Out of Office app launches hotel booking partnership
At a time when points and miles devaluations seem to be announced on a weekly basis, going "free agent" — no attachment to any particular loyalty program — with one's travel plans can seem more appealing than ever.
A new hotel booking partnership at a popular travel planning app appears to be arriving at just the right time for the burgeoning free agent travel movement.
Out of Office — a travel planning app that behaves partly like Tripadvisor when it comes to user-generated reviews but with the strong visual aesthetics and community of one's Instagram account — recently launched a hotel booking partnership with Booking.com.
The partnership puts Out of Office one step closer to its goal of providing users with end-to-end trip planning where you can do everything from within the app. Out of Office counts The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly as an investor, PhocusWire reports.
Booking a hotel stay via a third-party provider like Booking.com instead of directly with a hotel company usually means forfeiting loyalty benefits and points earning. However, the co-founders of Out of Office note there are times that are optimal for booking directly — but there are also times when it comes down to finding the most affordable option out there.
"Of course, people want to be able to utilize their points and loyalty, but there are times when that is not optimal," Jan Seale, Out of Office's co-founder and CEO, said. "I do think you see people being more open to doing things slightly differently."
Crowdsourced travel reviews aren't a new concept, but Out of Office is more about combining all the travel recommendations you receive from friends in one visually appealing place on your phone. Gone are the days of the shared piece of paper with scribbled recommendations for Parisian hotels and cafes, the thinking goes.
How to book your stay via Out of Office
Out of Office users can scroll through destinations for hotels, restaurants and other attractions. The recommendations become more personalized after you start to follow various accounts of friends and family members (or just people whose travel strategy you like). Your feed will start to populate with the activity of those you follow.
Now, when you peruse various hotel reviews, there's also a function to book a room via Booking.com. While Tripadvisor also has a function to let users book, Out of Office's appeal stems from it leaning more into the idea the reviews come from people you know or follow and basing a decision off that rather than pages of reviews from people you don't necessarily know or trust with travel advice.
"We're just trying to make it really easy for users to come on, read the reviews from people that they know, see which friends recommend it and then make it really seamless to book directly through Booking.com," Coabi Kastan, Out of Office's chief operating officer and co-founder, said.
Will the app convince die-hard points and miles fans to ditch their Marriott Bonvoy or World of Hyatt perks and start booking via a third party? Almost certainly not.
However, there's plenty of fish (aka travel spending power) in the trip planning sea — and they're not all points and miles people. Out of Office's co-founders see a lot of opportunity in marketing to women and younger travelers.
"We're really focused on this target market, millennial and Gen Z travelers, who are now making up the biggest share of travel spend," Kastan said. "We're [also] focused on a female consumer — not that we're alienating men by any means, but we know that women make the vast majority of travel-related decisions. We also know that they account for the majority of travel spend but are often sort of neglected by travel startups."
What's next for Out of Office
What destinations are Out of Office users most excited about? Canada, Europe and last-minute domestic trips in the U.S. are all popular searches at the moment, Seale said. Capitalizing on those searches is a key part of Out of Office's growth trajectory.
The Booking.com partnership is a major step forward for the company's pursuit of operating a full-service menu of travel services from within its app. The company already has a partnership with OpenTable to make restaurant reservations from Out of Office.
The co-founders have also indicated they'd like to eventually add the ability to make flight reservations or book excursions and tours.
"We always felt so frustrated that travel planning was so fragmented," Seale said. "Definitely down the pipeline, that will be a part of our end-to-end ecosystem."
Related reading:
- Best hotel credit cards
- When is the best time to book a hotel? Experts weigh in — and debunk a few myths
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- A comparison of luxury hotel programs from credit card issuers
- Which credit cards offer the most lucrative rewards for hotel stays?
- The best hotel rewards programs in the world
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.