STO Garant
STO Garant is a Dutch foundation operating an escrow-based guarantee scheme that protects travellers' advance payments against tour-operator insolvency, serving 218 SMB travel, charter, event, and wellness operators under the EU Package Travel Directive.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersEindhoven, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What STO Garant does
STO Garant, legally Stichting Take Over, is a Dutch foundation (stichting) founded on 1 February 2013 in Eindhoven, Netherlands, operating an escrow-based guarantee scheme that satisfies the mandatory insolvency protection requirement of the EU Package Travel Directive. The organization serves small-to-medium travel operators, sailing and charter companies, event organizers, yoga and wellness retreat providers, and foreign tour operators targeting Dutch travellers — currently 218 affiliated member organizations. Member organizations register the booking with STO Garant, and the traveller's payment is routed not to the operator but into the Stichting Derdengelden Certo Escrow (a third-party escrow account managed by Certo Escrow B.V., registered with De Nederlandsche Bank and AFM). Funds remain in escrow until the day after the trip ends, at which point they are released to the operator; in the event of operator insolvency (declared surseance or faillissement), STO Garant compensates the traveller or arranges repatriation. Two known insolvency events are documented in the input (Sport Travel Office B.V. in September 2020 and Labyrinth Outdoor & Travel B.V. in March 2022).
The core product is the STO Garant Guarantee Scheme, delivered through an online platform that handles booking registration, payment requests via iDEAL/Wero, payment-status confirmation, and transaction management. API and Excel-import integrations with third-party booking software (Bookinglayer, TravelSpirit) allow fully automated booking creation and payment routing. A 2024 dashboard refresh, renewed iDEAL implementation, expanded API, and a two-factor authentication option were rolled out, with iDEAL migrating to the pan-European Wero scheme in 2026. The business model combines a one-off €165 joining fee, a €165 annual membership fee, and per-booking fees from €12.75 down to €8.00 via volume discount packages (STO I–V for 25–500 bookings/year, with unused bookings carrying over). Most members pass the per-booking cost on to the traveller. STO Garant distributes via its website (self-serve registration, demo and consultation booking), inside sales, and channel partnerships with industry associations — most notably VvKR (Vereniging van Kleinschalige Reisorganisaties) and BBZ (Dutch Charter Vessel Association), through which more than half of its members are recruited.
STO Garant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STO Garant
- Legal name
- Stichting Take Over
- Website
- https://sto-garant.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- STO Garant is a Dutch foundation operating an escrow-based guarantee scheme that protects travellers' advance payments against tour-operator insolvency, serving 218 SMB travel, charter, event, and wellness operators under the EU Package Travel Directive.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STO Garant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Guarantee Services
- NAICS
- Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159), All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599), Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Booking Compliance Monitoring (OBT/TMC) & Out-of-Policy Controls (THACACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Travel Management & Booking Infrastructure (GDS/Channel Managers/Booking APIs) (BPAMAIAO), Group Travel Payments & Billing (Central Billing, Virtual Cards) (THACAFAK)
Keywords
Where STO Garant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eindhoven
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
STO Garant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership and Booking Fees: STO Garant charges a one-off joining fee (€165), an annual membership fee (€165), and a per-booking variable fee ranging from €8 to €12.75 depending on volume discount packages selected. The majority of members pass this cost on to their end customers (travellers). No additional costs for audit certificates or bank guarantees.
- Volume Discount Packages (STO I–V): Members can purchase discount packages (STO I through STO V) ranging from 25 to 500 bookings per year at discounted per-booking rates (from €11.65 down to €8 per booking), providing a lower effective rate than the standard €12.75 per booking.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | Standard Per-Booking Rate |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | STO I – 25 bookings/year |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | STO II – 50 bookings/year |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | STO III – 100 bookings/year |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | STO IV – 250 bookings/year |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Annual | STO V – 500 bookings/year |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
STO Garant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
STO Garant operates an automated escrow-based financial guarantee scheme for the package travel sector. Member travel organizations register bookings on the STO Garant online platform; travelers pay into a third-party escrow account (Stichting Derdengelden Certo Escrow) rather than directly to the operator, and funds are released only after the trip ends. If the operator becomes insolvent before or during the trip, STO Garant compensates the traveler or arranges repatriation.
Product overview
STO Garant is a single, unified guarantee scheme for the travel industry — not a multi-module platform. Its core offering is the STO Garant Guarantee Scheme, an automated escrow-based financial protection mechanism that insures travellers' advance payments against operator insolvency. The guarantee scheme is delivered through the STO Garant Online Platform, a digital portal used by member organisations to register bookings, trigger payment collection, receive confirmations, and manage all transactions. Member organisations also have access to API-based integrations with third-party booking software (Bookinglayer, TravelSpirit) and a suite of STO I–V discount packages that offer volume-based pricing on the per-booking fee, starting from €8.00 per transaction.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- STO Garant Guarantee Scheme
Quantifiable outcome
- No cases of financial insolvency among members in 2023 or 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use STO Garant
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
STO Garant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
STO Garant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- VvKR (Vereniging van Kleinschalige Reisorganisaties)coreSTO Garant became an official VvKR business partner in August 2023. VvKR is the leading trade association for small-scale travel organizations in the Netherlands. More than half of STO Garant members are already VvKR members. The partnership is designed to better serve (starting) VvKR members with their guarantee scheme needs. VvKR was instrumental in the founding of STO Garant in 2013.
- BookinglayercoreBookinglayer, a booking management software provider for travel and experience companies, integrated STO Garant's guarantee scheme into its platform. Members can activate STO Garant with a single checkbox setting, enabling fully automated payment processing through STO Garant's escrow system. The partnership was driven by requests from STO Garant members Rewild wildernisreizen and Sea More Travel, both Bookinglayer users.
- TravelSpiritcoreTravelSpirit, a travel technology provider, established an API integration with STO Garant. The connection automates booking and payment workflows between TravelSpirit's system and STO Garant's platform. When a customer's full payment is received, travel documents can be automatically dispatched. The partnership enables efficient debtor management and secure payment processing.
- BBZ (Vereniging voor Beroepschartervaart)coreBBZ (Dutch Charter Vessel Association) entered into a partnership with STO Garant to provide its members with a guarantee scheme compliant with the revised Package Travel Directive. With the broadened definition of package travel, charter vessel operators are required to offer insolvency protection. BBZ proactively partnered with STO Garant to facilitate its members' compliance. BBZ director Paul van Ommen endorsed the partnership for its ease of use and low costs.
- Certo EscrowcoreCerto Escrow B.V. is the payment service provider that operates the escrow account system used by STO Garant. It is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), and Currence. The company manages the Stichting Derdengelden Certo Escrow, which holds traveller payments until trip completion. Certo Escrow was a co-founder of STO Garant alongside a group of travel entrepreneurs in 2013.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
STO Garant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Bookinglayer: Bookinglayer is a booking management software provider for tours, activities, and experience providers with a native single-checkbox integration into STO Garant's escrow guarantee scheme. While not a direct competitor, it is a key distribution and integration partner that drives member adoption and embeds STO Garant into operator workflows.
- TravelSpirit: TravelSpirit is a Dutch travel technology provider that has built a full bidirectional API integration with STO Garant to automate booking creation, payment confirmation, and document dispatch. As a strategic integration partner, TravelSpirit provides a channel for STO Garant to reach mid-market Dutch tour operators without direct sales effort.
Direct peers
- SGR (Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden): SGR is the largest and longest-established Dutch travel guarantee fund, providing insolvency protection for travelers booking with affiliated tour operators and travel agents under the EU Package Travel Directive. It is the primary incumbent competitor to STO Garant in the same Dutch regulatory market, using a traditional guarantee fund model rather than STO Garant's escrow approach.
- ANVR Garantiefonds: ANVR is the leading Dutch trade association for travel agencies and tour operators, operating its own guarantee fund (ANVR Garantiefonds) to provide traveler insolvency protection for its members. It directly competes with STO Garant for Dutch travel operator memberships, particularly among mainstream travel agencies.
Broad incumbents
- Certo Escrow: Certo Escrow is a DNB-registered payment service provider and co-founder of STO Garant, operating the Stichting Derdengelden escrow infrastructure underlying the guarantee scheme. While a technology partner rather than a competing guarantee scheme, Certo is the critical infrastructure provider and could in theory offer escrow-as-a-service to other guarantee schemes or operators directly.
- Allianz Travel: Allianz Travel is a major global travel insurance and assistance provider offering insolvency coverage and travel protection products across Europe. While its core product is insurance rather than a directive-compliant guarantee scheme, it represents a broader incumbent option for operators and travelers considering alternatives to dedicated Package Travel Directive compliance.
- Zurich Travel Insurance: Zurich is a major general insurer offering travel insurance products in the Netherlands including some insolvency protection for travelers. It competes indirectly with STO Garant by offering alternative traveler protection mechanisms, though typically through insurance rather than escrow-based directive compliance.
Regional players
- VvKR (Vereniging van Kleinschalige Reisorganisaties): VvKR is the leading Dutch trade association for small-scale travel operators, instrumental in founding STO Garant in 2013 and currently a core channel partner. While VvKR itself is a trade body rather than a guarantee scheme, more than half of STO Garant's 218 members are VvKR members, making the association a key feeder network and indirectly a benchmark for member demand.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
STO Garant social profiles
Digital presenceSTO Garant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STO Garant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
STO Garant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STO Garant M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about STO Garant
What does STO Garant do?
STO Garant operates an automated escrow-based financial guarantee scheme for the package travel sector. Member travel organizations register bookings on the STO Garant online platform; travelers pay into a third-party escrow account (Stichting Derdengelden Certo Escrow) rather than directly to the operator, and funds are released only after the trip ends. If the operator becomes insolvent before or during the trip, STO Garant compensates the traveler or arranges repatriation.
Is STO Garant a public or private company?
STO Garant is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was STO Garant founded?
STO Garant was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is STO Garant based?
STO Garant is headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does STO Garant make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership and Booking Fees are the primary driver. The others are volume Discount Packages (STO I–V).
Who are STO Garant's main competitors?
Others on record are Bookinglayer and TravelSpirit. Direct peers are SGR (Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden) and ANVR Garantiefonds. Broad incumbents are Certo Escrow, Allianz Travel and Zurich Travel Insurance. VvKR (Vereniging van Kleinschalige Reisorganisaties) is listed as a regional player.
Does STO Garant have an API?
Yes. STO Garant provides an API link that enables member organisations to connect their back-office or booking systems with the STO Garant platform. The API integration allows automated booking creation, payment status synchronisation, and receivables management. Extras such as the API link cost nothing — no additional fees are charged. The API supports seamless integration with existing booking and reservation systems.
What industry is STO Garant in?
STO Garant's product category is Travel Guarantee Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THACACAE, Booking Compliance Monitoring (OBT/TMC) & Out-of-Policy Controls, with a secondary code of BPAMAIAO, Travel Management & Booking Infrastructure (GDS/Channel Managers/Booking APIs). Its NAICS code is 56159.