Stuart began his career in 1998 at the age of 20 when he took over Key Resorts Ltd – a two-person operation which specialised in Florida hotel bookings for UK travel agents. At the time, the business was facing closure, with annual sales of approximately £250,000.
By 2001, the business had expanded into UK and European hotel contracting and launched its first online booking platform before rebranding as getabed in 2005.
Continued growth led to the company joining forces with India-based partners Ruchir and Anuj Bang of RoomsXML in 2018, forming what is now known as Stuba. By 2024, Stuba had grown into a 220-employee organisation working across four operational offices and producing revenue in excess of £180 million.
The company was subsequently acquired by B2B travel distribution platform Yanolja Go Global, part of Yanolja Group. And after a two-year period integrating teams, systems and processes, Stuart said he was leaving the business in a "strong position" for the future.
"This business has been an incredible journey from a small operation run by fax machine to a global company serving partners around the world," he said. "I’m unbelievably proud of what has been built and, more importantly, the talented people behind it. I feel confident that this is the right time to step aside."
He continued: "The business is in excellent hands with a highly skilled and experienced management team, and I’m excited to see it continue to grow and succeed. I look forward to pursuing new projects and the next chapter ahead."
