Hoseasons acquires online directory firm

Hoseasons has acquired online holiday directory business Holidaybank for an undisclosed sum.

The company, which specialises in self-catering cottages and villas, acts as a portal for consumers wanting to arrange their own holiday.

“This gives us another string to our bow by complementing our existing way of doing business,” said Hoseasons chief executive Richard Carrick. “Not all owners of self catering properties want or need the full monthly service of a traditional booking agency so Holidaybank will open up a much bigger spectrum of owners and properties for us.”

He said with increasing numbers of people looking to book online, the target is to develop the website into a leading travel portal.

The operator will now look to add car hire, flights, airport hotels and foreign exchange to the site.

The site also enables owners to showcase their properties and provides an opportunity for holiday companies to advertise their product on the site with links to their own websites.

Holidaybank was established by Netizen, a web services company specialising in building company websites. Netizen has retained a minority shareholding in the business and will continue to provide technology expertise for the site.

Report by Steve Jones