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Lastminute

16:37 Mon 24th May 2010 |

Lastminute is a one stop shop for all your entertainment needs. From flights, holidays and hotels to show tickets, theme parks and spa days you can get great bargains. The company ethos– a five-star lifestyle for three-star cash shows what they are about.

The site also offers specialist activities and once-in-a-lifetime trips such as ‘a day in the life of a secret agent at the spy academy’ or even ‘racing a single-seater monster at Formula 1's Silverstone track’.

Lastminute customers have the chance to book a carbonwise holiday. Upon booking, customers can make a donation to offset the carbon emissions of their flight. The aim is to protect top destinations for years to come.

The inspiration for Lastminute came about when the founder was successful in booking top rooms and suites at expensive hotels for lower rates by ringing on the day of the booking. The hotel was happy because they filled the room albeit at a reduced price, the customer was happy as he had a luxury suite for the night at a bargain price. This lead to the idea that by booking at the latest possible moment i.e. ‘last minute’ there were a great many bargains to be had out there. From hotels to flights to theatre tickets; the choice is endless.

Launched in 1998 the site now attracts over 1.65 million visitors per week, and provides customers with the best ways to make their free time go even further. This makes it the most popular travel site in the UK. In May 2005, lastminute.com was purchased by Travelocity, part of the Sabre family of travel companies.

Some interesting facts about Lastminute:

•    Every 15 minutes someone books their holiday.
•    Every 60 seconds someone sleeps in a hotel bed booked on the site.
•    There are 62,000 hotels available worldwide.
•    A theatre ticket sells every 26 seconds.
•    Lastminute is the largest independent retailer of West End theatre tickets, selling one in 9 of every seat sold.
•    The fastest selling show on lastminute.com was Robbie Williams in 2005, 12,000 tickets sold in 9 minutes.
•    Lastminute has sold 750,000 airline tickets to 1300 destinations worldwide in the last year – that’s the equivalent of packing off the whole of Glasgow abroad.
•    A Spa Break sells every 3.3 minutes.

If you would like to view search results for Lastminute click here.

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