TVtrip.com, website that enables hotel searches using professionally-filmed online videos, has raised £2.5 million from investors Balderton Capital and Partech International.

“We are delighted to have secured this level of funding from two very high profile investors” said Marc Ruff, CEO of TVtrip.com. “It validates our business model and puts us in an excellent position to develop our service in key international markets”.

Mark Evans, General Partner at Balderton Capital added: “The quality of online content is developing quickly and TVtrip.com has identified an exciting opportunity. We believe TVtrip.com is an innovative business, with significant potential and a clear vision of how to develop the service that it provides”.

According to Philippe Collombel, General Partner at Partech International, “Tvtrip.com offers everything a traveller needs to know in order to make the right hotel decision including high quality hotel videos and information, neighbourhood maps and user reviews”.

Expanding the Tvtrip.com global footprint

One month after its launch, TVtrip.com already covers 10 major European cities including London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Berlin. TVtrip.com will use the proceeds of the funding round to accelerate its international expansion programme, adding other key European cities such as Lisbon, Prague and Venice to its portfolio. By the end of 2007, the company will cover over 1,500 hotels in Europe’s 50 key destinations.

The TVtrip.com site is already available in five languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, with three localised versions of the website having been added this summer.

By enabling internet users to conduct visits of hotels in 50 European destinations via its own professionally-filmed videos and by linking video, travel and Web 2.0, Tvtrip.com is rejuvenating the world of e-tourism. For the first time in online tourism history, users can now choose their hotel by viewing the room they will actually stay in.

Erik Blachford and Thierry Antinori join the TVtrip.com advisory board

In addition to the successful funding round announced this morning, TVtrip.com has today said that two high-profile industry players will join the TVtrip.com advisory board - Erik Blachford, CEO at TerraPass, Inc. and formerly CEO of Expedia Inc. and Thierry Antinori, Senior Executive Vice-President, marketing & sales of Lufthansa, and a member of the German airline board.

Both Erik and Thierry have extensive experience and knowledge of the travel and online industries and will bring further depth to the management team. “I strongly believe that TVtrip.com’s simple concept can bring enormous dividends, not only to the consumer, but also to the hotels involved” said Thierry Antinori.

Tvtrip.com was founded by four former managers of Expedia Europe: Marc Ruff (former Vice President Europe), Fabien Bourdier (former managing director France), Marc Pfohl (former marketing director France) and Anja Keckeisen (former managing director Germany).

“Tvtrip.com’s aim is to become the online reference of choice for the travel industry by allowing travellers to view their accommodation online before making their purchase”, explains Marc Ruff. “We are showcasing how video can facilitate consumer choice”.
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