Hotels.ng

{{Short description|Nigerian travel websites}} {{Multiple issues| {{notability|Companies|date=January 2018}} {{more citations needed|date=January 2018}} }} {{Use Nigerian English|date=May 2026}} '''Hotels.ng''' is a Nigerian online hotels booking agency which was launched in 2013. The platform was founded by Mark Essien<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techpoint.ng/2015/08/24/hotels-ng-founder-mark-essien-is-proof-that-nigerian-technical-founders-can-make-great-ceos/|title=Hotels.ng Founder, Mark Essien is proof that Nigerian Technical Founders can make great CEOs|last=Essien|first=Mark|date=24 August 2015|website=Techpoint.ng|publisher=Techpoint.ng|access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref> who hails from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria and claims to list over 7,138 hotels from 320 cities in Nigeria.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nsehe|first1=Mfonobong|title=Nigeria's Hotels.ng Raises $1.2 Million|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2015/05/26/nigerias-hotels-ng-raises-1-2-million/|work=Forbes|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Boris |first=Teejay |date=2023-04-03 |title=#TechCEO: Hotels.ng CEO Mark Essien |url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/289952/20230403/hotels-ng-ceo-mark-essien.htm |access-date=2024-10-05 |website=Tech Times |language=en-US}}</ref> {{Infobox organization | image = hotelsngblog.jpg | image_alt = | caption = | map = | map_size = | map_alt = | map2_size = | map2_alt = | predecessor = | merged_into = | successor = | formation =  | extinction =  | type = Online travel/hotels booking agency | status = | purpose = | headquarters = Lagos, Nigeria | coordinates =  | services = | language = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | board_of_directors = | key_people = | main_organ = | parent_organization = | subsidiaries = | affiliations = | budget = | num_volunteers = | slogan = | remarks = | former_name = | footnotes = | name = Hotels.ng | native_name = | native_name_lang = | named_after = | image_size = | map_caption = | map2 = | map2_caption = | abbreviation = | founder = Mark Essien | founding_location = | merger = | tax_id =  | registration_id =  | location = | region_served = | products = | methods = | fields = | membership = | num_members_year = | owner =  | secretary_general = | secessions = | budget_year = | revenue = | revenue_year = | disbursements = | expenses = | expenses_year = | endowment = | num_staff = | num_staff_year = | num_volunteers_year = | mission = | website = [http://www.hotels.ng Hotels.ng] }}

== History ==

In 2012, while Mark Essien was studying for his MSc. in Computer Science at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, he developed an interest in the Nigerian technology space. His analysis showed that for an emerging market like Nigeria, a travel/tourism startup would work the quickest. Studying South American and Asian models of already-established hotels booking agencies,<ref>{{cite web|title=BN Making It!: Meet Innovative Geeky Entrepreneur, Mark Essien – The Brain Behind Hotels.ng|url=http://www.bellanaija.com/2015/05/13/bn-making-it-meet-innovative-geeky-entrepreneur-mark-essien-the-brain-behind-hotels-ng/|website=BellaNaija.com|date=13 May 2015|publisher=Bella Naija|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref> Mark tentatively created a hotels listing platform (which was what Hotels.ng was, initially.) He purchased a domain name and a list of hotels and put them up on the website.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Voice|first1=TheNigerian|title='African Start-Up' On CNN: How An Entrepreneur Built Nigeria's Leading Hotel Bookings|url=https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/188551/1/african-start-up-on-cnn-how-an-entrepreneur-built-.html|access-date=19 January 2018|agency=TheNigerianVoice|publisher=The Nigerian Voice|date=August 21, 2015}}</ref>

This domain recorded enough traffic numbers to convince Mark to return to Nigeria from Germany. In Calabar, he continued to list more hotels. He partnered with a friend and they started taking photographs of hotels and signing agreements with as many hotels in Calabar as they could find.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Live|first1=ThisDay|title=Mark Essien: I Was the Night Watchman Taking Care of a Paralysed Guy in Germany|url=http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/mark-essien-i-was-the-night-watchman-taking-care-of-a-paralysed-guy-in-germany-/184580/|access-date=17 June 2015|agency=ThisDay|date=June 26, 2014|newspaper=This Day}}</ref>

As soon as they had enough hotels listed, bookings were enabled on Hotels.ng. Mark says that users began making reservations from the first day bookings were enabled.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nigeria's Hotels.ng Grabs $1.2M To Expand Listings Across Africa|url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/26/hotels-ng-funding/|website=TechCrunch.com|date=26 May 2015 |publisher=TechCrunch|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Seed Fund ===

Shortly after the launch of Hotels.ng, Mark published a few press articles that caught the attention of Iroko TV's founder, Jason Njoku. At the time, he (Jason) was beginning a startup fund (Spark.ng) and looking for good internet businesses to invest in.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nigeria|first1=Scoop|title=SPARK launch gains global recognition|url=http://www.scoop.ng/2013/05/spark-launch-gains-global-recognition.html/|website=Scoop.ng|publisher=IDENTICAL|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref>

After negotiations, Spark.ng made a first investment of $75,000 in Hotels.ng which prompted Mark to move to Lagos to set up the platform there. A few months after the initial investment, the Spark fund made another investment of $150,000.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jackson|first1=Tom|title=Hotels.ng hits 6,000 listings milestone|url=http://disrupt-africa.com/2014/12/hotels-ng-hits-6000-listings-milestone/|website=Disrupt-Africa.com|date=17 December 2014|publisher=Disrupt Africa|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Startup Fund === On May 26, 2015, Hotels.ng received a $1.2 million startup funding<ref>{{cite web|title=Omidyar Network Bets on Nigeria's Growing Travel and Tourism Sector with Investment in Hotels.ng|url=https://www.omidyar.com/news/omidyar-network-bets-nigeria%E2%80%99s-growing-travel-and-tourism-sector-investment-hotelsng|website=Omidyar.com|publisher=Omidyar Network|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Nigerian travel booking site Hotels.ng raises $1.2M, plans expansion | url=https://www.phocuswire.com/Nigerian-travel-booking-site-Hotels-ng-raises-1-2M-plans-expansion | first=Sean | last=O'Neil | work=Phocuswire | date=May 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Hotels.ng gets $1.2m Investment|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/nigerias-hotels-ng-raises-1-2-million-co-led-by-omidyar-network-and-echovc-pan-africa-fund/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|newspaper=Vanguard|date=26 May 2015 |access-date=19 January 2018}}</ref> from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's Omidyar Network and from EchoVC Pan-African fund.<ref>{{cite web |title=EchoVC Made Their First Public Bet In Nigeria – Coinvested In Hotels.ng| url=http://tekedia.com/51486/echovc-made-their-first-public-bet-in-nigeria-coinvested-in-hotels-ng/|website=Tekedia.com |publisher=Tekedia|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-27 |title=How I Work: Mark Essien, tech genius on a mission to ‘fix Africa’ |url=https://techpoint.africa/2020/01/27/how-i-work-mark-essien-tech-genius-on-a-mission-to-fix-africa/ |access-date=2024-10-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The funding follows from the announcement of a profitable 2014 in Hotels.ng, where the platform was said to have ostensibly made $40,000 in monthly revenue in the last half of the year.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Oluwafemi|first1=Bankole|title=Hurrah For Traction - The Mark Essien Edition|url=http://techcabal.com/2014/01/27/hurrah-traction-mark-essien-edition/|website=TechCabal.com|date=27 January 2014|publisher=TechCabal|access-date=17 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Staff === Hotels.ng employs 49 locally-working staff in its Yaba office and outsources and crowdsources its data collection to freelance workers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techpoint.ng/2015/08/12/checkout-new-hotels-ng-office-space-in-yaba-photos/|title = Checkout Hotels.ng's awesome new office space in Yaba [PHOTOS]|date = 12 August 2015}}</ref>

=== Expansion === In January 2018, Hotels.ng launched Hotel.africa and Fly.africa as part of its expansion plans across Africa.<ref>{{cite web|last1=|first1=|title=Nigeria's Hotel.ng expands African reach with new platforms|url=http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2018/01/nigerias-hotel-ng-expands-african-reach-with-new-platforms/|website=|publisher=|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

== External links == # [https://timbu.com Hotel.africa Homepage] # [http://www.hotels.ng Hotels.ng Homepage] # [https://techpoint.ng/2015/05/26/hotels-ng-raises-1-2-million-in-funding/ Hotels.ng raises $1.2Million in Funding] # [https://techpoint.ng/2015/08/24/hotels-ng-founder-mark-essien-is-proof-that-nigerian-technical-founders-can-make-great-ceos/ Hotels.ng Founder, Mark Essien is proof that Nigerian Technical Founders can make great CEOs] # [https://techpoint.ng/2016/06/21/nigerian-startups-make-speedup-africa-bootcamp-ghana/ Hotels.ng and 35 other Nigerian Startups make it to SpeedUP Africa’s bootcamp in Ghana] # [https://techpoint.ng/2015/08/12/checkout-new-hotels-ng-office-space-in-yaba-photos/ <nowiki>Checkout Hotels.ng’s awesome new office space in Yaba [PHOTOS]</nowiki>]

== See also == * Mark Essien

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Nigerian travel websites Category:Companies based in Lagos Category:Hospitality companies of Nigeria