1800hotels.ie inks €1.5m deal and plans US expansion


5 Jun 2008

Irish accommodation-booking site 1800hotels.ie has signed a deal worth €1.5m with A2Btransfers.com and announced plans to enter the US market.

The three-year deal with A2Btransfers.com will make it easier for customers who want to customise their holiday to transfer between hotels.

The deal will provide all 1800hotels.ie clients with an option to book transfers with all hotels booked online or through one of 1800hotels.ie’s call centres. Clients who book their transfer will be reminded by text 24 hours before arrival.

“1800hotels has been searching for a transfer partner that offers a high level of service and quality, whilst securing competitive prices. In A2Btransfers.com we have found this partner and we were particularly impressed with its use of mobile technology and its 24-hour call centre service available to our clients from anywhere in the world – keeping them updated at all times,” said Graham Peakin, managing director, 1800hotels.ie.

The expansion into the US market will begin in September when the company opens its first office in North America, which will be based in Florida.

1800hotels.ie celebrated five years in business this month and expects to have a turnover of €30m in 2008.

The company was founded with an investment of €5,000, a laptop and a phone. The company has increased its turnover from €75,000 in year one to €7.5m in 2006.

Earlier this year, a new business partnership with Travco and Manor House Hotels brought the number of hotels worldwide available for booking through the site to over 70,000. The company also recently opened an office in the UK and one in France.

On the evolution of the company, Peakin remarked: “I remember waiting for the phone to ring on day one … and it didn’t. Now we are handling hundreds of calls per day and the website gets thousands of hits. The business growth has surpassed even my high expectations and we are all really looking forward to breaking into the US market in September.”

By Niall Byrne