Expatica news

The ‘Daycation’ concept gains popularity in Spain

Times change, however, and while the business of ‘hotels for hours’ has returned, there is now another meaning behind it.

These days, the act of renting out a hotel room just for a few hours in the daytime attracts a different type of customer: business people that travel for work; families that want to rest before catching a flight; sports personalities that need to rest before a game; or couples that want to treat themselves for the day.

And now, hotels are adapting to the demand and are allowing customers to benefit from taking advantage of their establishment’s facilities for a maximum of 12 hours, without having to pay the full tariff for one whole day.

This practise even comes with its own name now: daycation.

And as hotels have cottoned on to this trend, so too are online sites, with the first portals offering this kind of service being launched in Spain.

One of the first to be launched is Dayuse, whose founder, David Lebée, decided to cash in on the fact that 50% of hotel rooms remained empty during the day.

Dayuse was set up in France in 2010, and arrived in Spain seven months’ ago. The company now collaborates with thousands of hotels across Europe, and reports that an average of 16,000 reservations of this type are made each month.

Booking a hotel during the day is also a trend followed by people with little time and who want to do something new and different without having to spend loads of money. One out of every two clients is a group of friends or a couple, who rent out the room for a few hours and make use of the hotel’s spa, gym or outdoor pool.

One such hotel that is very happy with the way Dayuse works is Indigo (http://www.indigobarcelona.com/en/), a four-star establishment inspired by Gaudi’s work and history in Barcelona. The manager is pleased that new customers are using the hotel, and will probably do so again in the future.

Dayuse is not the only platform to penetrate this part of the hotel sector. Byhours and Worktel function in the same way, although they are mainly aimed at business travellers. The majority of hotels on their books are those located near airports, train stations, ports and hospitals, and the idea is that business travellers come to the hotel to work instead of sitting in a cafeteria or similar place for a number of hours.

It has become apparent for those in the hotel sector that to become more competitive and attract a greater number of clients, they have to provide more service and adapt to the market’s demand. Reducing their prices is just not enough anymore.

Source: www.elpais.com

 

© On the Pulse of Spain