Hotel Tonight, is an app that makes planning sudden trips a lot easier.
There are a lot of reasons why you would plan a trip quickly. Perhaps it is an important business trip, or maybe a loved one passed away and you need to make it to the funeral. Or perhaps it’s as simple as you and your friends wanting to book a spontaneous night in Las Vegas.
No matter what the reason, Hotel Tonight can find you a great hotel at a discounted price, and it also comes with a few other cool features.
What is Hotel Tonight?
Hotel Tonight is an app available on all three major OS systems (Windows, Android, and iOS) that allows you to book unsold hotel rooms at discounted prices.
The app is a pretty unique service because it benefits both hotels and consumers. Hotels are able to fill up rooms that would otherwise remain empty, and customers can get rooms at great hotels for a discounted price. The discount varies based on the hotel, location, and season, but it typically substantial. The discounts range from 10% off all the way upto 75%.
For instance, there was a luxury suite in New York City that typically ran at $4,000 but it was available for $1,190 through Hotel Tonight. Such tremendous savings are on the rare side though. Most hotels you see will have about a 50% price reduction for one night. If you are looking to stay more than one night, Hotel Tonight can give you a median cost estimate, though that price certainly is not set in stone.
The service is available for pretty much all major U.S. cities as well as a few in Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica. It is also available for a host of major cities in Europe, though it has not expanded its reach to the rest of the globe.
How it Works
Upon downloading Hotel Tonight, users will set up an account (and sync it with Facebook if they so desire). From there, it is as simple as searching the city you want to stay in. Hotel Tonight will pull-up a list of its partnered hotels, as well as the room’s price for the night. It also has the hotels categorized (basic, hip, charming, etc.) so that the user has an idea of what the hotel is like.
Once the user selects a hotel, they can view pictures as well as read up on what the hotel has to offer. Hotel Tonight even allows you to book and pay for the room via their app with a valid credit card (the service does not accept PayPal or any other service as of Sept 2014).
It is also trying to integrate several other features, such as Express Check-In and Keyless Entry, though not all of them are available across all platforms. Express Check-In will allow users to check in to their rooms without any need for the front desk (though they will still need to grab their room keys of course). This service has been demonstrated on iPhone but should become available on Windows and Android in the coming months.
Android devices have also demonstrated the Keyless Entry feature, which essentially lets users access their rooms through their phones without a room key. This feature is limited in functionality though, as many hotels don’t have the technology available to support it.
In the coming years, though, as technology progresses it may become more widely available. The new features are unique, but they are simply add-ons to the main service the app provides. That leaves just one question.
Is it Worth it?
Well, ultimately that depends on the users. For spontaneous planners, chronic road-trippers, and businessmen, it has its benefits.
The service is quick and easy to use, and it also saves money and hassle. However, for more studious vacation planners, it may not be right. Hotel Tonight is solely designed for on-the-fly booking, and it cannot look more than a couple days ahead for prices. For people looking to plan their vacations for next summer, they may be better off using more mainstream hotel booking services.
For those who need it though (the adventurers and constant travelers) it is a great service that has a lot to offer with more to come.