In an announcement, online booking service Hotelgo24.com says it is offering free Bitcoins for the customers who book hotel rooms with it. The company provides the services to customers from all around the world and brings a wide range of accommodation options to suit all tastes.
Also Read: Bitcoin to Play a Key Role in Denmark’s Cash-Free Economy?
Hotelgo24.com that guarantees hotel rooms at the lowest possible price, as well as Bitcoin cash back up to 5% for every reservation, claims that it brings a perfect solution for the summertime, especially for Bitcoin enthusiasts. In a press release the firm says:
The service provides an extended base of accommodation, including 130 000 hotels, located in 20 426 cities from 198 countries. Customers will definitely enjoy simple and user-friendly interface attractive prices for accommodation and Bitcoin cash back up to 5%.
Bitcoinist did an exclusive interview with the founder of the service – Grzegorz Kowalski. Here are some excerpts:
What made Hotelgo24 to bring such an offer?
Grzegorz Kowalski: At Hotelgo24.com, we are all Bitcoin enthusiasts. Our adventure with with Bitcoins has started a few years ago – back in the days when Bitcoin mining using conventional graphics cards (GPU) was still profitable. We were following BTC development and all information about this project. Bitcoin community gave us a lot of new experience. Now, we decided that we want to contribute in rising the awareness on cryptocurrency. We actually share the part of our own commission with customers and rewarding them for hotel reservations with free coins.
Why Hotelgo24 does not accept Bitcoin?
Grzegorz Kowalski: HotelGo24 does not accept Bitcoin. Our aim was not to encourage people to spend Bitcoin, but actually to give them an opportunity to gain it. If you want to buy something for USD, you have to earn it first. The same is with cryptocurrency. In our opinion, the system of Bitcoin will be working if people will have both options – to receive/earn BTC as well as to spend it. There are many services which accept Bitcoin as a payment method but only a few which pay users with BTC. We decided to become one of the few.
What is the view of the organization on Bitcoin? Do they want to embrace later on?
Grzegorz Kowalski: First all, we will probably expand the cyptocurrency selection. We plan to introduce Litecoin and Dogecoin cash back, maybe also Stellar. Secondly, we consider implementing other language versions and fiat currencies. However, all our decisions will depend on our customers. We look forward to their comments and suggestions. We say open for their ideas.
Booking a Room with Hotelgo24.com
The new startup says that booking a room with Hotelgo24.com is really simple and lasts only a few minutes. After completing the reservation, customers get a confirmation email. Interestingly, the press release does not inform whether the company accepts Bitcoin payments, what it tells is that customers can pay by credit cards, including MasterCard and Visa. Though the registration is not required to use Hotelgo24.com, it is essential for obtaining free Bitcoins, as well as entering an individual BTC address.
The company informs that Bitcoin cash back is send within 7 days of user check-out from the booked hotel and the amount of Bitcoin cash back that client will receive depends on the reservation value and BTC exchange rate on the day of booking.
Elaborating the booking procedure, the official website of Hotelgo24.com says:
Yes, you can book any of our hotels by calling us directly. To book with us, our contact information is available in the hotel search results pages. We will provide the hotel phone number in your itinerary after you have completed your booking. When you call us, we can provide information and advice on where to stay, make a hotel reservation, change or cancel your reservation, or get information about an existing reservation.
Once the booking is done, the company sends the customer an email confirmation within 15 minutes, although it may take up to several hours some times. It’s worth checking the spam folder in your email to make sure the customer’s confirmation email was not blocked. The hotel booking website also allows customers modify their reservation by calling the customer service representatives who help them find alternative room types, dates, or hotels to ensure the stay matches updated needs.
Expedia Was the First Large Hotel Booking Site to Endorse Bitcoin
Travel bookings giant Expedia started accepting Bitcoin for hotel reservations, becoming the first major travel company to accept payments in cryptocurrency. The company had then said that Bitcoin was a great example of how Expedia was investing early in an array of payment options to give the customers and partners more choice in the ways they interact with it. It had then integrated Bitcoin into the payment options for customers at check-out, sitting alongside payment methods like PayPal and Visa.
Image source: hotelgo24.com
Disclaimer: The writer of the story is not associated with hotelgo24 nor he has any vested interest in the company.
