Duetto, a provider of revenue and profitability management software for the hospitality industry, has announced the death of its founder, Marco Benvenuti, who passed away on 28 August 2026 in San Francisco after a three-year battle with cancer.
A company born of conviction
Marco Benvenuti founded Duetto in 2010 alongside Patrick Bosworth, initially as a two-person consultancy. Craig Weissman joined shortly afterwards. Together, they built a platform that would go on to serve more than a thousand hotels and casinos worldwide.
Under Marco Benvenuti’s leadership, the Open Pricing platform, integrated into the GameChanger system, helped transform the industry’s approach to revenue management, replacing rigid pricing models with a more nuanced, responsive reading of demand. 🔗 Read more on LTH: Duetto acquires HotStats to become the leading provider of revenue management and optimisation software
From a team of two to over a hundred employees
Within a few years, Duetto grew from two founders to more than a hundred staff. Its product range expanded with the launch of ScoreBoard and BlockBuster, alongside GameChanger.
Marco Benvenuti stepped back from Duetto’s day-to-day operations in 2018. He remained involved afterwards, however, sitting on the company’s board and acting as a trusted advisor, including through its 2024 acquisition.
A legacy praised by peers
Former colleagues describe him as a singular, disruptive innovator, driven by new ideas and committed to ensuring that every voice counted within the company, regardless of title. He was also the one who introduced the unicorn, the playful and rebellious symbol chosen to embody the Duetto brand, still used today.
Olly Lynch, Duetto’s Chief Marketing Officer, said that what Marco Benvenuti had built was never just a company, but a way of working and treating one another that remains deeply embedded in Duetto’s identity. She added that many staff consider those years to be the best of their careers, and that the company intends to carry forward what he started.
Duetto today
The distinctive spirit that Marco Benvenuti instilled from the outset continues to shape Duetto’s current direction, as the company now develops a new category: the Revenue & Profit Operating System. It employs more than 350 people today, up from around a hundred in its early years. 🔗 Read more on LTH: Duetto and Meliá Hotels International partner to develop resort-specific features
Its product range has also expanded with Advance, GameTime and HotStats, alongside ongoing updates to its founding system. In recent years, Duetto has also forged several strategic partnerships, notably with Cloudbeds, extending the growth trajectory set in motion by its founders. 🔗 Read more on LTH: After Sabre, Cloudbeds announces strategic partnership with Duetto
In its tribute message, Duetto extends its deepest condolences to Marco Benvenuti’s family, his loved ones, and all the colleagues whose professional and personal journeys he shaped.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Duetto founder Marco Benvenuti passes away after three-year cancer battle
Co-founded Duetto in 2010 with Patrick Bosworth, later joined by Craig Weissman
Created Open Pricing within the GameChanger revenue management system
Grew Duetto from a two-person consultancy to a 100+ employee company serving 1,000+ hotels and casinos
Stepped back from daily operations in 2018, remained on the board and as advisor through the 2024 acquisition
Duetto now employs 350+ people and has expanded its suite with Advance, GameTime and HotStats
