Lowcostbeds is recruiting five extra buyers as part of ambitious plans to expand into more than 75 countries and boost revenue to £1 billion within the next three years. Clem Walshe, Managing Director Ireland & North America, told Irish Travel Trade News: “This expansion will further strengthen Lowcostbeds’ accommodation portfolio and provide our retail travel partners with a huge range of great value properties worldwide.”
The bedbank, which is part of the Lowcosttravelgroup, currently has 11 buyers and is present in 15 countries. Five new buyers will form part of a new worldwide team tasked with growing the bedbank into one of the top five global bed providers within the next three years. It is currently one of the top 20.
Alex Gisbert, Managing Director International, who will assume responsibility for global sales, marketing and technology, said: “We now have our hotels translated into 11 languages and have spent the last two years establishing ourselves in 15 countries across Europe. Our recent launch in the USA is the start of our worldwide expansion.”
Patricia Rossello-Evans will expand her group commercial role to focus more on worldwide contracting and operations. Some 60% of Lowcostbeds’ sales are to properties where it has exclusive contracts.
Patricia said: “With the additional buyers, we will ensure that we continue to grow our number of direct contracts in cities, long-haul and short-haul market. While we now have 150,000 hotels available through either our XML or website, we will continue to contract our key properties directly, ensuring that we maintain a core of exclusive relationships that has proved so successful to date.”
