No need to travel hundreds of kilometers to feel on vacation.
The escape can be around the corner or a few metro stops away.
This is the conviction of the three founders of the Staycation platform (contraction of
stay
, to stay, and
vacation
, holidays).
Created in 2017, it promotes ultra-local tourism by offering residents of Paris, Bordeaux or Lyon the opportunity to spend a night (or more) in a luxury hotel near their home while enjoying exclusive services (bottle of champagne, at the spa, free meal, etc.).
The young shoot is launching in London this April.
Something to seduce its inhabitants, including some 300,000 French expatriates.
A first establishment abroad, as reminded in
Figaro
Mathieu Dugast, one of the site's co-founders.
But not the last.
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Our ten favorite hotels in the English capital
LE FIGARO. - Why did you choose London for your first establishment abroad?
Matthew Dugast.
- London lives at 100 an hour.
The British capital has many affinities with our concept, that of offering time to city dwellers who lack it and who are caught up in a sustained pace of life.
In addition, it is a destination with a wide variety of establishments (boutique-hotels, large chains, etc.) able to attract a large number of Londoners, whatever their budget and profile (couples, families, friends...).
Thanks to an experiment carried out for six months, we were able to identify a real expectation on the part of the inhabitants, anxious, like the Parisians, to recharge their batteries at a few metro stations from their homes for 24 hours or a weekend.
Read alsoLondon: five beautiful hotels that are truly accessible for people with reduced mobility
In which establishments will Londoners be able to stay?
The Corinthia Hotel has the largest spa in London, spread over four floors.
Corinthia Hotels
For our launch, around 20 London hotels are offered on our site and app, and we hope to increase this number to around 50 by the summer.
More than just a room, we want to offer an experience, a moment of escape, to make the hotel and its neighborhood a destination in its own right.
For well-being, choose the Corinthia hotel, between Trafalgar Square and the Thames, which has the largest spa in the capital, spread over four floors.
At St Pancras Renaissance, located within St Pancras International Station, Londoners are invited to relive the golden age of the railway.
At the Georgian House Hotel, near Victoria Station, our guests enjoy a mixology class during their stay.
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Hotels want you to sleep in your own city
After London, what destinations are you aiming for?
We wish to export our concept to other countries, in particular to Germany, Belgium and Spain.
At the same time, we are continuing to strengthen our presence in the major French cities where we are already established, in particular Bordeaux, Lille and Lyon, as well as in Normandy and on the Côte d'Azur.
If the epidemic has been an earthquake for the hotel industry, it has also created new needs that we want to meet.
On the one hand, hoteliers seek to attract a local clientele, partly to compensate for the absence of international tourists.
On the other hand, city dwellers increasingly need to recharge their batteries and let go.
Mathieu Dugast is one of the founders of Staycation.
Staycation