Digital Hoch 5

What Digital Hoch 5 does

Digital Hoch 5 is a privately held, founder-operated digital agency based in Osnabrück, Germany, specializing exclusively in digitalization for the hospitality industry. The firm has been operating since 2009 under sole proprietor Bilal Erkin and runs on a team of 1–10 employees. Its core offering is the 'DH5-Methode,' a structured five-module service framework covering digital strategy audits, website development, SEO, direct booking systems with channel-manager distribution, 3D virtual tours (via Matterport), and digital guest experiences including digital check-in and concierge services. Supplementary offerings include social media management, WCAG 2.1 accessibility auditing, and certified ClickUp project-management consulting.

The underlying technology is a service delivery stack rather than a packaged software product. Digital Hoch 5 builds primarily on WordPress as CMS, integrates with a broad set of hospitality-specific platforms (vioma, RoomRacoon, Seekda, SiteMinder, Smoobu, Guestnet, HotelKit, staymate, reguest, gastfreund, Additive, betterspace), and uses general-purpose automation (Zapier, Make) and marketing tooling (CleverReach, Mailchimp, Brevo, Publer, Yoast, RankMath). No proprietary software platform is sold; revenue accrues from project-based professional services, retainers implied by ongoing social media and SEO engagements, and one-off product sales such as the published handbook 'Das Digitale Hotel' (€17.90).

The go-to-market is consultative and sales-led, anchored by a free initial consultation, direct outreach to small and mid-sized hotels in German-speaking markets, and a strategic relationship with the Flair Hotels e.V. association that aggregates multiple member properties. The firm is authorized as a BAFA/go-digital consultant (Berater-ID #190949), listed in the IHK pre-qualification directory, and operates as a bootstrapped, independent sole proprietorship with no external investors or parent company.

Name

Digital Hoch 5

Legal name

Digital Hoch 5

Website

https://digitalhoch5.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Digital Hoch 5 is a founder-operated German digital agency in Osnabrück that exclusively serves the hospitality industry with its five-module DH5-Methode, covering digital strategy, websites, SEO, booking systems, virtual tours, and digital guest experiences for SMB hotels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Digital Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Booking Platforms & Booking Engines for Hosts/Managers (THAMALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Identity, Profiles & Traveler Data Management (SSO, Preferences, GDPR) (THALAGAL), Hotels & Lodging Metasearch (THALAEAC)

Keywords

• Hospitality digital agency
• Hotel website development
• Hotel booking systems
• Virtual hotel tours
• Hotel SEO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Osnabrück

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Consulting & Strategy Services: Provides digital strategy consulting, digital checks, and audits for hotels to identify digitalization potential and develop customized strategies.
2. Website Development & Design: Creates professional hotel websites optimized for visibility and conversion, including virtual tour integration and social media presence.
3. SEO Services: Search engine optimization services to improve online visibility for hotels.
4. Booking System Implementation: Implementation of digital booking systems enabling direct bookings and multi-platform distribution.
5. Social Media Management: Social media account management and content creation for hotels.
6. Virtual Tour Creation: Creation of virtual 3D tours using Matterport technology for hotels to showcase properties.
7. ClickUp Services: German-speaking ClickUp consulting and implementation services for project management.
8. Book Sales - Das Digitale Hotel: Sales of the company's published book 'Das Digitale Hotel' for €17.90 with free shipping, containing expert knowledge on digital hospitality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Digital Hoch 5 is a specialized digital agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry. It delivers a five-module service framework (DH5-Methode) covering digital strategy audits, hotel website development, SEO, direct booking system implementation, 3D virtual tours, and digital guest experience platforms, supplemented by social media management, website accessibility auditing, ClickUp consulting, and a published industry book.

Product overview

Digital Hoch 5 operates as a specialized digital agency for the hospitality industry, not a software product company. The company delivers a five-module service framework called the 'DH5-Methode': (1) Digital-Check & Digital-Strategie for assessment and strategy development, (2) Digitale Sichtbarkeit encompassing website development and SEO, (3) Digitale Buchungssysteme for direct booking systems and channel management, (4) Virtuelle Touren using 3D laser technology, and (5) Digitale Gäste-Erlebnisse covering guest-facing digital amenities. Supplementary services include Social Media Betreuung, Barrierefreiheit auditing, and ClickUp consulting. The company also publishes 'Das Digitale Hotel,' a professional handbook on hospitality digitalization. The portfolio is structured as service offerings rather than packaged software products, with integration partnerships across major hotel technology platforms (vioma, RoomRacoon, Seekda, SiteMinder, Smoobu, Staymate, Guestnet, HotelKit, and others) to deliver comprehensive digital transformation for hotel clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital-Check & Digital-Strategie

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced commission payments through direct booking systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration31 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ClickUpcoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified German-speaking ClickUp experts offering implementation and consulting services for project management. Digital Hoch 5 provides specialized ClickUp services for the hospitality industry.
• Flair HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Flair Hotels e.V. hotel association, serving multiple member properties with digital solutions.
• MatterportcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for 3D virtual tour creation using Matterport's laser scanning technology for hotel property visualization.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avvio: Avvio is a UK-based technology company offering direct booking platforms and digital solutions for hotels, including website design, booking engines, and channel management. Highly comparable as it addresses the same direct-booking value proposition Digital Hoch 5 sells to its hotel clients.
• TravelBoom Marketing: TravelBoom Marketing is a US-based digital marketing agency specializing in the hospitality and travel industry, providing website design, SEO, paid media, and direct booking optimization. It is closely aligned with Digital Hoch 5's focus on driving direct bookings and reducing OTA dependency.
• SHR (Sceptre Hospitality Resources): SHR is a hospitality technology company providing digital marketing, CRM, and booking platform solutions for hotels. Comparable in offering hoteliers integrated digital marketing and direct booking technology similar to the DH5-Methode framework.
• TrustYou: TrustYou is a Germany-based guest experience platform for hotels providing review management, guest surveys, and digital guest communication. Comparable to Digital Hoch 5's 'Digital Guest Experiences' module and to their integration partners (Guestnet, betterspace).
• HeBS Digital: HeBS Digital is a US-based digital marketing agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, offering website design, SEO, SEM, and booking engine strategy. It is the most direct comparable to Digital Hoch 5 in terms of vertical specialization and service mix, but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• NetAffinity: NetAffinity is an Irish digital marketing agency specializing in hotel website design, booking engine optimization, and digital marketing strategy for hotels and accommodation providers across Europe. Directly comparable in vertical focus and service portfolio to Digital Hoch 5's DH5-Methode.

Broad incumbents

• Sabre Hospitality: Sabre Hospitality is a large, established global technology provider offering CRS, distribution, and digital marketing solutions to hotels and chains. While not a direct boutique agency peer, it competes at the enterprise end of the hotel digitalization market where Digital Hoch 5's clients eventually graduate.
• Leonardo (Leonardo Media): Leonardo is a broader hospitality technology platform providing visual content management, media distribution, and digital marketing tools for hotels worldwide. It overlaps with Digital Hoch 5's 'Digital Visibility' and virtual tour offerings, but operates as an enterprise SaaS platform rather than a boutique agency.

Emerging players

• Canary Technologies: Canary Technologies provides hotel guest management software including mobile check-in, digital concierge, and guest communication. It is a Digital Hoch 5 integration partner and overlaps directly with the firm's 'Digital Guest Experiences' module.
• vioma: vioma is a German hotel software provider specializing in booking systems, channel management, and hotel website creation. While Digital Hoch 5 is a vioma integration partner, vioma's self-service booking engine offering directly competes with the 'Hotel-Buchungssysteme' service line in the DACH market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Digital Hoch 5