One of the most cliched phrases we hear from hotels and travel sites is the idea of getting 5 star quality at a [insert low number of stars] price. Still, more often than not, people who have to watch their wallets end up staying at the cheapest (and invariably dingiest) motel they can find.
That save-all-you-can attitude combined with a still-recovering economy means that 4 and 5 star luxury resorts at the other end of the hotel spectrum have understandably struggled in recent years. Obviously there are way more luxury resorts than people who can afford or are willing to pay them. And that's why the site Off & Away caught my eye, because it looks to solve that very problem.
Basically, it's an auction site for high-end suites in luxury hotels in select locations, which are currently New York, L.A., San Fransisco, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Mexico, Seattle, San Diego, Chicago, Miami, Washington D.C., and Boston. The offers range from a night at the Waldorf Towers to weekend stays at bed & breakfast resorts.
The way the site works is that you pay for a certain number of bids before auctions and then use them like bidding credits. You can see more of the nuts and bolts of how it works here.
Those who don't win the auction can still use their bids towards a hotel stay in any of the hotels on the site. And if you use your bids on the hotel featured in the auction, you will get an extra 10% off, although that only applies if you book a standard room rather than a suite. The winning hotel bid is only good for about 2 months, which means these auctions are probably best for those already planning a specific vacation.
All in all, this is a pretty clever idea that will hopefully provide a boost for the hospitality industry despite the risky nature of online auctions like this.
