Stayful is a travel site specifically for booking boutique hotels. Customers bid on a room, and the hotel can either accept the bid, or propose a counter offer.

The eBay of Boutique Hotels

There seems to be a never-ending amount of hotel options when you check out sites like Expedia and Travelocity. From the major chains to lesser-known hotels, it can be hard to choose where to stay. Stayful wants to make your next hotel stay unique. On their site, you can find independent boutique hotels all in one place, so you can book something a bit more special for your next vacation. Stayful’s concept puts more power in the hands of customers. Using past pricing data, they suggest a bid price on a hotel room. Travellers can either place the suggested bid on the room, or offer a lower price. The hotel then decides whether they want to accept the price, or offers a counter price. Negotiating on the room allows the parties to choose a price they’ll both be happy paying.

A Win-Win Outcome for All

The beauty about Stayful‘s model is that both the customer and hotel come out winners. The customer has a bit more control over the price they pay because they get to choose the bid price, and the hotel gets to fill a room that could have otherwise stayed vacant. Plus, Stayful is connecting lesser-known boutique hotels to new customers. It’s easy to choose a hotel that you’ve already heard of or already stayed at, but why not try something a bit different? These hotels are eager to find new customers because they usually get overshadowed by bigger chains. Boutique hotels have their own character, and definitely offer a more special experience than the chains do. And because most of these hotels are not well-known, they’ll want to go above and beyond your expectations to make sure you have the best stay possible.