Mark Essien serves as the CEO of Hotels.ng, the largest hotel booking platform in Nigeria, which he co-established.
Before this venture, he created computer software and mobile applications, which he later successfully sold.
Meet Mark Essien, the CEO of Hotels.ng
Essien, the individual behind the creation and leadership of Hotels.ng, embarked on his journey to become one of Africa’s most accomplished tech entrepreneurs when his passion for computers began to ignite.
Growing up in Nigeria, Essien was raised by business-oriented parents, who, according to Forbes, owned multiple schools in the region.
Following this, the Hotels.ng founder pursued his education in Germany. During his time in Europe, he became familiar with the rapidly expanding realm of digital technology, coinciding with the flourishing “dot com” era.
Even though he didn’t have a personal computer at the time, he was exposed to the emerging digital landscape. To connect to the internet, Essien borrowed his sister’s computer, operating in an era before the advent of 5G and fiber-optic technologies when internet access relied on dial-up connections.
The visionary behind Hotels.ng began his journey by creating his own software. Among his earliest creations was Gnumm, a file-sharing platform. Notably, Snoopstar, an IT company within the Bertelsmann group, acquired it after gaining popularity with a few downloads, as reported by CNET.
But Essien’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t end there. He ventured into offering an MPEG encoder service, successfully attracting prominent clients like Disney and the United States military.
In addition to his work on PC software, Essien expanded his horizons by developing smartphone applications. During this time, he recognized the potential within Africa’s burgeoning tech sector.
Today, Essien proudly holds the position of CEO at Nigeria’s most prominent online hotel booking platform, Hotels.ng. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is described as the “founder of Nigeria’s largest hotel booking agency, serving both B2B and retail customers.”
Hotels.ng: Nigeria’s First Online Hotel Booking Agency
According to Crunch Base, Mark Essien established Hotels.ng over a decade ago, precisely in February 2013. Since its inception, this hotel booking platform has undergone significant transformation, emerging as one of the leading tech platforms in the country. It currently boasts an extensive portfolio of over 10,000 hotel listings, a remarkable expansion from its initial offering of just 100 hotels.
Mark Essien’s outstanding contributions to the growth of the online hotel booking business have garnered recognition. He earned a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, which celebrates young African entrepreneurs. The platform’s diverse array of lodging options provides users with a wide range of choices for accommodations, solidifying Hotels.ng’s status as the successful enterprise it is today, more than a decade after its creation by Essien.