra's goal is to be inclusive rather than exclusive. "Our objective is to be the leading player' said Ravi Saligram, evp/chief marketing officer for Bass Hotels.

The alliance mentality inspired the company's name, Avendra, which is a play on words stemming from the slogan "all avenues for venders."

Avendra will be headquartered in Montgomery County, MD. There will also be regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and other key markets, with an initial staff of more than 100.