What the heck? Japan's mobile-game company Gree invests in a … hotel booking startup

HotelQuickly has raised $4.5 million in funding from mobile-game company Gree. That seems to make no sense, but both companies want to be powerhouses in Asia.

Hong Kong-based HotelQuickly lets users book last-minute hotel rooms at heavily discounted prices. It bears a lot of resemblance to HotelTonight, but it has a different regional focus. The app presents a list of six curated offers based on a user’s location. For hotels, the attraction is that it can make money on rooms that would otherwise be empty.