Secret Escapes

Secret Escapes
IndustryTravel
Founded2010; 14 years ago (2010)
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Key people
Tom Valentine
Alex Saint
Alliott Cole
Benjamin Holmes
Laurent Laffy
Thomas Hulme
Eirik Pettersen
ServicesFlash deals
Number of employees
400+
Websitewww.secretescapes.com

Secret Escapes is a members-only British travel company selling heavily discounted luxury hotel stays and trips through its website and mobile app. Secret Escapes operates in Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

History

Secret Escapes was formerly called DMC Cruise Limited until 16 Nov 2010[1] when it was re-branded as Secret Escapes by Tom Valentine and Alex Saint,[2] after identifying a demand in luxury travel deals in the UK.[3] In 2014, the company acquired the German mobile hotel booking application Justbook to compete with other last minute hotel mobile apps.[4]

In July 2015 the company secured an additional $60m in funding from existing investor Octopus Investments as well as Google Ventures to fund further expansion and acquired UK based mycityvenue in an all-cash-and-stock deal, adding another 1200 venues and 1.4 million members to its portfolio.[5][6][7][8] According to IBT, the company has over 19 million members and has sold 2 million room nights.[9]

In October 2015, Secret Escapes continued its expansion in Germany by acquiring flash deal site Travista.[10]

In 2017, Secret Escapes acquired Slevomat Group, Central and Eastern Europe's leading travel deals and experience company. [11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "SECRET ESCAPES LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Secret Escapes needed customers before it had a product".
  3. ^ "The Secret Escapes 'nerds' who found success with hotel luxury on cheap".
  4. ^ "Luxury Travel Site Secret Escapes Buys Germany's JustBook To Square Up To Jetsetter And Hotel Tonight".
  5. ^ City A.M., 26 July 2015
  6. ^ TechCrunch, 26 July 2015
  7. ^ Fortune Term Sheet, 24 July 2015
  8. ^ TechCrunch, 25 July
  9. ^ Sembhy, Ravender. "Google invests in Secret Escapes as online travel firm secures $60m funding". IBT.
  10. ^ "Google-backed luxury-trip site Secret Escapes buys german rival". hotelmarketing.com. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Secret Escapes acquires Slevomat Group to become biggest travel player in Central and Eastern Europe". Retrieved 27 December 2019.