Chesham – gateway to world travelling

A couple of dotcom entrepreneurs are enjoying the sweet smell of success after moving their business from central London to the countryside near Chesham last October.

Sam Cowen and her partner Dorian Harris set up Twinroom, offering discounted hotel accommodation online worldwide, two years ago from their front room in Highbury. The business has grown ever since.

"This is the perfect environment to mix work and pleasure. Having a pleasant green landscape as your backdrop is a huge motivating factor to our staff and having the opportunity to play frisbee outside at lunchtimes is a bonus we can't quantify," said Sam.

That is when they are both around to enjoy it. Both Sam, 30 and Dorian, 33, who have a background in the travel industry she specialises in languages (their website http://www.twinroom.co.uk has been translated into French, German and Italian) and design spend a great deal of time travelling the world searching out improved offers for their clients, mainly involved in leisure travel.

Popular destinations are Prague, Brussels and Nice. In Barcelona for instance they can offer hotel accommodation in a range of some 50 hotels from budget to five-star.

Although they have taken on new staff since moving to a cottage in the grounds of Great Hundridge Manor, they have concentrated on keeping the business operating as technologically forward as possible. This includes detailed online information, an automatic booking process and a high priority on putting in place secure payment procedures.

They have also found that being "local" has other advantages.

"We are also continually amazed by the reception we have had in the local area," said Dorian.

"People ring us up to discuss their bookings and we realise they're down the road in Amersham or have relations in Great Missenden.

"It seems that with the hugeness of the internet, having a local presence is a reassuring factor."

10:11 Thursday 24th April 2003

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