Following on from Stephen’s great post about travellers trading hotels for quirky holiday homes (see Are holiday homes replacing hotels?), one innovative new website www.onefinestay.com is taking this a step further with the introduction of the ‘unhotel’.
Get inside some of London’s plushest properties
onefinestay is the brain child of Greg Marsh, a well-respected member of the onefinestay venture capital community now pursuing his passion for local travel and great service. onefinestay aims to make more of high-end properties sitting unused in central London while owners are out of town. The onefinestay team work with owners to offer up their stunning homes as short-term holiday lets, complete with full servicing and fluffy towels. But, says Greg, this is about so much more than just holiday lets. This is the evolution of the unhotel.
Onefinestay - Faroe Road, Holland Park, London
Marsh says an ‘unhotel’ brings all the luxury a good hotel can offer, but without the other guests. What’s more, by staying in a real home you get to the heart of the place and feel like a local. Plans are to incorporate all sorts of ‘local travel’ offerings so guests really can enjoy a new place from the inside.
Use your smartphone on barcode links to podcasts in onefinestay properties
One particularly brilliant offering from onefinestay is an iPhone application that reads small, hidden bar codes around the property and gives you podcasted information about that object. Items range from posh paintings to interesting pieces of furniture. No iPhone? Not to worry, onefinestay will give you one on arrival with your keys. It seems they really have thought of everything.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Stephen Chapman and Gloria CasinadiRosa, Laura Byrne Paquet. Laura Byrne Paquet said: Reading on Make Travel Fair UK – Onefinestay and the unhotel http://www.maketravelfair.co.uk/2010/05/23/onefinestay-and-the-unhotel/ [...]