Review: Hotel Quickly

Last year, I received a message in LinkedIn. I hardly use that social network, so I was surprised to receive anything. Interestingly, it was from the developer of a new (then) last-minute booking app called Hotel Quickly. I was quite eager to try it out (and use the $50 credit they gave me), but unfortunately, back then, most of their properties were only in selected countries in Southeast Asia.

Their hotel inventory started growing eventually, and I was elated when they finally had hotels available in Australia right when I was visiting. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as whenever I am available to book for a hotel stay, there are no hotels available, and there are plenty whenever I am stuck at home.

I have mostly forgotten about Hotel Quickly, until I received word that they finally have hotels in the Philippines! Not even waiting for the weekend, I hastily packed my bags, and booked a hotel as soon as 12 noon struck the following day.

Hotel Quickly is a last-minute booking app. It promises good deals on hotel rooms for two. The catch? Rates and inventory changes from day to day (depending on the hotel’s occupancy rate), and hotel listing and booking is only available from 8 am to 4 am.

This is not an app to use for booking a hotel for your vacation; this is for same day booking. Say there was a typhoon, streets are flooded, and you can’t go home. You can use Hotel Quickly to look for a hotel near where you are. Or it’s the height of the summer season, and you want to take a break from the heat, stay overnight at a hotel with the air conditioner in full blast, and spend the afternoon soaking in the pool. You can use Hotel Quickly for that spontaneous staycation.

Living up to its name, booking hotels is very easy and done swiftly with just a couple of taps on your mobile. You’re saved from scrolling through endless text, as they have already highlighted the best bits about each property. Icons also indicate which facilities and feature you can expect from the hotel. Provided you’ve already signed up for the service and is logged into the app, you can select, book, and pay for your hotel in just three taps.

In the Philippines, Hotel Quickly already have a list of properties for Manila, Cebu, and Davao. From what I’ve noticed, their hotels are usually grouped in specific areas: places where there are either tourist attractions or business districts. Hotels range from budget hotels to five-star: the Manila Hotel and Fairmont Makati are included in their inventory, so you might want to watch out for them.

Hotel Quickly is free to download from the Play Store, iTunes, and Blackberry App World. Fees and taxes exclusive of the price displayed.