Technology can boost Nigeria’s tourism potentials-Mark Essien

Weekly Trust: How did your passion for technology develop, was it always something you always wanted to do?Mark Essien: Ever since I was a little boy, I was always passionate about technology. From taking apart our VCR to build remote- controlled cars to connecting electricity to my door to keep people out – technology has […]

Weekly Trust: How did your passion for technology develop, was it always something you always wanted to do?
Mark Essien: Ever since I was a little boy, I was always passionate about technology. From taking apart our VCR to build remote- controlled cars to connecting electricity to my door to keep people out – technology has always been something I have played with. I never had a doubt that I would end up in technology.
WT: You studied Computer Engineering, why the love for apps development?
Essien: Once I started in computer engineering, I grew to love programming. I like programming a lot and I happen to be lucky that I am quite good at it, and so I worked on various types of softwares, including apps. I think it’s such a great career that allows you start with absolutely nothing and end up with softwares you can sell for millions of dollars.
WT: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind Hotels.ng?
Essien: I was inspired to create this when I viewed the number of hotels available online. Before we started, only 200 hotels in Nigeria were listed online. Now there are 4,000; all in the space of one year.
WT: Can you take us through how the app works?
Essien: You visit the website hotels.ng. Once there, you type in the location you are going, for example ‘abuja’ or ‘lagos.’ You will see a list of all hotels in that location, sorted by popularity. You pick your favourite hotel based on the pictures and book a room. We will confirm your reservation and you can go lodge on the day of arrival. If you want, you can also pay before arriving.
WT: Where is the future of travel booking headed?
Essien: Travel booking will be dominated by the online segment. We have seen that in other countries, and we will also see that happen across Africa.
WT: As a young entrepreneur can you speak on what role creating this organisation has played in the spectrum of your career?
Essien: Before I started Hotels.ng, I was a good programmer selling software online. Hotels.ng has allowed me face a second aspect of business, which is the operational challenges, as well as the human resources challenges a business faces. Being in the role of a rapidly growing company such as this has exposed me to a great array of challenges, and has taught me how to excel in mastering them all.
WT: What are some of the challenges you faced while trying to set up this app?
Essien: We had to go across all states of Nigeria to source hotels. This was challenging and in some cases dangerous. But we proceeded with speed and caution, and successfully became the biggest hotel booking agency in Nigeria.
WT: Since inception has the app changed the hospitality and tourism industry in Nigeria?
Essien: Absolutely, before we arrived, customers could not see any hotels in Nigeria. Since, we arrived customers have looked up hotels 6.9million times on our website, for me that is transformation.
WT: How have Nigerians received the app so far?
Essien: It has been great. People love our app and we constantly receive good feedback, both from hotels and customers.
WT: How easy or difficult is it working with hotels in Nigeria?
Essien: Contrary to what people may think, it is great working with hotels in Nigeria. Because we do charge fees or ask for any money up front, hotels are happy to work with us and allow us bring them more customers.
WT: Before the app was launched were there any major competitors and how many are they at present?
Essien: We had international competition, but they were understandably afraid of operating in Africa. This is what allowed us rapidly gain a foothold in the market. Currently, there are about three competitors, with the most important of them being 9jahotels.com.
WT: What sets you out from other competitors?
Essien: We have the largest number of hotels, do the most bookings and are highly focused on customer service.
WT: How was funding for you in the beginning and how do you fund the company now?
Essien: We raised about $225,000 from the SPARK.ng fund to launch the company. For the past six months, we have been profitable and self-funded.
WT: You are yet to go international, but do you have affiliations with international hotels when it comes to booking for hotels for guests coming from outside the country?
Essien: We are focused on Nigeria for now. Nigerian hotels can sell Nigeria positively and this is what we set out to do. Technology can boost Nigeria’s tourism potentials.
WT: How many Nigerian hotels are registered under your app?
Essien: In total we have about 5,000, with 4,200 on the website.
WT: In your experience as an entrepreneur would you term your story as a ‘grass to grace story’?
Essien: The business was started with nothing but faith. We have been able to raise money and grow a sustainable business with more than 80 people as full-time and contract staff, all within the space of a year. So I would say yes.
WT: What is your driving force as an entrepreneur?
Essien: I believe that things should always get better. And I can be one of those that make that happen.
WT: What’s next for you? Any future plans for another app?
Essien: We have just launched our events platform on hotels.ng/events. This is a platform that allows people select hotels close to their event locations. We heavily discount those hotels for them, up to 30 percent discount.