Spa marketing specialist SpaFinder has created a new company - GramercyOne - to take over responsibility for the growth and development of its SpaBooker software. The new company will launch a suite of 'Booker' brands for vertical markets in the the leisure and wellness industries.

SpaBooker's cloud-based software has gained significant market share since its launch in 2008 and GramercyOne now plans to expand into the salon, health club, integrated health and medical, hospitality and activity-leisure sectors.

Josh McCarter, chief executive of GramercyOne, says "Businesses worldwide will benefit from our innovative technology and marketing capabilities that help drive profits and build customer relationships." He says the company aims to become "the OpenTable for any spa- or service-related business."

The Booker platform provides a range of functionality to run both the back-end and customer-facing elements of a service business, including staff scheduling, CRM and online appointment booking. Customers can pay online using payment processing via mobile devices, including iPads, iPhones and Android.

The software offers social media integration with Facebook and Twitter to enable companies to send out instant, real-time promotions to followers to fill last minute slots and market off-peak appointments. In addition, a turnaway management module based on a Smart Waitlist will launch in January 2011 (see Spa Business 4 2010 p 56).

The Booker system is available in eight languages and currently operates in 30 countries. It processes more than 300,000 transactions per month.

Pete Ellis, SpaFinder's chief executive and and chair of GramercyOne, explained the reasoning behind the new launch: "As more spas and non-spa related businesses approached us to license the product, we decided to maximise its potential by creating a new company, GramercyOne, to develop and commercialise market-specific Booker products." Details: GramercyOne