Long before short-term rentals dotted every corner of the nation and “Airbnb” became a household name in Kenya, two Norwegian college friends, Håvar Bauck and Endre Opdal, found themselves reunited, not in Oslo, but in a quiet neighbourhood near Nairobi’s airport.
What began as a few casual conversations between neighbours would soon spark a digital revolution in African hospitality.
The duo, driven by a shared passion for travel and innovation, quickly saw both the challenges and the untapped opportunities within the region’s hospitality sector.

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Portrait interview with me, originally published on Finding Humans in Tech, 2023-04-11

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Interview with me about HotelOnline, by Daily Nation. 2023-03-04 Story in Daily Nation Håvar Bauck is the co-founder of HotelOnline, an African yield management company for hotels, involved in provision of hotels, lodges, and vacation…

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Interview about HotelOnline, by Capital Business. 2022-11-02. NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 2 – While working in Lagos, Nigeria, Håvar Bauck often visited his friend Endre Opdal in Kenya to discuss business ideas and opportunities. Every time…

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Article in Finansavisen about HotelOnline acquiring HotelPlus. 2022-09-12 Prises til en kvart milliard Vårt største oppkjøp noensinne, sier Håvar Bauck, gründer i HotelOnline. Nå vokser det norskeide selskapet i afrikansk reiselivssektor.

Interview in Skift about HotelOnline and our acquisition of HotelPlus. 2022-09-12. Kenya’s HotelOnline, Backed by Yanolja, Buys Hotel Software Brand HotelPlus HotelOnline, which is based in Kenya and has more than 6,000 hotel clients for…

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Article in TechCrunch about HotelOnline and our acquisition of HotelPlus. 2022-09-12 HotelOnline, a Kenya-based Yanolja-backed travel technology scale-up that fashions itself as an e-commerce and digital marketing enabler in the hospitality industry, has acquired HotelPlus,…

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Article in The Exchange about Yanolja’s investment in HotelOnline. 2022-04-24 South Korean Traveltech Company Yanolja valued above US$11 billion has made true its wish on getting hold of the African market by investing in Kenya’s…

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Article in Finansavisen about Yanolja investing in HotelOnline. 2022-04-02 Får inn Softbank-selskap på eiersiden Softbank-støttede Yanolja kommer inn på eiersiden i norskeide HotelOnline. – Vi spiller rollen som partner i Afrika, sier gründer Håvar Bauck.