What Pigsback.com does

Pigsback.com is an Irish members-only e-commerce travel deals platform headquartered in Dublin, operating in partnership with Secret Escapes Ltd of London. Originally founded as a broad deals club covering hotels, holidays, dining, spa, gifts and shopping, the platform migrated in 2024 onto Secret Escapes' technology stack and was refocused exclusively on luxury travel offers. The platform runs short-duration flash sales (approximately ten days each, with up to 200 new deals per week and up to 500 concurrent sales), marketed primarily by email to a member base that, at the group level, exceeds 20 million in the UK. Members access hand-picked hotels, holidays, spa breaks and 'deals under €99' at advertised discounts of up to 70% off open-market rates, supported by a Best Price Guarantee on accommodation-only bookings and free upgrades, drinks and late checkouts subject to negotiation.

The platform is functionally powered by Secret Escapes Ltd's technology and operates as an agent for third-party hotels and tour operators; following the migration, members now select dates and book directly with partner hotels rather than purchasing vouchers. Supporting infrastructure is largely third-party: AWS for hosting, Salesforce for CRM and newsletter management, Snowflake for the data layer, Stripe for payments, and Sitel for customer service operations. Travel insurance is recommended at checkout but not underwritten by the platform. Gift cards are sold in €50–€5,000 denominations, PiggyPoints have been migrated into 12-month credits, and the platform supports free, freemium and recommended-tier email-preference choices. The previous mobile app is non-functional pending a successor build.

Commercially, Pigsback.com is private and sits within a dual-entity structure: Empathy Marketing Limited (Ireland, company number 320005) owns the trademark and acts as data controller, while Secret Escapes Limited (England and Wales, company number 07026107) operates the platform and bills members. Revenue is generated through agency commission on bookings (under the UK's Tour Operators Margin Scheme for package holidays), a booking fee folded into displayed prices, gift card sales and promotional/advertising partnerships. Membership is free, with no subscription fee, and pricing is structured around the spread between the negotiated hotel rate and the publicly listed rate. Operations are restricted to Ireland and the UK, with the US, Germany and France explicitly excluded from consumer participation.

Name

Pigsback.com

Legal name

Empathy Marketing Limited

Website

https://pigsback.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pigsback.com is an Irish members-only online travel platform running weekly flash sales on hand-picked luxury hotels, holidays and spa breaks at up to 70% off. Powered by Secret Escapes technology, it serves Irish and UK leisure travellers via email-driven deals and direct hotel booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Deals

akta.pro primary industry

Accommodation-Focused OTAs (Hotels & Alternative Stays) (THAKAAAB)

Keywords

• Online travel deals
• Luxury hotel bookings
• Flash sale platform
• Members-only travel club
• Holiday discounts

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agency Commission / Transaction Fees: Secret Escapes acts as an agent for travel providers (hotels, tour operators) and earns commission on bookings. The platform charges a booking fee for services provided, included in the displayed price. For package holidays, the platform operates under the Tour Operators Margin Scheme (HMRC VAT Notice 709/5).
2. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold in fixed denominations from €50 to €5,000, valid for five years from the date of issue. Gift cards can be redeemed against any purchase excluding Hotel Vouchers.
3. Promotional Codes and Partnerships: The platform runs promotional campaigns with codes redeemable on the website, and includes offers from selected third parties in newsletters. The platform may share hashed email data with advertising partners for targeted advertising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pigsback.com is a members-only online travel deals platform offering time-limited flash sales on hand-picked luxury hotels and holidays at discounts of up to 70%. The platform acts as an agent for third-party hotels and tour operators, enabling direct hotel booking (post-2024 platform migration) as well as curated spa breaks and budget-friendly deals under €99 for Irish and UK consumers.

Product overview

Pigsback.com is a members-only travel club powered by Secret Escapes, offering exclusive flash sales on hand-picked luxury hotels and holidays. The platform features a core product portfolio centered on time-limited flash sales with up to 70% savings, complemented by direct hotel booking services, spa breaks, and budget-friendly deals under €99. Members receive personalized content recommendations, can purchase gift cards (€50-€5,000), use promotional codes, and benefit from a Best Price Guarantee on accommodation-only bookings. Credits and loyalty features (replacing PiggyPoints) provide ongoing savings opportunities. Customer support includes 24/7 chatbot assistance and email support. The platform operates as an agent for travel providers, with bookings processed directly with partner hotels rather than through a voucher system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flash Sales (Travel Deals Platform) Weekly short-term flash sales lasting approximately 10 days each, featuring exclusive deals on hand-picked luxury hotels and holidays at members-only rates better than anywhere else online during the sale period. Over 200 new deals per week, with up to 500 concurrent sales at any time.
• Hotel Stays Hotel-only booking service allowing members to choose dates and make direct reservations with partner hotels, with negotiated rates of up to 60% off standard rates and a Best Price Guarantee.
• Spa Breaks Curated spa hotel packages featuring complimentary treatments and access to spa facilities as part of exclusive deal offerings, targeted at leisure and wellness travellers.
• Deals under €99 Budget-friendly travel deals priced at €99 or less, offering accessible luxury travel options for cost-conscious members including hotel stays and Spain holidays.
• Gift Cards Digital or physical gift cards available in denominations from €50 to €5,000, valid for five years from date of issue and redeemable against bookings on the platform (excluding Hotel Vouchers).
• Free Membership Free members-only access to the platform's flash sales, exclusive deals, and curated luxury hotel and holiday inventory; members can choose between Recommended (full email notifications) and Basic (deal summaries only) tiers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to 70% on luxury hotels and holidays compared to open market rates
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Secret Escapes LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPigsback.com announced a partnership with Secret Escapes, Europe's top destination for luxury travel experiences. Secret Escapes powers and operates the Pigsback.com platform going forward, providing the technology infrastructure and handling bookings and billing. Pigsback is a registered trading name used and powered by Secret Escapes Ltd. Any future bookings are billed by Secret Escapes, which appears on customer credit card statements.
• Empathy Marketing LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmpathy Marketing Limited (EML) is the owner of Pigsback.com and the party responsible for marketing activities in Ireland. EML remains the data controller of Pigsback user data. It operates Pigsback as a registered trading name used by Secret Escapes Ltd for and on behalf of Pigsback.
• Stripe Payments Europe LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is the primary payment services provider for financial transactions on the Pigsback.com/Secret Escapes platform. Transaction data is shared with Stripe only to the extent necessary for processing payments, refunds, and handling complaints. Credit card details are not stored by Pigsback/Secret Escapes.
• Amazon Web Services EMEA SARLcoreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides website hosting infrastructure for the Pigsback.com/Secret Escapes platform. Hosting facilities for the website are situated in Europe.
• Salesforce.com EMEA LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationSalesforce provides the core CRM system for Secret Escapes/Pigsback, managing the sending of newsletters to members and customer relationship data.
• Sitel Europe LimitedmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSitel Europe Limited provides customer service centre operations for Secret Escapes/Pigsback, with access to customer data for the purposes of assisting customers with bookings and enquiries.
• Snowflake Computing IncmajorTechnology or IntegrationSnowflake provides database services enabling Secret Escapes/Pigsback to store customer data securely in the cloud.
• Hotels and Tour Operators (Third-party Travel Providers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecret Escapes acts as an agent for hundreds of hotels, tour operators, and travel suppliers. These providers supply the actual travel services (accommodation, holidays, experiences) sold through the Pigsback.com platform. The platform contracts exclusive rates and passes them to members as flash sale deals. Travel providers set their own terms and conditions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Voyage Privé: Voyage Privé is a Europe-based members-only flash-sale travel club offering up to 70% off luxury hotels and holidays. It operates the same private-sale model targeting Irish and UK consumers, with hotel-only and package holidays and curated exclusive extras — a near-perfect structural analogue to Pigsback.
• Secret Escapes: Secret Escapes is the parent platform that powers Pigsback.com and operates its booking and billing. Both run the same members-only luxury hotel flash-sale model at up to 70% off, making Secret Escapes the closest direct counterpart and effectively the engine behind Pigsback.
• Travelzoo: Travelzoo runs the well-known Top 20 deals newsletter and a members-only travel deals platform with curated discounts on luxury hotels and packages. Its email-driven flash/limited-time sales model directly overlaps with Pigsback's core go-to-market motion.
• Lastminute.com: Lastminute.com is a European OTA targeting last-minute and discounted leisure travel, including hotels, packages, and experiences. It competes with Pigsback for deal-driven Irish and UK leisure travellers seeking discounted luxury breaks.

Emerging players

• Mr & Mrs Smith: Mr & Mrs Smith is a curated luxury hotel booking club with member rates and perks (upgrades, breakfast, late checkout). It targets the same luxury-focused leisure persona as Pigsback and competes on hand-picked inventory plus exclusive extras rather than steep discount depth.

Broad incumbents

• Expedia: Expedia is a global OTA spanning hotels, flights, and packages. Its broad inventory and member pricing compete with Pigsback for Irish/UK leisure travellers researching package holidays and hotel stays.
• Trip.com: Trip.com is a global online travel services platform covering hotels, flights, and packages, with growing share in Europe. It is comparable to Pigsback as a comprehensive alternative for Irish and UK travellers seeking discounted hotel and holiday bookings.
• Agoda: Agoda is a hotel-focused OTA with strong presence in Asia-Pacific and growing European footprint. It competes for cross-border leisure bookings and discounted hotel rates, overlapping with Pigsback's international holiday inventory.
• Hotels.com: Hotels.com is a major accommodation OTA with a loyalty programme (10 nights = 1 free). It overlaps with Pigsback for hotel-only bookings in Ireland and the UK, especially for travellers comparing headline rates.
• Booking.com: Booking.com is the dominant accommodation-focused OTA globally, covering everything from hostels to luxury hotels. While broader than Pigsback's flash-sale model, it competes directly for the same Irish/UK luxury-hotel-stay bookings and inventory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Pigsback_IE
• Facebookfacebook.com/pigsback

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Pigsback.com