HotelPlanner.com Skipper Announced

"It’s really exciting to be named as the Skipper for the HotelPlanner.com team,” says Conall Morrison, who has today been announced as the HotelPlanner.com Skipper for the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

“I believe the company’s slogan of ‘Bringing People Together’, will fit well into our team ethos. We want to be a happy team, we want to be an all-inclusive team, so I think this partnership is a great fit for us.”

HotelPlanner.com, the leading online provider of group and individual travel services, will make its global ocean racing debut as a Team Partner in the upcoming, eleventh edition of the world’s biggest ocean race, which starts in Liverpool this August.

Conall, who is currently with members of his crew in Level 4 Training, says: “With Race Start in Liverpool less than two months away, my team is looking really good. Now we just can’t wait to start racing.”

Clipper 2017-18 Race Skipper Conall Morrison.

As a former Clipper Race Training Skipper and Mate, Conall already has a wealth of experience of racing on the event’s matched design 70-foot ocean racing yachts. He qualified as a Yachtmaster Instructor in 2012, and Yachtmaster Ocean in 2015, and has well over 40,000 nautical miles in his log book.

One of his proudest achievements before becoming a Clipper Race Skipper was skippering Tectona for the 2015 Voyage of Recovery; a twelve week, 1,500 nautical mile voyage around Great Britain to aid people in their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

Conall comes from a highly successful sporting family, including sister Aileen, who represented Ireland in both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

“We are excited to have Conall leading our HotelPlanner.com team,” says Tim Hentschel, Founder and CEO of HotelPlanner.com.

“We are confident his excellent experience and sailing skills will bring our team great success in the race. Three cheers to our fantastic Clipper Race Skipper! We will be following you all the way around the world.”

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston with HotelPlanner.com CEO Tim Hentschel.© Shaun Roster

The HotelPlanner.com team is made up of 57 crew members, who range from 23 to 76 years in age, currently representing a total of 15 different countries.

Whilst the Clipper Race will visit thirteen different stopovers on six different continents during the 40,000 nautical-mile race circuit, the warmest welcome of all will certainly be felt when the teams arrive into Conall’s hometown, Derry-Londonderry, next July.

“It will be a very proud moment when I sail the HotelPlanner.com yacht into my home city of Derry-Londonderry,” says Conall.

“I know exactly what the race means to the city. I was on the banks of the Foyle to see the fleet arrive in 2016 and I know the arrival in 2018 will be a memory that I cherish forever.”

Founded in 2002, HotelPlanner.com provides hotel booking services to 3,000 groups per day in the global group travel market. The company’s robust technology and automated rate checkers provide customers with the guaranteed lowest available rates from a network of more than 100,000 quality hotel partners worldwide. A link has been added on every port page on the Clipper Race website to help with bookings, or you can visit the Clipper Race HotelPlanner.com site.

Think you have what it takes to take on the Race of Your Life? There are still limited places available for the Clipper 2017-18 Race and applications are now also open for the 2019-20 edition. To experience the adventure of a lifetime, apply here.

We’re supporting every child in danger with race Charity Partner Unicef UK. To make a donation and help us beat our fundraising target of £400,000, click here.