Lastminute.com.au's Secret Hotels App
// OCTOBER 30TH, 2014
Australia's lastminute.com.au has just released their first iPhone app, bringing to the mobile market their popular Secret Hotels® product in an enhanced format.
The concept is pretty simple: your access to 5 star hotel stays in selected cities across Australia at 3 star prices… or, put another, no-less-tantalising way, a chance to save up to 40% on last minute accommodation. The catch – you don’t know the name or exact location of your hotel until after the transaction is done, and your card has been charged.
Here's how it works...
Secret Hotels® the desktop way
For the last few years lastminute.com.au have offered, with great success, their Secret Hotels® product as an option on hotel searches within Australia. When you perform a search in a given city, you are presented with potentially hundreds of hotel options often including one or more Secret Hotels® – options where the identity and exact location of the hotel is concealed, allowing for savings of up to 40% to be offered.
In the example below, the Secret Hotel listed could be any of the dozens of 5-star properties listed below it.
A lot less guesswork with the Secret Hotels® app
The new Secret Hotels® iPhone app takes this concept to the next level offering you a "sneak peek" of the 5 hotels you have the chance of "landing" should you choose to book the Secret Hotel on offer.
Yes, that’s right! – your odds of landing a great deal at a hotel you really want just got a WHOLE LOT BETTER!
1. Search
Search for a hotel you can book and check-in to over the next 3 days (tonight, tomorrow, or the night after).
2. Evaluate your hotel deal options
Check out the 5 great hotel deals served up and available for instant booking, as well as the Secret Hotel which is GUARANTEED to be one of the 5 hotels listed on-screen at a super special rate – up to 40% off!
View the 5 properties in the map view to make sure they are within the area that’s applicable to your requirements.
If the room rates are still a bit pricey for you, you have the option to switch to the "Modest" search results for a more affordable set of hotel options.
If you like the look of all 5 hotels and they’re all located in a part of town that works for you, then BINGO! – selecting the Secret Hotel means YOU CAN’T LOSE!
3. Select a room
If you decide the savings being offered by selecting the Secret Hotel is for you, and let's face it, why wouldn't you, double check all the hotel details the app is able to provide you with, select a room and proceed to the simple booking form.
4. The big reveal…
It would be wrong of me to spoil the surprise of how your Secret Hotel is revealed to you. Instead, why not download the free app, have a play around and save a bunch on your very own Secret Hotels® booking.
Oh, and by the way, another nice advantage to using the Secret Hotels® app? NO BOOKING FEE. None. Nada. Nice.
Let me know what you think
As the designer on the team that developed and released this app, I'd love to hear what you think about it. The best thing you can do for us is rate the app in the App Store, and provide some feedback, good or constructively not-so-good (it all helps us build a better app), via a review of your experience.
Thanks a bunch!
