New hotel rate comparison website will support children’s charities

The founder of booking website Laterooms.com has launched a new comparison website that will donate nearly all of its commission to children’s charities.
 
Steve Walsh, who founded Laterooms.com in 1999 before selling it to a private equity firm in 2004 for £40m, is the driving force behind Isawthesea.com, which searches room rates from sites including Laterooms.com, Booking.com and Hotels.com.
 
Charities to initially benefit from Walsh’s first not-for-profit website include the Family Holiday Association, Dream-A-Way, Break, Break, Bolton Lads and Girls Club and the Youth Cancer Trust.
 
The website was inspired by Walsh’s brother, Paul, who organised and paid for a group of 17 Romanian orphans to visit the Black Sea resort of Marmaia.  After seeing first hand the positive impact the seaside had on the children, Steve Walsh decided to set up Isawthesea.com.
 
“This had such a strong impact on me that I wanted to launch a website that utilised my expertise in e-commerce for a worthwhile cause that really does make a difference to people’s lives,” he said.
 
The Walsh brothers have donated £50,000 of their own money to ensure that charities can benefit from the fund immediately, £5,000 of which has already been spent on deserving causes. 

 
First Choice buys Laterooms.com >>
 
Internet bookings continue to grow for hotels >>
 
Global hotel booking online rises >>
 

By Janet Harmer

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