DesignMyNight
DesignMyNight is a UK-based hospitality discovery and booking platform, owned by The Access Group since 2017, serving up to 3.9 million monthly consumers across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and America while selling integrated booking, ticketing, and voucher software (Collins, Tonic, Soda) to thousands of hospitality venues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What DesignMyNight does
DesignMyNight is a UK-headquartered hospitality discovery and booking platform operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Access Group (acquired 2017; legal entity WFL Media LTD). Founded in 2009 and headquartered at 8 Bishopsgate, London, the platform enables consumers to discover, book, and pay for bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, events, and experiences across 20+ UK cities plus Australia, Ireland, and America, serving up to 3.9 million monthly users through a combination of expert editorial content, SEO, social media, and email (450,000+ subscribers). The consumer product is free and monetized via booking transaction fees, ticketing fees, and venue listing/promotion.
On the B2B side, DesignMyNight sells integrated hospitality software to venues through three Access Group products: Access Collins (bookings and enquiry management, described as the UK's leading such platform and used by thousands of venues), Tonic Ticketing (event discovery and ticket sales with no upfront operator costs), and Soda (gift voucher software). Additional revenue lines include a free Venue Finding service for corporate events (monetized via software referrals) and owned experiential brands Wing Fest and The Big Bakes. The customer base spans enterprise chains such as Fuller's, BrewDog, Greene King, Stonegate, Boxpark, Flight Club, and Nightcap alongside a long tail of independent venues. The company employs 11–50 people and is led by long-tenured department heads in brand, marketing, ticketing, editorial, and engineering.
DesignMyNight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DesignMyNight
- Legal name
- WFL Media LTD
- Website
- https://designmynight.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DesignMyNight is a UK-based hospitality discovery and booking platform, owned by The Access Group since 2017, serving up to 3.9 million monthly consumers across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and America while selling integrated booking, ticketing, and voucher software (Collins, Tonic, Soda) to thousands of hospitality venues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DesignMyNight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hospitality Booking & Venue Software
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Booking & Reservation Platforms (B2B/B2C) (THALAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Nightlife & Club Guest List / Table Reservations (HSACALAG)
Keywords
Where DesignMyNight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DesignMyNight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venue Listing and Promotion: Venues pay for listing exposure and promotional placement on the DesignMyNight platform, part of The Access Group's hospitality software ecosystem.
- Booking Transaction Fees: DesignMyNight earns revenue from confirmed bookings made through the platform. Users earn 10 points per person for confirmed bookings, and the platform generates revenue from venue partners using Access Collins booking software.
- Event Ticketing: The Tonic Ticketing platform enables event organizers and venues to sell tickets through DesignMyNight, generating revenue from ticket transactions with no upfront costs for operators.
- Booking Software Subscriptions (Access Collins): B2B sales of Access Collins booking and reservation software to venues, managed by a dedicated sales team.
- Gift Voucher Software (Soda): Soda Evo e-gift voucher software subscriptions and services for hospitality venues.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Venue Software Subscriptions (Access Collins, Soda) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Tonic Ticketing - No upfront costs for operators |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer Rewards Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
DesignMyNight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DesignMyNight operates a hospitality discovery and booking platform that helps users find and reserve bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, and unique experiences across 20+ UK cities plus Ireland, Australia, and America. The company also builds and sells B2B software products to venues: Access Collins for bookings and enquiry management, Tonic Ticketing for event ticket sales, and Soda for gift voucher management. It operates a venue-finding service for corporate events and runs branded experience events such as Wing Fest and The Big Bakes.
Product overview
DesignMyNight operates as a hospitality discovery and booking platform, offering a portfolio of interconnected products. The core DesignMyNight Platform enables venue discovery and bookings for bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs and experiences across 20+ UK cities plus Australia, Ireland and America, serving up to 3.9 million users monthly. This core platform is supported by three complementary Access Group hospitality products: Access Collins (bookings and reservation management), Tonic Ticketing (event discovery and ticket sales), and Soda (gift voucher software). Additional offerings include a Venue Finding service for private hire bookings and DesignMyNight Rewards for customer loyalty. The company also manages branded experience products including Wing Fest (chicken wing festivals) and The Big Bakes (competitive baking events).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DesignMyNight Platform Free consumer-facing discovery and booking platform covering 20+ UK cities plus Ireland, Australia, and America, allowing users to find bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs and experiences, book tables, purchase event tickets and earn reward points.
- Access Collins Bookings and enquiry management platform used by thousands of UK hospitality venues to manage reservations, enquiries and payments. Sold as a B2B subscription product with referral fees built into software agreements.
- Tonic Ticketing Event discovery and ticket sales platform that surfaces events to up to 3.9 million engaged consumers on DesignMyNight with no upfront costs for operators, generating revenue via per-ticket transaction fees.
- Soda Gift Voucher Software Gift voucher and e-gift voucher software (Soda Evo) for hospitality venues, helping operators generate revenue and reward loyal customers. Sold as a B2B subscription.
- Venue Finding Service Account-managed service that helps corporate event planners source private hire venues, with exclusive booking perks and negotiated rates; revenue is generated via software referrals to venue partners.
- Wing Fest Competitive chicken wing festivals and tastings held in multiple UK cities; ticketed consumer event product operated under the DesignMyNight umbrella.
- The Big Bakes Competitive baking experience events where teams bake, decorate and crown winners within 90 minutes; sold via multiple ticket tiers including family events.
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving up to 3.9 million users per month seeking hospitality experiences
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DesignMyNight
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DesignMyNight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
DesignMyNight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Access HospitalitycoreDesignMyNight partnered with Access Hospitality to conduct research analyzing every World Cup goal since 1930 to determine optimal and worst times for fans to visit bars during matches. The collaboration resulted in the 'Goalden Window' promotional campaign featuring beer mats with timing guidance, distributed to 80 UK venues.
- Collins (by The Access Group)coreAccess Collins is the UK's leading bookings and enquiry management platform, used by thousands of venues to manage reservations, enquiries and payments. Integrated with DesignMyNight for venue discovery and booking.
- Tonic TicketingcoreTonic Ticketing puts event discovery and ticket sales in front of up to 3.9 million engaged consumers, with no upfront costs for operators. Built and powered by The Access Group ecosystem.
- Soda (by The Access Group)coreSoda is gift voucher software built for hospitality, helping venues generate revenue and reward loyal customers. Soda Evo enables e-gift vouchers integrated with the DesignMyNight platform.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DesignMyNight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OpenTable: Global restaurant reservation platform owned by Booking Holdings. Most directly comparable to DesignMyNight's table-booking and venue-management functionality, with overlapping B2C discovery + B2B SaaS model serving similar hospitality venues and diners.
- Resy: Restaurant reservation platform owned by American Express, offering table booking, venue management software, and curated dining content. Directly comparable as a discovery-plus-booking platform for restaurants and bars with B2B SaaS tools for operators.
- Time Out: Editorial-driven city guide covering bars, restaurants, events and experiences, with ticketing and booking integrations. Closely comparable to DesignMyNight's curated-editorial-plus-transaction model, particularly in the London market where both operate.
- TheFork: European restaurant booking platform owned by Tripadvisor. Direct competitor in venue reservation software (similar to Access Collins) and consumer booking marketplace, with significant overlap in the UK and European hospitality markets.
- Quandoo: Restaurant reservation marketplace with venue management SaaS, operating across Europe and Asia. Directly comparable to DesignMyNight's combined B2C booking and B2B venue-software offering.
Broad incumbents
- Yelp: Consumer discovery and review platform for local businesses including restaurants and bars, with reservations and advertising products. Broader incumbent comparable to DesignMyNight's discovery and venue-promotion monetization model.
- Tripadvisor: Global travel and hospitality discovery platform with restaurant booking (via TheFork) and experiences. Comparable as a broader incumbent in venue discovery and ticketing, overlapping with DesignMyNight's editorial-driven consumer marketplace.
Emerging players
- Fever: Events and experiences discovery and ticketing platform operating globally. Comparable to Tonic Ticketing and DesignMyNight's experiences coverage, though with a more tech-led, less editorial positioning.
- Headout: Curated experiences and things-to-do marketplace with ticketing. Overlaps with DesignMyNight's experiences and ticketing offering, particularly relevant given DesignMyNight's stated expansion into the US market.
- Dice: Nightlife and events ticketing platform with strong presence in the UK and Europe. Comparable to Tonic Ticketing's nightlife and events focus, with a younger demographic and similar venue SaaS ambitions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DesignMyNight social profiles
Digital presenceDesignMyNight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DesignMyNight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
DesignMyNight subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
DesignMyNight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DesignMyNight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DesignMyNight
What does DesignMyNight do?
DesignMyNight operates a hospitality discovery and booking platform that helps users find and reserve bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, and unique experiences across 20+ UK cities plus Ireland, Australia, and America. The company also builds and sells B2B software products to venues: Access Collins for bookings and enquiry management, Tonic Ticketing for event ticket sales, and Soda for gift voucher management. It operates a venue-finding service for corporate events and runs branded experience events such as Wing Fest and The Big Bakes.
Is DesignMyNight a public or private company?
DesignMyNight is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was DesignMyNight founded?
DesignMyNight was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DesignMyNight based?
DesignMyNight is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does DesignMyNight make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Venue Listing and Promotion is the primary driver. The others are booking Transaction Fees, event Ticketing, booking Software Subscriptions (Access Collins) and gift Voucher Software (Soda).
Who are DesignMyNight's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OpenTable, Resy, Time Out, TheFork and Quandoo. Broad incumbents are Yelp and Tripadvisor. Emerging players are Fever, Headout and Dice.
Does DesignMyNight have an API?
No public API is recorded for DesignMyNight.
What industry is DesignMyNight in?
DesignMyNight's product category is Hospitality Booking & Venue Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAMAA, Online Booking & Reservation Platforms (B2B/B2C), with a secondary code of HSACALAG, Nightlife & Club Guest List / Table Reservations. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5810.