A CO. KILKENNY tech firm that aims to help independent hotels boost profit margins by cutting out high rates of commission to online travel agencies has officially launched today.
Levels, which secured €100,000 from Enterprise Ireland's Pre-Seed Start Fund, already had 20 Irish hotels signed up ahead of its official launch.
They include the Armada Hotel, Parknasilla Resort & Spa, Fernhill Hotel & Estate and Kinsale Hotel & Spa.
The firm, which has already garnered awards in Ireland for its innovative tech, aims to continue its growth in Ireland before expanding into Britain next year.
Founded in July 2025 by actuary Shane Doherty FSAI and software engineer Micheál Dunne, Levels helps independent hotels price their rooms and fill them on quiet nights.
Doherty, the CEO, spent nine years building forecasting and pricing models during his actuarial career, while Dunne, the CTO, spent six years building enterprise software for multinationals.
Levels uses an actuarial model to forecast demand and recommend the optimal rate for every room in the hotel over the next 365 days.
When a night looks quiet, it sends targeted offers to its Guest Community network at 5 per cent commission, compared with 15-25 per cent commission for online travel agencies.
Hotels also earn 2.5 per cent commission on every future booking made through The Guest Community by guests they sign up.
'Leaving money on the table'
"We spoke to over 40 hoteliers before we built anything and the same things came up every time," said Doherty.
"They knew they were leaving money on the table with their room rates but they didn't have the time or the tools to price every night properly.
"On top of that, they were paying too much in commission to online travel agencies and felt there was nothing they could do about it.
"We developed our business model around fixing that. Forecasting demand and optimising pricing is what I've done my whole career, so this was a problem I knew how to solve."
He added: "This investment allows us to accelerate deployment across Ireland, complete key integrations and prepare for our move into the UK next year.
"Independent hotels are a huge part of Irish and European tourism and they deserve tools that let them compete with the large chains."
Levels has already won four awards in its first year, including the South-East regional award at the National Enterprise Awards and the 2026 Kilkenny County Enterprise Award.
One of the hotels already signed up, The lakeside Manor, said it had seen 'a noticeable increase in both occupancy and revenue' over recent months.
Donnchadh Cullinan of Enterprise Ireland said the firm's progress ahead of its official launch today at the River Court Hotel in Co. Kilkenny had been impressive.
"Enterprise Ireland is delighted to support Levels through our Pre-Seed Start Fund," he said.
"Shane and Micheál bring strong technical and commercial expertise to a real challenge facing independent hotels and their early traction with Irish customers is impressive.
"We look forward to working with the team as they grow in Ireland and expand into international markets."
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