WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Challenge Tour and HotelPlanner today jointly announced a multi-year partnership, with the travel technology company becoming the Tour's title partner from the start of the 2025 season.
HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology company that combines proprietary artificial intelligence agents (HotelPlanner.ai) and a 24-hour global gig-based reservations and customer service network, becomes the Challenge Tour's first title partner since its first official season in 1989. The partnership will help grow the Tour through increased prize funds and by helping to elevate the standard of events on the Road to Mallorca.
The 2025 HotelPlanner Tour schedule begins in South Africa next week, with the SDC Open taking place at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa from January 23-26. In total, players will compete for a record total prize fund of over €9,000,000 on the HotelPlanner Tour this season, with each European event having a minimum prize fund of €300,000, meaning prize fund increases for 16 events in total in 2025.
The schedule will consist of 29 tournaments staged across three continents in 18 different countries, culminating in the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A in Mallorca.
In addition to their title partnership, HotelPlanner will provide additional investment into six events on the 2025 HotelPlanner Tour schedule, and a total of 40 tournaments throughout the multi-year partnership.
A leading travel technology company, HotelPlanner combines proprietary AI and machine learning capabilities with a 24-hour global customer service network to seamlessly serve all traveller hotel needs from a single platform. They will use their assets, connectivity and people to help grow the Tour and open doors for the game of golf across the world through global travel.
Jamie Hodges, HotelPlanner Tour Director, said: "Today's announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our Tour. Our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant deal, and that was essential to us and to HotelPlanner.
"This new partnership will increase prize funds for our membership and elevate the standard of our events. The global reach of HotelPlanner is also aligned with the diversity of our membership and the places and cultures we visit."
Tim Hentschel, HotelPlanner Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are delighted to become the title partner of the Challenge Tour. This partnership provides an excellent platform to engage with customers, prospects, and stakeholders, and build our brand.
"We share the same vision and values as the Tour, and as a leading travel technology company we will use our people, assets, and connectivity to help grow the game of golf globally and the Tour further.
"The Challenge Tour has been the foundation of so many great golfing names and we are excited to see the HotelPlanner Tour continue to open doors for the next generation of superstars."
HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company that combines proprietary artificial intelligence agents (HotelPlanner.ai) and a 24/7 global gig-based reservations and customer service network.
Founded in 2003, HotelPlanner has enduring partnerships with the world's largest Online Travel Agencies, sports franchises, well-known hotel chains, individual hotels, online wedding providers, ancillary lodging providers, corporations, universities and government agencies.
For media enquiries, please contact:
European Tour group
Jay Aggarwal, HotelPlanner Tour Press Officer
Mob: +44
HotelPlanner
Tim Gunstone, Chief Communications Officer
Email: tim.gunstone@hotelplanner.com
EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP COMMUNICATIONS
Wentworth Drive | Virginia Water | Surrey | GU25 4LX | UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44
About the HotelPlanner Tour
The HotelPlanner Tour, formerly known as the Challenge Tour, was established in 1987 and has developed into a proven training ground, where the champions-in-waiting compete across the globe for a place on the DP World Tour.
Many players who have progressed from the HotelPlanner Tour have gone on to become Major Champions - including Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka - and Ryder Cup stars, such as Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton.
Using its vast international schedule and relationships with golf federations and PGAs, the HotelPlanner Tour is widely accessible to professionals from across the globe, giving players from developing golfing nations the opportunity to test their skill amongst some of the most talented up and coming stars in world golf.
HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology company, has been the title partner of the HotelPlanner Tour since the start of the 2025 season.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group is the overarching corporate brand which administers: the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, along with the PGA of America, is the Managing Partner of golf's greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.
Established in 1972, the European Tour group is committed to 'Driving Golf Further' through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.
Innovative: We are driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We are committed to attracting new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport.
Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women's game, golf for the disabled and promoting the many physical and mental health benefits of playing golf.
Global: Since 1972, players from 38 different countries have won tournaments on our main Tour, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world's leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, BMW, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Emirates and Fortinet as Official Partners.
The European Tour group has Strategic Alliances with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Those Strategic Alliances, combined with partnerships with the China Golf Association (CGA), Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India, provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men's professional golf Tour of the European Tour group.
We ensure we have a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities we visit through 'Golf for Good', the umbrella name for the European Tour group's commitment to 'Driving Golf Further' in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.
