Join us to expand web 2.0 hotel price comparison site sletoh.com and sports travel website MATCHhotels.com (hotels near football, rugby, cricket, horse racing, tennis and motorsport venues).

In a short space of time you will become lead front end developer responsible for maintaining and enhancing everything our customers see.  You will implement a stack of new on-site features including hotel reviews and a wiki system, as well as external applications like Facebook, widgets and Google mapplets. Online travel is a hugely competitive and innovative industry and we have to be creative to stay ahead!

As part of our team you will learn, keep up to date and put into practice the latest coding and SEO techniques, be at the forefront of web 2.0 and learn lots about online travel!

Critical skills and attributes:
- Excellent PHP (object oriented) and MySQL
- HTML, XHTML and CSS
- Javascript and AJAX
- 3+ years commercial experience
- Organised, task focused and self motivated
- Excellent spoken and written English; based in London

Advantageous:
- XML
- SEO
- Google maps
- Wiki software
- Hand code PHP, HTML, etc. IDEs are OK but hand coding means you know the ins and outs of the entire code base.

ABOUT US

We are a small, entrepreneurial team who work hard and have huge ambitions. We are passionate about sports, travel, best practice coding and are consumer champions. We are looking for someone who has excellent technical ability, shares our mentality and is looking for a long-term, exciting career.

We are based in Shoreditch, East London.

TERMS & REMUNERATION

Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm.

£25-£30K, bank holidays, 20 days annual leave (increasing 1 day per year up to 25) plus QUARTERLY BONUSES.

APPLICATIONS

Only apply if you have ALL required critical skills! Email Ben Jackson at job1 @ sletoh.com with:
- Your CV
- Why you’d like to work for us
- How your skills could be used to enhance MATCHhotels and sletoh
- Examples of your work

Call us if you want to have a chat about the role on 020 7749 4878. No agencies or off-shoring offers.

• CSV of all hotels
• CSV of all cities and countries
• CSV of hotels good for PPC affiliates

We will update these files monthly. If you need additional CSVs, add a comment to this post.

We regret to inform you that XcapeWithUs.com has ceased trading as of 30 April 2009.

If you have a confirmed booking and we have your email address you will receive an email shortly explaining what steps you can take.

If your arrival date is 30 April 2009 or 1 May 2009 please email: customersupport@xcapewithus.com with full contact details including your reference number.

I was shocked and appalled. Let me explain why… Xcapewithus owes sletoh.com money in commission payments and more importantly they have taken over £5400 from me this month for future bookings. Since I had formed a seemingly good relationship with their team (Wayne Purdham, Joe Cale and Carrie) I did not question paying by debit card and bank transfer. When I received a reminder to pay up on April 7th for a £3791 booking with arrival in June I saw no problem.

When I look back at the pricing offered by Xcapewithus over the past 3 months they have been undercutting market leaders like Alpharooms and GTAhotels significantly. The undercut prices were not in a destination here and a hotel there but instead across all countries and hotels. To do this it takes either:

• A very powerful brand with deep pockets and big buying power;
• The directors to decide to get as much cash into the company bank accounts as quickly as possible to meet some big bills.

I believe that second is the most likely. Xcape introduced bank transfer payments in March - this is the best way for a company to get money into their accounts instantly and without it going into any credit card processing company holding accounts. This is the type of move a company might make when needing cash quickly. I don’t know of any other company that accepts payment this way.

I have sent emails, Skype messages and telephoned the Xcapewithus team all day but to no avail.

Sadly there are now approx 10,000 customers and numerous business partners affected by the collapse of Xcapewithus. I hope there are not too many like us who have (1) lost their commissions or (2) did not pay by credit card.

I know from first hand experience the hardships involved when a company faces financial difficulties. As Managing Director you have to face and make hard decisions including cutting your own salary, selling off assets, laying off staff and re-thinking the entire business model. I hope that Xcapewithus Managing Director Andrew Miles did his best for the company and acted in its best interests at all times. It is too easy for UK company directors to mis-manage company affairs, liquidate a company and slither away to set up a new company in a different name.

I hope that Xcapewithus managing director Andrew Miles, my Xcape contact Wayne Purdham and accountants A C Photi & Co  respond to this post.

Ben Jackson

We will soon be launching a hotel search banner. Please add a comment at the bottom of the page if you require specific banner designs.

The sale starts at 6am on the 28th and applies to summer 2009 stays between May 5th and September 6th.

What a bargain - be very quick!! www.travelodge.co.uk

Pantheon: One of the most iconic structures in Rome. The Pantheon was renovated by Hadrian in 120AD which is one of the reasons why it is so well preserved. It is open from Monday – Saturday 8:30 am – 7:30 pm and Sunday from 9 – 6.

Vatican: The most highly regarded place in the Catholic faith. Skip the costly entrance fees and go for free the last Sunday of each month. You can also see the excavation sites beneath the structure for free too.

Trevi Fountain: Sure it’s just a fountain. But ancient legend boasts that by throwing a coin into the Baroque fountain, you’re guaranteed to return to the Eternal City. Jeez, it’s that easy?

Bocca della Verita: In similar fashion to the Trevi Fountain, this olden sewer grate has a myth of its own. If you place your hand inside, it will be bitten off if the grate deems you a liar. Beware!

Appia Antica: This ancient road that led away from Rome is closed to all vehicles on Sunday allowing for a peaceful journey. There are also free tours from 10 – 3 by signing up at the Parco Dell’Appie Park office.

Spanish Steps: The steps with a view. After climbing to the top, the city sprawls out before you. Plus, they’ve just been renovated in 1996, so they are safer than ever.

Piazza Navona: This marketplace is one of the liveliest places in Rome. You can just explore or eat a good meal relatively cheap here.

Here are a few budget hotels to make your stay a fun yet affordable one.

• Acropoli
• Clarin Hotel
• Vesta Residence

Photos via Rolf Süssbrich and Diliff

Universal Adapter: Have a universal adapter charged and at the ready always.

Airport Advantage: Know everything there is to know about your home airport. You might be surprised at the hidden gems you find. For example, a check out desk that is not jam packed just because it’s down an additional flight stairs. Say hello to people you see there often too. You never know when you might need a buddy to eek you by in a rush.

Toiletries: These are also a hassle to pack and something always manages to get missed every time. Go to the $1 section of your local grocer and pick up enough mini bottles to makeup 3 – 5 little kits that you can easily store in large freezer ziplocks until they are needed.

File: Make a file on your phone or laptop that has the details (account number, phone number, etc.) of every single service you’re hitting along the way including hotel, car rental, and airline.

Cash: In a world of credit cards, cash is a rarity. However, when traveling it is smart to just keep a couple of bucks handy for tips (remember buddies are good!) or a last minute quickie meal.

Clothes: Pack lightly. Be efficient. Bring one pair of work shoes and one pair of casual in neutral colors so they go with everything. One pair of jeans with a variety of tops also works for casual events and one suit with a variety of ties works for business meetings.

Photo via babygear.net

Many Spanish towns were full of mysticism and witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries. During these times witches were accused of worshipping the devil, casting spells on people, and where often burned at the stake.

The town of Zugarramurdi is one such town where hundreds were accused of sorcery in the early 1600s. Today the town takes travelers on captivating tours of the “Infernuko Erreka” which is a small natural tunnel made from a streambed that leads to caves where the witches did their thing hundreds of years ago. On the Saturday before St. John’s Day, a recreation of the witches’ sabbot takes place while on August 18, a feast is held in the Great Cave while old tales of witchery are told. Nearby, on the Discovery Route that connects Zugarramurdi to Urdax and Sara – towns with more witchy debotchery – visitors can visit other hauntingly beautiful sites like the air condition caves of Ikaburu.

Another location full of intrigue is the Route of Moncayo. The route is along the highest mountain in the Zaragoza region, which is full of mysteriously strong winds and curious stones. Here you can follow the route to the Monastery of Veruela, the city of Tarazona, and the village of Trasmoz. Trasmoz’s castle is one of imagination, so much so that Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, made it the focal point of his fabled stories which were filled with, what else but witchcraft.

To see the Zugarramurdi caves try these hotels:

2 Star Posada Del Rio

3 Star Hotel la Era

5 Star Villa Padierna Thermas de Carratraca

To see the Route of Moncayo try these hotels:

2 Star Avenida

4 Star Goya

5 Star Melia Zaragoza

So why aren’t you there yet?

Sylt is about 5 hours from Berlin or 3 ½ from Hamburg. It’s a great weekend break if you’re on a weeklong vacation in a major city or an incredible place to spend an entire holiday.

• DorintResorts Westerland
• Luxus Mini-Reetdach Beach House
• Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten

Spanish cooking is a huge international trend too. It’s long been known that some of the best restaurants on the globe are located in the country, particularly El Bulli, which has held the title of world’s finest restaurant for three years running.

Though you may not come out as fine a chef as El Bulli’s Ferran Adria, you can give Spain’s gastronomical gems a whirl at one of Barcelona’s GoLearnTo schools that offer crash cooking courses. Half a day is £48 while a lesson that includes a visit to the Boqueria market is £57. We say shell out the extra £10 and get a private lesson with an English speaking Spaniard chef.

So when you come home and everyone says, “What’d you do? What’d you see?” You can reply back, “Why don’t you come over and have a taste?” That’ll certainly throw them for a loop!

Try these Barcelona hotels that are conveniently located near the schools.

3 Star Hotel Jazz

3 Star Hotel Montecarlo

4 Star Hotel 1898