Internet portal business defies the downturn

AIRANGEL, the Warrington-based company that provides the guest internet portals used by hotels and conference centres, says it has seen a 302% increase in sales in 2008.

According to the Warrington-based company, it turned over more than £1m in the last calendar year. Despite the downturn, it says it is aiming to more than double that figure, projectiong a turnover of £2.5m in 2009.

Airangel, which was founded in 2002, had its most successful month in October, with £100,000 of new business from Shire Hotels and De Vere hotels.

Dean Wilkinson, sales director of Airangel, said: “WiFi connectivity is an increasingly important requirement of daily life and we’ve seen heightened demand from all sorts of sectors. As well as hospitality and conference, we are working with the corporate sector and our market is expanding all the time.

“Airangel’s success can, in part, be attributed to our focus on working with clients about the revenue generating and marketing benefits of WiFi solutions.”