Cox & Kings (CKL), the international & domestic travel services company, has acquired UK-based LateRooms, owned by Germany-headquartered travel major TUI Group for GBP 8.5 million (around Rs 850 million). 'The acquisition fits Cox & Kings' plans to expand its global online and B2C leisure proposition,' it said.

''We are confident that bringing the LateRooms brand and technology into the fold will provide a significant boost to Cox & Kings' growth trajectory and technology capabilities,'' said Peter Kerkar, director, Cox & Kings.

The group plans to drive synergies from LateRooms' association with its short break packaged holiday specialist in the UK, SuperBreak Mini-Holidays.

Hugo Kimber, executive chairman, Cox & Kings Leisure Division-EU, said, ''The acquisition of LateRooms and access to its online technology platform bolsters the Group's delivery capabilities across all geographies for the Leisure business.''

LateRooms, a hotel booking specialist in the UK, claims to have 150,000 properties around the world on its portfolio, with a user base of 3.5 million. LateRooms also owns various brands and domain names including AsiaRooms.com.

 Shares of the company gained Rs 1.35, or 0.55%, to trade at Rs 248.40. The total volume of shares traded was 45,266 at the BSE (12.08 p.m., Tuesday).