DesignMyNight

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.

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

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

• Hospitality booking platform
• Venue discovery platform
• Restaurant reservation software
• Event ticketing platform
• Nightlife directory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Booking Software Subscriptions (Access Collins): B2B sales of Access Collins booking and reservation software to venues, managed by a dedicated sales team.
5. Gift Voucher Software (Soda): Soda Evo e-gift voucher software subscriptions and services for hospitality venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core 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

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Access HospitalitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignMyNight 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)coreTechnology or IntegrationAccess 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 TicketingcoreTechnology or IntegrationTonic 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)coreTechnology or IntegrationSoda 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/designmynight
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCp-KY6nc_1Wz2pktxa2yQdw
• Facebookfacebook.com/designmynight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designmynight-com
• Instagraminstagram.com/designmynight
• TikToktiktok.com/@designmynight
• Pinterestuk.pinterest.com/designmynight

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DesignMyNight