There’s a new service that can make your holiday really easy on the pocket. It is a hotel room-sharing program among strangers. Launched by Easynet in May, this is an online service that lets you share a hotel room with a stranger who is travelling to the same destination and at the same time as you.
Share cost. Make friends. is the motto they go by. If successful, it can become a revolutionary trend in travel.
How It Works
- You create a profile on Easynet. (Just like you would on facebook, or any couchsurfing site)
- You fill in the destinations you’d be travelling to, along with the dates. You can also list out the hotels you prefer or search the hotels others have listed.
- A hotel room booker will contact you with the details of the hotel room, and of your future roomie (biceps, height, nationality, single/married). Not really. This is not a dating site.
- You decide on a room and he books it. Voila! Your room rent is slashed by 50 percent!
The hotel industry might not be too happy about this. But of course, the tourists are. And with the money thus saved, they can even afford to book a better hotel! What one can’t, two can.
Easynet has 44 members currently (an even number, I can’t help but notice). At present, the service is for free but soon you might have to pay an extra commission to the Easynet guys, if they find easy success.
The Pluses: Apart from the money you save, and the conversation you make, there is a good chance of hooking up on your holiday.
The Minuses: The possibility that your roomie might be overbearing, creepy, or boring, or a cleanliness freak, or ugly! But that is kinda nullified by the fact that there is equal chance of him/her being cool, smart, interesting, fun, and hot.
As of now, Easynet is the only such service. But here’s a list of some of the best sites and forums that connect travellers:
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