by Daniel Abrahams
At MyTravelMoney.co.uk HQ, I often find myself working in our Old St offices until very late at night. The nature of building a tech company some might say! I have always flirted with the idea of checking in to a hotel rather making the commute back to base in North London. However, the assumption has always been I will pay an arm and a leg for last minute accommodation. Not to mention, this could become a very expensive repeat habit. Taking another scenario, on a recent trip to Thailand, I needed to stay that extra night in Koh Samui. Where to turn for a good deal? So, when I came across HotelTonight.com that seemingly would solve these problems via a trendy mobile app, my curiosity prevailed and I had to try out. My experience was fantastic, and way cheaper than anticipated for a 5 star experience. This made me reach out to the company and couldn’t wait to speak with Heather Leisman on the business behind HotelTonight.com.
Our verdict: 5/5. A terrific same day hotel booking service that combines superb user experience with great value last minute deals.
Q&A with Heather Leisman, HotelTonight’s Managing Director, Europe
Welcome to London – What is HotelTonight in one sentence?
Mobile apps for same-day hotel deals.
Where is HotelTonight based?
HotelTonight is headquartered in downtown San Francisco, with our European headquarters/operations based in London which was opened in June. You can book hotels via our app in more than 60 destinations across the US, UK and Canada, and we’re adding, on average, a new destination to the app each week! Destinations where we already have partnerships with hotels in the UK are Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and London.
What differentiates HotelTonight from the competition?
We built HotelTonight from the ground-up for same-day, mobile hotel booking. Every person in our company, from our technology to our hotel experts to our 24/7 support team, is laser-focused on building the best same-day hotel booking service. Being a mobile-native business allowed us to design an app that is optimised for customers in need of a hotel room right now, rather than adapting our web business to the mobile environment. For consumers, we offer unparalleled convenience and fantastic deals at great hotels, while for the hotels themselves, we help them fill last-minute rooms that would otherwise be unused inventory. We’re also the first mobile app to offer personalised hotel recommendations to our customers, such as hotels closer to your current location or those liked by similar bookers.
When HotelTonight started out, what problem were you trying to solve?
The HotelTonight founders (Sam Shank, Jared Simon and Chris Bailey) all come from travel backgrounds and so knew the space well. They recognised that consumers want to be able to book last minute, quickly and on the go. They also knew that hotels need a way to make their inventory available to would-be guests last-minute. They combined the two principles in mobile and HotelTonight was born.
How come London as a growth area?
London is one of the most vibrant and visited cities on earth, so it was an obvious place to kick-off our expansion beyond North America. It’s also a strong starting-point for moving into the rest of Europe, so it made sense for us to place our EMEA headquarters there.
How have you built your brand and user base so quickly and successfully?
Quite simply, we have built a superior product that solves a real problem that wasn’t being addressed by other travel companies. Not only do we feature great hotels, great prices and a fast and easy way to book, but we also back that up with a world-class service team that is available 24/7. The majority of our growth is through word of mouth and referral; in other words, customers like what we do and they tell their friends.
It’s so simple to use your app. How important is user experience to your app?
Our clean and intuitive interface is a big way in which we differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Our users rely on us to provide a convenient and speedy booking experience, so simplicity is key.
How much can you save by using HotelTonight?
We offer discounts of up to 70%, however our focus is on value. We know that our customers are looking for a great experience, so it’s not about having cheap hotels at low prices, but rather unbeatable prices at extraordinary properties.
Greatest achievement since the business started?
Our rate of growth has been incredible from the start – we’ve just hit the 3m download mark, have expanded to over 60 destinations, and recently opened our doors internationally. But I think the greatest achievement would have to be the incredible team we have built, spanning San Francisco and London. Not only is our team one of our biggest differentiators, but it’s also the reason we are going to win.
