Mumbai-based online branded budget accommodation aggregator, Vista Rooms, has created an app-like experience on Instagram where travellers can browse locations and property options as well as book a hotel of their choice.
The company aims to tap the rich visual feel of this app on Instagram, as compared to its website, for users to explore, book and even review the properties. The startup plans to use Instagram as a standalone mobile application that can serve both as an app and a social networking tool.
Here’s how users can access the company’s page on Instagram:
Step I – User can access the Instagram app and search for @Vista_rooms.
Step II – The Instagram page gives photo locations, where the user can choose the destination and tap on the image.
Step III – This opens into the property page, which gives information on the listed properties. Users can either check out the hotels of their choice by clicking the image of the hotel. They can even explore the food, places and culture of their chosen destination, in the location page.
Step IV – After checking out the hotel details like amenities, pictures of the rooms, and the rates, users can book the room by clicking the required link. This will direct the users to the vista room-booking page on a regular browser.
Amit Damani, co-founder and head of Online Sales & Marketing, said in a statement, “While Instagram is typically used by brands for static visibility, we saw an opportunity to leverage Instagram as our standalone mobile platform where users can experience an entire journey from discovering to booking and then even reviewing their stay on the same platform.”
Budget stay startup Vista Rooms started as an online hospitality startup, but soon turned into an online branded accommodation aggregator. It offers comfortable and reasonably luxurious accommodations at budgeted rates.
Since its inception in April this year, Vista Rooms has been focusing on reaching out to customers by leveraging social media in unconventional ways. With the help of frugal marketing, the company claims to cover over 500 properties in 60+ locations across India, in a little over three months.
“Brands have spent a lot of time, energy and investment on building basic, functional apps. As a startup, we wanted to stay resourceful and instead of making a big investment for an app, we felt we could leverage existing platforms to reach out to a wider audience more effectively. At the ideation stage, this whole idea stumped us, but as the idea started formalising, we realised that Instagram has a huge untapped potential,” said Ankita Sheth, the company’s co-founder & head of Partnerships.
The social media handles of Vista Rooms offer regular posts on discounts, alliances and other company updates. Besides regular travellers, Vista Rooms also aims to reach out to virtual travellers who are perpetually looking at tourist destinations.
Vista Rooms is spreading its network in smaller tier II & III cities across India, where there is a major need for standardised budget travel accommodations.
