Banyan Tree al Wadi and LivingSocial Escapes Middle East have set a new standard in online travel sales in the Middle East with their third partnership to date. The one-night Escape to the Banyan Tree in Ras Al Khaimah has seen over USD 1,100,000 of room nights sold within a space of 14 days. The promotion featured a 50% discount on a romantic one-night stay for 2 at one of Banyan Tree Al Wadi's deluxe pool or beachfront villas at the Banyan Tree, Ras Al Khaimah Beach resort, including breakfast, a rainforest spa experience and discounts on falconry and massage treatments. This promotion is similar to the two previous Banyan Tree offers run through LivingSocial (and GoNabit.com) but in this case the volume of sales has tripled from the previous high which had set the high water mark as the largest ecommerce event in the Middle East region. 

"Our members in the Middle East have already snapped up over 2,800 room nights, marking a clear shifting point in the current potential of ecommerce in the regional travel space" said Dan Stuart, Managing Director, LivingSocial Middle East. "We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with such a world class hotel property like the Banyan Tree and to give our members access to this great experience." 

"Having partnered with LivingSocial previously, we had no doubt this deal would mark another success for us both, and it has exceeded our expectations. We are firmly planting our feet in the online travel space with this deal," said Shamel Droubi, the Sales and Marketing Director of Banyan Tree Al Wadi, "We look for promotional opportunities that are brand- and ROI-positive experiences for us, and which give us an opportunity to treat so many new guests to our unrivalled service and luxurious accommodation." 

Banyan Tree is further enriching the offer by selecting two buyers of the current promotion on LivingSocial to win a one week stay for two at Banyan Tree Seychelles or Banyan Tree Phuket. 

A key element in the success of the LivingSocial business model lies in the inherent social nature of buying. LivingSocial members can share the offers via email, Facebook and Twitter, and in the case of the Banyan Tree promotion, over 15% of purchases have come via shared links. Furthermore, if someone buys an offer on LivingSocial and then recruits three others to buy through their personalized link, then their original purchase is free. 

About LivingSocial Middle East 

LivingSocial helps people around the world find, share and enjoy great local deals and new experiences. LivingSocial will help you get more out of your city. Through its daily deal e-mails and alerts, LivingSocial introduces members to handpicked local businesses, products or services each day at significant savings. With a range of products for different interests, like Families and Adventures, LivingSocial helps delight members with the perfect deal for them. Other services include LivingSocial Escapes, which features easy "vacations in a box" to leading destinations, and LivingSocial Instant, which helps members discover real-time discounts at nearby restaurants, stores and businesses. LivingSocial works with each merchant partner to create customized marketing solutions that attract and retain loyal, long-term customers. Based in Washington, D.C., LivingSocial now has more than 46 million members in 25 countries. 

LivingSocial acquired the Middle East's original group buying website GoNabit.com in June 2011, and the company officially rebranded to LivingSocial Middle East in October 2011. GoNabit was founded in 2010 by experienced entrepreneurs Dan Stuart and Sohrab Jahanbani.