megabus accelerates customer services with hotel bookings from LateRooms.com

megabus.com customers can now find the best value hotel deals as they book low-cost coach tickets. The company has signed a deal with late-availability hotel room specialist, LateRooms.com, to provide hotel search and booking facilities on the megabus.com website.

The partnership will enable customers booking low-cost coach travel around the UK to also have access to over 6,500 hotels on www.megabus.com with reductions of up to 70 per cent off standard prices. LateRooms’ technology enables true last-minute booking for hotel rooms in megabus.com’s key UK destinations of London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff.

“Megabus.com customers want the best deal for their travel, so adding the option of booking best value accommodation on the same site provides a complete cost-effective travel package,” said Duncan Barraclough, Partnerships Manager, LateRooms.com. “To ensure the best booking experience, it’s important that the savings customers make through booking with Megabus.com are not wiped out by extortionate hotel prices at their destination.”

“LateRooms’ technology is extremely user-friendly and offers fantastic deals for hotels of all types,” said George Connell, Programme Manager, megabus.com. “Customers can book right up to the moment of staying, which fits with our vision of maintaining low costs but also a high level of customer satisfaction. Our integrated website also allows customers to book low-cost rail journeys through megatrain.com and these customers will also be able to book accommodation through the LateRooms service.”

About megabus (www.megabus.com)

megabus.com is part of Stagecoach Group, the leading international public transport group. Stagecoach Group has extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs around 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.

Stagecoach Group offers budget coach and rail travel through one integrated platform accessible via both megabus.com and megatrain.com. It offers 500 daily departures to more than 50 locations across the UK from just £1 (plus 50p booking fee) and the online retailing system gives customers access to both coach and rail options in one easy search. megabus.com's network stretches from the Highlands of Scotland to south-west England, connecting some of the UK's most popular destinations, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff. megatrain.com provides some of the cheapest fares on the UK rail network, taking in more than 20 locations on the South West Trains and East Midlands Trains rail franchises.

About LateRooms.com (www.laterooms.com)

LateRooms is the UK’s leading online accommodation site offering late availability deals in over 15,000 properties worldwide, ranging from Bed and Breakfasts to five star luxury hotels.

LateRooms offers customers a saving of up to 70 per cent off the normal room rate for a variety of independent and branded hotels. Customers can book by phone or online 24/7, whether booking 12 months or 12 minutes in advance – whatever time, whatever day. No other accommodation site offers this flexibility.

LateRooms is the first online site to use Visit Britain’s official national classification system to rate its hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses. This ensures customers know the standards of quality they can expect when making a reservation.

LateRooms press pages.