Case Study: Secret Escapes achieves faster user-testing and 24 million-member growth with Marvel

The Company Inspiring the World to Escape One Marvel Prototype at a Time

Secret Escapes, founded five years ago by Tom Valentine and Alex Saint, built a business selling last‑minute luxury hotel rooms at steep discounts. Rapid expansion — membership from 4m to 28m, £60m in funding, 230% average annual revenue growth and new markets in Asia — created the challenge of scaling a seamless, high‑converting user experience and making design choices based on evidence rather than assumptions.

The team adopted a data‑driven, user‑centric process using Google Ventures‑style sprints, monthly in‑house research with five users, Marvel prototypes and rigorous A/B/MVT testing (for example, optimizing a sign‑up modal with real sales and trust logos). That approach sped stakeholder alignment, improved conversion rates and informed product decisions; as a result Secret Escapes grew membership by 24 million in two years, secured major funding and is on track for multi‑billion turnover.

Secret Escapes