RateHawk Celebrates Record Growth and Sets Its Focus on the UK for 2024
RateHawk, an online system for booking hotels, air tickets, and transfers for travel professionals, has recorded the highest sales quarter in its trading history in the UK.
RateHawk and its parent company, Emerging Travel Group, have achieved a global turnover of £1.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2023. RateHawk’s UK net booking value saw a 65% growth in Q3 2023 compared to the same quarter in 2022. Over 20% of UK sales are now made through RateHawk’s bespoke mobile app for travel professionals on the move.
The platform is utilized by over 54,000 travel professionals worldwide. Of these, over 3,000 are UK agents who use RateHawk’s agent portal to access more than 2.2 million properties worldwide, along with flights of over 350 airlines and transfers in 150 countries.
Marta Ladutko, RateHawk’s Director of Commercial Operations, commented: “Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our local team, the UK is currently one of RateHawk’s top markets in Europe. Our plan for the next year is to make it one of the top 3 markets worldwide”.
In 2023, the company made significant investments in the UK market and opened an office in London Paddington. The UK commercial team has nearly doubled in size, now comprising 15 professionals, with further expansion anticipated in 2024.
“Agents value RateHawk not only for its extensive hotel inventory but also for our dedication to developing tools that help travel professionals work more efficiently. A few months ago, we introduced pivotal updates to our hotel selection tool, allowing travel professionals to craft impressive proposals for their clients, thus easing the client's decision-making process. Early results show that agents using these selections achieve a higher sales conversion rate. Given the widespread use of mobile apps in the UK, we’ll continue to refine this tool, ensuring its mobile compatibility, so agents can craft selections directly on their mobile devices. In 2024, we aim to launch more tools that will empower travel agents, including new product releases, content enhancements, innovative support methods, and payment solutions,” added Marta Ladutko.
RateHawk will be showcasing at the World Travel Market in London from 6 to 8 November, welcoming travel professionals to stand N10-404. The company will be represented by a senior delegation, including Felix Shpilman, CEO of Emerging Travel Group, RateHawk’s parent company. The UK commercial team, led by Julita Grzycka, Regional Director of Northwestern Europe, and Marta Ladutko, Director of Commercial Operations, will also be in attendance at WTM, available for meetings with UK B2B travel professionals.
RateHawk employs over 500 professionals in commercial roles globally. RateHawk’s offices are located in London, Berlin, Milan, Lisbon, Warsaw, Dubai, Limassol and Wilmington.