Snaptrip acquires LateRooms from Secret Escapes
Last-minute holiday rental marketplace, Snaptrip, has acquired LateRooms to add to its growing roster of travel sites.
Rest Easy Group, the parent company of Snaptrip.com, purchased the domain and digital assets from Secret Escapes, a members-only, online travel and experiences company, adding LateRooms to an increasing number of last-minute travel domains owned under the Snaptrip umbrella.
Launched in 2013, Snaptrip is a trusted marketplace for travellers to discover the best last-minute cottage, apartment and lodge holiday deals in the UK, Ireland and other European destinations.
Secret Escapes had operated LateLuxury.com in partnership with Laterooms. When the Malvern Group ceased trading following a withdrawal of funding, Secret Escapes purchased the trademarks, domains and digital assets of LateLuxury.com (and Laterooms.com), to secure and build on its previous activities. Following the deal with Snaptrip, the Laterooms.com domain name and digital assets will transfer from Secret Escapes over to Snaptrip.
LateRooms has been acquired to diversify the Snaptrip umbrella’s offering to existing bookers. Snaptrip hopes the addition of LateRooms will reinforce the group’s mission to become the number one destination for last-minute bookings, while also giving customers access to all other types of accommodation through more than half a dozen different marketplaces.
Snaptrip co-founder and CEO Matt Fox, said: “The LateRooms.com brand offers a wonderful opportunity for us here at Rest Easy Group. Not only is it a brand known nationwide, but it is synonymous with last-minute bookings and we are hugely excited to breathe new life into what was once one of the biggest and most relevant websites in UK travel.
“Restoring LateRooms as a reputable last-minute hotel booking platform will fit perfectly in our portfolio alongside our holiday rental marketplaces Snaptrip and Last Minute Cottages and will enable us to offer customers of all of our brands a wider variety of accommodation.”
Alex Saint, co-founder and CEO of Secret Escapes, said: “We are very happy to pass on the digital assets and domain of LateRooms to Snaptrip. Although LateRooms is a great brand, it’s not core to our strategy. LateRooms suits Snaptrip’s last-minute booking-focused model very well and is highly complementary to their existing sites.”
