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Cancelled hotel reservations can be advertised at a discount on the site.
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The closing of Israel’s international skies over recent days caused many Israelis to lose a lot of money on planned vacations. Those who were stuck in Israel with no way of reaching their travel destinations could negotiate with airlines for refunds, vouchers, or other arrangements, but when it comes to hotels, the matter is somewhat different.
Some hotel reservations may be cancelled, but during the peak summer season, in most cases, customers are forced to pay partial cancellation fees, or worse, to pay in full for all the nights they booked at hotels overseas.
Israeli start-up Roomer, founded by Gon Ben David and Ben Froumine, may be able to rescue some of your lost money. The company allows you to advertise your booking on their website, and to enable people looking for a hotel in the same area to book it at a significant discount. “Even if you sell it for half of what you paid, you can still earn half of the money you already paid without using it, ” explains Ben David. According to him, the website also helps Israelis stuck overseas who need to stay in a hotel until they find a flight back to Israel, as they can go to the website and find a good deal in the area they are staying in.
The listing process on the website is simple and mostly automated, to the point that the seller does not even know who the buyer is. In the first stage, the seller is asked to send the reservation confirmation from the hotel or travel website through which the room was booked. The website’s automated system verifies the reservation within minutes, and then advertises it on the website. At the same time, it adds photos of the hotel, maps, and TripAdvisor ratings automatically. As soon as a buyer is found, the website changes the name under which the booking is listed with the hotel. The seller receives payment within ten business days of the buyer’s checkout from the hotel, in order to prevent fraud, in a model similar to that of the popular website Airbnb. Payments may be made via PayPal, bank transfer, check, or credit card.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com
