COVID-19 made her start a daycation booking site, now it works with 4,500+ hotels globally

Remember a couple years ago when we were all cooped up at home bored out of our minds?

Yeah, I’m talking about the pandemic. Almost everyone was struggling in search of something to break out from the monotony that COVID-19 brought on.

Singaporean expat Martha Waslen felt exactly the same. She’d usually bring her family on travels abroad but lockdowns made that impossible.

So she looked towards another avenue for escape—hotels. Hardly anyone stayed at hotels at the time because there simply wasn’t a need to. It was a shame as they had all these facilities and experiences that weren’t being used.

That is, until Martha got the idea to launch DayAway, a platform that grants people access to luxurious experiences. Oh and did we mention that you don’t have to be a hotel guest to gain these privileges?

Opening up doors for the public

By joining DayAway’s one-of-a-kind membership, you’ll unlock special experiences and privileges from the best hotels, restaurants, and private clubs.

Or at least, that’s what the brand states on its website.

Elaborating on that, Martha shared that DayAway members enjoy access to luxury spa, wellness, and dining experiences curated for its community. This also includes the advantage of preferential pricing, discounts, and gifts-with-purchase from DayAway’s network of high-end partners.

All customers have to do is sign up and start redeeming these benefits. 

Based on its website, the memberships start from S$100 depending on which package you choose. Some of them are linked to specific hotels, like the Raffles Sling & Swim membership by DayAway (S$150).

The latter happens to be their most popular experience for our local DayAway Singapore members. It includes a three-hour access to Raffles Hotel’s rooftop pool, a complimentary Singapore Sling cocktail, and a dining credit at its Pool Bar. 

Another favourite is their Wellness Retreat at The Capitol Kempinksi Hotel. Part of this experience comprises access to a suite from 9AM to 5PM, a complimentary 60-minute massage for two, and a dining credit to be used anywhere within the hotel. 

Micro-holidays and luxury wellness experiences

“DayAway was built to connect a growing demand for ‘micro-holidays’ and luxury wellness experiences to a huge supply of underutilised ancillary spaces at luxury hotels,” Martha explained.

Think of pools, machine-equipped gyms, spas, you get the picture. All of these services weren’t being fully utilised because they were specially provided for hotel guests. 

But what do you do when there are hardly any guests, as was the case during the pandemic? 

It seems that hotels and other businesses in the hospitality industry were left to suffer. Just a quick Google search will show you the various negative impacts it caused the industry. Many of them were forced to let go of hundreds if not thousands of staff members to survive.

This made it even more crucial for those in the industry to find new ways to adapt and start generating revenue again. 

And one such strategy was by partnering with DayAway.

“We work closely with our hotel partners to identify revenue opportunities throughout the hotel and assist with experience curation every step of the way to ensure it resonates with our community of discerning guests.”

Providing a centralised user experience

All that said, it’s been a good two years since pandemic travelling restrictions were lifted. 

So how has DayAway not only sustained itself but grown to now work with over 4,500 luxury hotels worldwide?

The key lies in the convenience that DayAway provides both consumers and service providers. This is how the brand differentiates itself from hotel websites and loyalty programmes, which are generally focused on room bookings.

“Guests don’t want to visit over 10 different websites to find a spa or dining experience that meets their criteria. DayAway aggregates all of these experiences from luxury hotels in one marketplace, making it easy for our members to browse, discover and book in one centralised platform.”

“We’ve found that the user journey for booking these types of experiences is very different from booking rooms, and DayAway is a platform that improves that user experience,” Martha remarked.

In terms of how the platform gains its financial earnings, Martha disclosed that they monetise purely through membership subscription fees. This allows them to negotiate preferential pricing and discounts from providers and pass those savings directly to DayAway’s members.

Not shy to adapt to current needs

Since launching in 2020, DayAway has expanded its network of experience providers to accommodate the evolving interests of DayAway’s members. 

You’ll find their offerings ranging beyond just spas and dining experiences now. The newer additions are activities like yacht charters, cultural tours, and art galleries.

They’ve also branched out and collaborated with partners to provide luxury travel subscriptions under the DayAway Jetsetter (S$300) offering. Some benefits members gain from this are better room rates and complimentary airline upgrades.

Recently, they’ve just closed an investment round. Martha preferred to keep the details hush-hush, but she mentioned that the funds will be used to market the platform throughout Southeast Asia.

Doing so enables them to both reach a larger audience of users and increase the number of experiences available in their marketplace. 

This puts them one step closer to reaching their ultimate goal—to be the go-to online destination for booking luxurious daytime experiences worldwide.

Featured Image Credit: DayAway