We’ve all been there. While checking in, you realize that your hotel does not live up to its Instagram hype in real life. Or maybe you find yourself in serious need of a staycation. Or maybe that date is going really, really well. Or maybe you’re just curious to see if you can upgrade to your favorite hotel in Miami during Art Basel or in Palm Springs during Modernism Week.
Booking a hotel the night of may seem like a daunting proposition. As time is of the essence, we don’t have the luxury to get personal recommendations from friends or read through countless reviews online. But by listing only the best boutique hotels, One Night makes it easier to be wildly spontaneous, for travelers and locals alike.
“One Night provides guests with the opportunity to have a heightened night out at reduced rates,” says Jimmy Suh, the app’s president and founder.
One Night is currently available in 19 cities, mostly in the U.S. with Bangkok and London as their two international offerings with more destinations to come. The app lists only a select number of properties for each city, 12 in San Francisco, for example, 7 in Nashville, and 25 in London. All of the hotels have been carefully curated by the One Night team to meet a certain criteria. Whether it’s The Ned in London or Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan, these hotels are not just any lifestyle-as-a-luxury properties. They’re not just design-forward and experimentally-driven. These properties also have that it-hotel factor – you know it when you feel it.
The inexplicable quality that links all the properties featured on One Night may be best described as “hotels that locals love,” with restaurants, lounges, and events that lure nearby denizens in droves. In fact, the app also includes hour-by-hour itineraries for each hotel to give guests trusted tips on how to spend their day like one of the city’s insiders. Book a stay at the International House in New Orleans and find the best beignets in town. Or check-in to the Palihotel in Seattle and see who makes the best cheeseburgers at 2 a.m. These in-app guides helps to make One Night unique from other hotel booking platforms, even same-day, luxury, or otherwise.
“We recognize there are other last-minute booking apps, however, with our curation of independent hotels and our unique hour-by-hour tips, guests gain the confidence and trust that they’ll have a great stay experience with any hotel they book on our app,” Suh adds.
That the Standard hotels have set the tone and style of the properties featured on One Night is not a coincidence. Suh was the former Chief Commercial Officer at Standard International, and the iconic hotel chain is currently an investor in the app. As such, all of the Standard properties are listed, including from its younger sister brand Bunkhouse, which operates the much-loved Hotel San Jose in Austin and The Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco.
One Night is continuing to find new, creative ways to cater to spontaneous, mobile-savvy jetsetters. The app is currently testing a service that will let its guests book same-day hotel stays via text. So it’ll be as easy as texting three words: “Get a room.”
