# Hugo Burge > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hugo_Burge > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hugo_Burge.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Burge > Source revision: 1341518952 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English businessman (1972–2023)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} thumb|Hugo Burge memorial gate in the walled garden of Marchmont House '''Hugo Burge''' (6 April 1972 – 10 May 2023) was an English travel business executive, internet entrepreneur and investor, and the founder of Marchmont Ventures, an organisation that supports arts and crafts. == Life == Burge was born and raised in London.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-65570252 |title=Marchmont House owner Hugo Burge dies aged 51 | date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=12 May 2023 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/scottish-borders-london-b1080766.html |title=Entrepreneur behind Marchmont House restoration dies aged 51 |first=Lauren |last=Gilmour |date=12 May 2023 |website=Evening Standard |accessdate=12 May 2023}} In 2000 he invested in the online flight booking website [Cheapflights](/source/Cheapflights) as part of the management buy-in led by banker David Soskin who became the company's CEO. {{Cite web |title=Cheapflights co-founder hands over controls |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2785755/Cheapflights-co-founder-hands-over-controls.html |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=9 March 2008 }} Burge joined the management team and was appointed chief executive in 2011. During his tenure, the company acquired the Danish travel search engine, Momondo, with [Momondo Group](/source/Momondo_Group) replacing Cheapflights as the name for the parent company. After successfully arranging Momondo's sale to [Priceline Group](/source/Priceline_Group) in July 2017, he stepped down from the chief executive role.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/priceline-seals-momondo-acquisition-burge-departs--10998 |title=Priceline seals Momondo acquisition; Burge departs |website=TTG |date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=24 July 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23517305.hugo-burge-marchmont-house-owner-dies-suddenly-aged-51/ |title=Marchmont House owner Hugo Burge dies aged 51 |website= The Herald |location=Glasgow |date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=12 May 2023}} As an investor he co-founded the investment company HOWZAT in 2006; it would invest in a number of digital travel sector businesses, including [Trivago](/source/Trivago).{{Cite web|url=https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/online-travel-entrepreneur-hugo-burge-passes-away-suddenly-40142 |title=Online travel entrepreneur Hugo Burge passes away suddenly |website=TTG |date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=12 May 2023}} Burge's father, Oliver Burge, bought the [Marchmont Estate](/source/Marchmont_Estate) in the [Scottish Borders](/source/Scottish_Borders) as an investment in 1988. The main property there [Marchmont House](/source/Marchmont_House) was still being used as a nursing home by the [Sue Ryder charity](/source/Sue_Ryder_(charity)) until the home closed in 2005. It was subsequently bought by the Burges in 2007. After renovating the house and settling there himself, Burge founded Marchmont Ventures in 2018, an organisation to support the [arts and crafts movement](/source/Arts_and_Crafts_movement), of which he was a long time supporter. He turned Marchmont House into a retreat for artists, converting the stables into studios and the garage into a workshop.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-54189868 |title=Hugo Burge: The internet businessman boosting arts and crafts in the Borders |date=20 September 2020 |accessdate=12 May 2023 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}} In 2019 he founded the charity Marchmont Makers Foundation to fund writers' and artists' residencies, as well as to support local schools and charities. In 2022, Burge organised a celebration of the work of artist and musician [Rory McEwen](/source/Rory_McEwen_(artist)), who had lived at Marchmont House as a boy. He was also a patron of the Borders Art Fair.{{cite web |url=https://www.itv.com/news/border/2023-05-12/marchmont-house-releases-statement-following-hugo-burges-death |title=Marchmont House releases statement after sudden death of owner Hugo Burge |publisher=ITV |work=ITV News |date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=12 May 2023}} In 2018, Burge's contribution to the travel sector was recognised when he was inducted into the British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|url=http://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/online-travel-pioneer-hugo-burge-dies-suddenly |title=Online travel pioneer Hugo Burge dies suddenly |publisher=Jacobs Media Group Ltd |website=Travel Weekly |date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=12 May 2023}} For their restoration work on Marchmont House, Hugo and Oliver Burge were also joint recipients of the 2018 Historic Houses Sotheby's Restoration Award and the [Georgian Group](/source/Georgian_Group) 2017 Architectural Award for Best Restoration of a Georgian interior. Hugo Burge died suddenly on 10 May 2023, at the age of 51.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/national/23519053.entrepreneur-behind-marchmont-house-restoration-dies-aged-51/ |title=Entrepreneur behind Marchmont House restoration dies aged 51 |website=York Press |date=12 May 2023 |accessdate=12 May 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/hugo-burge-dotcom-entrepreneur-who-restored-marchmont-house-dies-aged-51-5kf93cskw |title=Hugo Burge, dotcom entrepreneur who restored Marchmont House, dies aged 51 |date=13 May 2023 |access-date=13 May 2023 |via=The Times}} Following his death, Marchmont Makers Foundation was renamed The Hugo Burge Foundation in his memory.{{cite web |title=About The Foundation |url=https://www.hugoburgefoundation.org/about |website=The Hugo Burge Foundation |access-date=3 March 2026}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Burge, Hugo}} Category:1972 births Category:2023 deaths Category:People educated at Bedales School Category:21st-century English businesspeople Category:English business executives Category:Businesspeople from London --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hugo Burge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Burge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Burge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.