If you think the only accommodation you can book by the hour is the sort of end-of-the-line motels you might find littering parts of the US, then ByHours’ decidedly conventional hotel rooms will probably come as a bit of a surprise.
Based in Barcelona, the company has today expanded its ultra-short accommodation booking platform beyond Spain and into the UK, beginning with London.
As a result, “business travellers” can now book a 3, 6, or 12-hour stay in a choice of hotels located in town, or conveniently close to London’s airports or key train stations.
Rooms can be booked via the ByHours iOS or Android apps, or its desktop site. While other services offer ‘dayrooms’, these are for a prescribed length and set between specific hours of the day.
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Before today, the company has been offering rooms in Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Sevilla, Valencia and Zaragoza. In 2014, more than 150,000 rooms were booked for short stays using the platform, ByHours says.
“Our target is strictly business, and our goal is to improve customer’s whole travel experience, in addition to strengthening the local leisure economies,” Christian Rodriguez, CEO and founder of ByHours.com says. “Customers can see in the hotels of the city as an attractive proposition from where to enjoy their free time or to just enjoy some down time or a shower before a big business meeting.”
“Strictly business.” Uh-huh. Whatever you say.
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