3 things Hotel Tonight taught us about going mobile first
How one Baby Unicorn dominated a crowded market
Industries that have a two-sided marketplace — i.e., a product that serves two distinct sets of users, such as rideshare apps connecting drivers and riders, — are incredibly hard to succeed in. You need to have the right supply and demand and deliver a great product on both sides. Hotel Tonight manages to do this while challenging established companies like Hotels.com, Expedia, and Priceline.
What is Hotel Tonight?
Hotel Tonight (HT) is a mobile hotel booking application that allows users to find same-day bookings and last-minute deals on great hotels, whether if it’s for that getaway you spontaneously planned or the business trip that you suddenly need to take.
Founded in 2010 by experienced travel and lodging industry experts, Sam Shank, Chris Bailey, and Jared Simon, the company has raised a total of $117M and is valued at around $463M. The company boasts 25000+ partner hotels, 1700+ destinations in 30+ countries, and offers their app in multiple languages across both iOS and Android. Headquartered in San Francisco, they have close to 300 employees and have become a formidable player in the industry.
What did they do really well?
