Agoda offers more flexible booking options with day-use feature

Seen are screenshots showing Agoda's day-use feature. / Courtesy of Agoda

By Jun Ji-hye

Agoda, one of the big-name online travel agencies, has introduced a beta version of its day-use feature available across 7,000 hotels in Korea, providing people with the flexibility to book a room for just a few hours.

The new feature is expected to offer greater choice to people such as a worker who needs a quiet space with reliable internet connection to work, those who want a private room to relax and gather with their friends and loved ones, workers such as drivers who need to rest between shifts or just travelers in transit.

The option is also expected to benefit accommodation providers as they can maximize their revenue by increasing occupancy around the clock and leverage the opportunity to expand their customer base with different types of day users.

Users can book their desired room on the Agoda mobile app and only pay for the hours they need, but still enjoy the luxuries that come with a traditional overnight hotel stay.

Users can start by searching for any destination in Korea, select the “day use” tab, enter the check-in date and browse through a wide range of properties across the country.

Users can select from available check-in timeslots before 11:00 p.m.

“At Agoda, we are constantly improving our offering to meet the changing demands of travelers. We know there is a significant demand for day-use rooms in Korea, and expect great response to our latest feature,” said Hiroto Ooka, associate vice president, North Asia, Agoda.

“People can now book a room for a few hours but still enjoy the luxuries and facilities such as jacuzzi, karaoke, game rooms and business centers, without having to pay for a full overnight stay.”

The company said it is preparing for a full roll-out of the day-use feature in the next few weeks, noting that it will continue to work with accommodation partners to increase the selection of day-use rooms and secure great prices, as well as look to expand the day-use offering in more destinations in the coming months.