Thursday, April 18, 2013

Kiwi-Made Travel App Hits #1

We've profiled our young hip friends at "Stay Today" in a previous post.

The Kiwi-based company offer a same-day, last-minute accommodation booking app and their consumer offer is very clean and simple:
"Stay Today is a same-day hotel booking app that lets iPhone users get insanely good deals if they book their room on the day of their stay.

Our discounts get better as the day progresses, so the later you book the more you save."
The easy-to-use, one-trick, iPhone-only app takes the concept of last minute booking to the extreme. Customers are able to book same-day rooms at key locations in New Zealand and Australia from noon until 2am.
 
From an accommodation providers' perspective, this concept would make many recoil in horror at the prospect of offering fenced discounted promotions below rate parity arrangements with mainstream OTAs. Many accommodation providers are against signaling to consumers that their inventory is "distressed" and there is also the perception that late night "revelers" may be attracted to the late-night check-in service.
 
The reality is that there is a consumer demand for an intuitive, well marketed same-day booking service and we see that Stay Today have reached a significant milestone by being the most popular Kiwi travel app in the Apple App Store.
 
It's hard to say how this quirky app has managed to attract more downloads than the other offerings from larger Kiwi "mainstream" travel companies like AA Travel and Jasons Travel
 
Besides the relative attributes of Stay Today's app compared to others, we suspect that one of the reasons for their success has been their ability to effectively communicate to consumers in a fun, irrelevant manner by using a younger, fresher tone than their more staid competitors.
For immediate release

18th April 2013 
 
Kiwi-Made Travel App Hits #1

Stay Today, the Kiwi-made hotel booking app has hit number one free app in the NZ Travel charts.

Stay Today offers ultra last minute hotel deals that are always better than the lowest online price. It is the first same-day hotel booking app in Australia and New Zealand.

“We target the person that books their hotel on the day” says Matthew Mayne, Stay Today’s Managing Director. “If you’re the type that books your room while you’re sitting at the airport, then this app is perfect for you.”

Mayne says there are two reasons for the app’s success – “Best price and convenience. We always offer lower prices than you’ll find on the web, and our app is uber-simple to use. That’s important because when you’re on the go, you don’t have time to muck around. With Stay Today, you can actually book in ten seconds, from opening the app to getting the reciept”.

Accessible after midday each day, Stay Today delivers rates that are always cheaper than Wotif. The service is available in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Rotorua.

Stay Today is backed by several investment funds, including Global From Day One, Sparkbox and New Zealand Venture Investment Fund.

Stay Today's 80 hotel partners across New Zealand and Australia include Rendezvous in Auckland, the five star Princes Gate in Rotorua and the Museum Hotel in Wellington.

The Stay Today app can be downloaded free in the iTunes app store or from the company's New Zealand website www.staytoday.co.nz. All new customers receive a free $15 credit to use on their first booking.

ENDS

For further enquiries:

Matthew Mayne, Managing Director, Stay Today - 022 122 8924

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