THE FACE BEHIND THE INTERFACE

Darryl Ismaiil

Setting up an accommodation wholesale business at the tail end of an Irish recession almost twenty years ago wasn’t the done thing but it is something that Darryl Ismail has excelled in. He speaks to Jill Acheson about his journey

Last year in Ireland over 700,000 people bought goods or services online. Increasingly our internet shopping habits are emulating our European counterparts, with travel and accommodation being our favorite online activities, according to the Irish Internet Association.

It’s little wonder then that Darryl Ismail’s Dublin based company Chase Travel is leading the way in online travel wholesale and technology solutions. Chase deliver a web service to the millions of virtual lookers and bookers researching their holiday destinations.

But what makes Chase Travel stand out from the plethora of virtual travel one stop shops? According to Ismail it’s down to their all encompassing approach, which guarantees the travel industry a vital set of technological tools.

AFRICAN ADVENTURES

Ismail says he never envisaged being in the travel business but as a child he experienced world wide travel, accompanying his mechanical engineer father to places like South America and the Middle East. Here he acquired a taste for different cultures and gained an appreciation of cultural diversity.

His working life began in the marketing department of an international hotel chain based in London, New York and Kenya. While in Africa he conducted feasibility studies and put together business plans for the company. He divided his time in Africa between working from the office and driving a jeep with a tracker while taking safari photos. Ismail says of his time there, “I liked Kenya, but I didn’t want to base my career there, I wanted to be in Europe where you learn much more about business techniques and different industries.”

Others might have remained in safari mode but as a young and enthusiastic graduate Ismail knew the time was right to move on. Displaying classic entrepreneurial vision he noticed that there was an opportunity to develop a travel related venture in Ireland, where he could combine family visits with his business ambitions.

SMALL BEGINNINGS

Ismail decided to take a chance and proceeded to set up his operation in Dublin and it’s been evolving ever since and the entrepreneur has never looked back.

Established in pre-internet 1990 with a contract for just six hotels in Ireland that was at the tail end of a recession, Ismail reveals that, “starting out, it was just me, a computer, a fax machine and a phone.” Chase Travels' first role was as an accommodation wholesaler but today the company has grown to become a world leader in online reservations with over 40,000 hotels on their books world wide.

Chase Travel quickly positioned itself as a reliable and efficient service, providing the potential traveller with the freedom to pre-book all aspects of their upcoming journey. This was an innovative phenomen in the travel industry and one that quickly caught on.

GLOBAL NETWORK

The post millennium years have witnessed the onslaught of internet based looking and booking which has grown to become a massive and lucrative industry. It took several years to solidify a firm trust between the consumer and the internet booking engine. Ismail kept a close eye on the development of the internet before deciding to launch his first booking engine in 2001.

Chase Travel's online booking service enables the client to book in five clicks and reservations can be processed within 45 seconds through a system which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system therefore facilitates its global network of customers and is available in numerous language settings, including Russian and Mandarin, which Ismail says took quite a long time to develop. He reveals that, “the research and development aspect is never ending; it’s a bit like dog years, because for every one year in technology it’s like seven years in another industry, so it’s very fast moving.”

INTEGRATION

Ismail says that in the last couple of years clients have been asking if his company could provide them with a similar technology base for their travel related services which led to the development of Chase Technology Solutions in 2006. This element of the business develops solutions for the travel industry and also provides them with their search content.

Chase Technology Solutions develops booking engines for the travel industry or for other companies who want to move into the online reservation business. The company provides total reservation software packages for all types of travel companies. In addition, Chase Technology develops and delivers integrated web design with inbuilt booking engines with state of the art back office systems. The company manages the sales and development of what Ismail describes as the most versatile travel technology platform in the industry at present.

EVOLUTION

“Globally, there’s a catch up occurring in terms of technology; some countries are very cutting edge while others are maybe two or three years behind, Ireland’s not bad, in specific niche areas it’s very avant-garde. Here, we have a clear understanding that technology is very important, whereas in some cultures people believe that society was much better before the internet. The one sure thing about life is evolution, so you have to keep moving on and that’s the challenge but it’s also the opportunity,” concludes Ismail. It's clear then that whatever direction the travel industry takes, this is one man who’s got it chased and is sure to come up with an efficient solution.

Published in the October 2007 Issue of Irish Entrepreneur