#TechCEO: Hotels.ng CEO Mark Essien

Hotels.ng Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mark Essien, co-founded the largest hotel booking agency in Nigeria, Africa.

But before that, he created computer software and mobile apps, which he later on sold.

Meet Hotels.ng CEO Mark Essien

The founder and CEO of Hotels.ng, Essien, kicked off his journey to become one of the most successful tech entrepreneurs in Africa when the fire for his passion for computers began burning.

Before founding his tech firm, Essien grew up in Nigeria with parents who were business-oriented. After all, according to Forbes, they owned a host of schools in the region.

Later on, the Hotels.ng founder graduated from a German university. And during his stay in the European nation, he got acquainted with the growing world of digital technology in time for the booming "dot com" era.

He exposed himself to the burgeoning world of digital products despite not owning a computer during those days. Essien borrowed the computer from his sister to connect to the internet, which before 5G and fiber technology single-handedly relied on dial-up technology.

And from there, the man, who founded Hotels.ng, started developing his own software. One of his first creations is a file-sharing platform that goes by the name Gnumm. After gaining a couple of downloads, the tech firm under the Bertelsmann group, Snoopstar, purchased it, as per CNET.

He did not stop there. Essien created a new service that offered a MPEG encoder, a first of its kind, which he sold to prominent clients like Disney and the United States military.

Besides PC software, he also ventured into creating apps for smartphones. Then he suddenly realized that there was an opportunity for the emerging technology market in Africa.

And now, Essien sits as the chief executive of the largest online hotel booking service in Nigeria.

The Linkedin account of the tech exec says that he is the "founder of the biggest hotel booking agency in Nigeria (B2B and retail)."

Hotels.ng: the First Online Hotel Booking Agency in Nigeria

Essien founded Hotels.ng over a decade ago, or in February 2013, to be more exact, according to Crunch Base.

Since then, the hotel booking platform has grown significantly into one of the largest tech platforms in the country. It now has more than 10,000 hotel listings. It sure is a massive expansion since its launch wherein, CrunchBase says, it only hosted 100 hotels.

And with that, the Hotels.ng founder has been recognized in his pursuit to expand the online hotel booking service. He has been featured in the Forbes 30 under 30, which puts the spotlight to young entepreneurs in Africa.

The wide range of accommodations gives users ample choices on where to stay, making it Hotels.ng, founded by Essien more than ten years ago, a success it is today.