Booking a daycay has never been more tempting

Published on esquiresg.com | 07/02/2022 | Direct Link

By: Joy Ling

The pitch here is pretty straightforward. A daytime use of hotel rooms and amenities at up to 75 percent off the price. It's pretty sweet. Considering the number of times I've googled iterations of 'hotel pool day use' amounting to a mess of search results to filter and compare, this platform is clearly A Genius Idea in my books.

It's not an entirely fresh concept, if you allow yourself to the traumatic flashbacks of early pandemic days. Hotels were renting out their rooms for #WFH in a desperate bid to stay in business, and it was a good deal because some homes did not ideal offices make. Even then, having to manually navigate the different websites wasn't the most seamless experience.

I'd love to say "now that we've moved past all that…" except we haven't really. A good percentage of us still work remotely; and travel isn't exactly an activity you can take up without a plan anymore. So the quickest way to take a breather since drugs aren't an option here, is still a good ol' staycay. And if you, like me, have no use for an overnighter, this bucking of the traditional 'per night' model makes so much sense.

With more than 100 names across luxury to boutique hotels to choose from, daytime hours range from 6am to 11pm at a variety of price points, but all discounted off the original and easily viewed in one webpage. The true flexibility though, would be the ability to book without a credit card and cancel up to the last minute at no cost.

With Valentine's Day coming up, the platform has also partnered with select hotels to curate couple packages entailing cocktail or scent activities with your stay. A win-win solution like this is undoubtedly why Dayuse is now across 500 cities in a span of a decade. CEO and Founder David Lebée lets us pick his brain on the remarkable platform.

ESQ: Talk us through the origin story of Dayuse.

DAVID LEBÉE: I was managing a trendy hotel in Paris and was often asked about daytime bookings. Guests had wished to book a room for a few hours to explore the vicinity or unplug with their partner but this wasn’t an option provided by regular hotels. I noticed consumption patterns were also slowly evolving; whether it's for a daycation, romantic getaway or an office for the day, many new demands were not being met. That’s how I landed with an idea to create Dayuse!

ESQ: Who was the initial target audience? Does it differ from current users or has it remained the same?

LEBÉE: We have always targeted locals, whether for leisure or business, and are seeing users skewed towards couples who need a break from their routine or some me-time without the kids. Many do come alone too, in order to recharge and enjoy the hotel’s amenities; or for a change in work scenery. In tandem with our pursuit to normalise the use of hotels during the day, we are seeing an increasing number of people who are embracing the benefits of Dayuse. Amidst our fast-paced and busy lifestyles, Dayuse does offer a much-needed escape from the daily grind in just a few clicks, for as low as SGD90 a day, without the need for complex logistics.

ESQ: What was the biggest challenge of growing from a start-up to a global brand that’s relatively unique to Dayuse’s industry?

LEBÉE: The biggest challenge was to adapt to different cultures while keeping the same approach in terms of supply. We constantly need to adapt in tandem with the population of each city, taking into consideration factors such as age, location and so on, while ensuring a robust supply of quality hotel properties to create relevant offers at the best price. In fact, our prices are at least 30 percent lower and can reach up to 75 percent in savings compared to an overnight stay.

ESQ: Dayuse has been around for a decade; and it’s understandably harder to predict now more than ever, but how do you see the next ten years going for the platform?

LEBÉE: It’s indeed hard to predict but our ambition is clear: to replicate the success we’ve achieved for daytime hotel bookings by developing a disruptive approach to overnight stays. The vision is to evolve the platform so it will no longer be offering just hotel rooms and amenities, but also different local services that are tailored to a gamut of audience profiles and needs—whether you are alone, with your partner, family or friend, or for work. We want to make hotels fun for all.

ESQ: Finally, how often do you take a dayscape? Honest answers only.

LEBÉE: I try to book a dayscape once per month or every 2 months. My wife and I have a very busy schedule and we like to take some time off, just the two of us. I also enjoy time alone to focus on my work as it can be hard to not be interrupted every 10 minutes while in the office!

Book your dayscape at Dayuse.