Features / If I Knew Then
If I Knew Then: Nikki Tinto
Nikki Tinto is co-founder of boutique travel website i-escape.com, a boutique travel website dedicated to helping discerning independent travellers find and book exciting and unusual places to stay across the globe. From its offices in Redland, i-escape has grown steadily since its inception in 2001 to feature an ever-growing collection of hand-picked small hotels, guest houses, retreats, eco-lodges, private rental properties and memorable travel experiences, all personally reviewed and endorsed.
How did you start i-escape?
Laila and I were planning a holiday to South Africa for the Millennium, and we were struggling to find small, stylish hotels. We realized there was a gap in the market for people who want to stay somewhere unique rather than in characterless chain hotels, but who don’t have the time to do the research themselves. After months of visiting and reviewing properties, we launched in September 2001 with 75 places. We started small with no funding and no travel experience – just a passion for helping people to find and book hidden gems around the world.
If you knew then what you know now, what mistakes might you have avoided?
We wouldn’t have become too dependent on outsourcing work to subcontractors in the early days. Where possible, it’s much better to hire permanent staff as you get to keep the skill set in-house and it can help you grow faster.
What advice would you have given yourself when starting out?
Don’t be afraid to delegate, and learn to be thick-skinned when it comes to feedback. Critics always seem to shout louder than fans.
If you knew then what you know now, would you still be sitting there?
Yes, definitely! It’s been an incredible journey over the past 15 years – we have grown a profitable business employing 20 staff in Bristol, and we’ve earned respect in the industry. Perhaps most importantly, we have had the opportunity to visit some amazing places around the world.
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
That website development projects are like undertaking building works – they always take twice as long as you expect, and cost a whole lot more! Despite all the careful planning, these technical projects always seem to uncover new issues and problems that need to be addressed.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?
Don’t just focus on the numbers – listen to your instinct. Market research and statistics can be manipulated to show just about anything so when in doubt, go with your gut feeling.
What is your business highlight?
The numerous awards that we have won over the years, and the amazing feedback we get from customers and hotels. Knowing that we have helped people to have fantastic, memorable holidays is a wonderful feeling.
What is your business low point?
In 2010 we were working with an overseas website development company and dealing with subcontractors based in Siberia, Poland and Argentina. It was incredibly difficult to overcome the language barriers and co-ordinate efforts across different time zones. It felt like there was never a convenient time to sleep! We’ve since grown our own in-house tech team.
What keeps you awake?
Thinking about how to make our site even better and how to keep ahead with the latest technical developments.
What’s changed from when you started out?
Our site has always been about honest, curated content. However, technology is becoming an increasingly important part of the business, with changes taking place at an ever-faster pace. There are increasingly complex hotel reservation systems, as well as new social media channels. We also now need to present our information on multiple devices and browsers.
What’s still on your to-do list?
Getting more of our properties onto our instant booking system – a challenge, as some of our smaller and more remote properties still do not have reliable internet connections.
What’s next for i-escape?
We are focusing on growing our dedicated Kids Collection, which features stylish family-friendly accommodation worldwide. We are also planning to introduce an innovative loyalty scheme to reward our customers.
Image – Nikki Tinto (R) and business partner Laila Ram
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