ZookStay spearheads a revolution in hotel bookings, introducing the world’s first zero-commission OTA (online travel agency)!
ZookStay has recently launched its innovative platform for Hoteliers to join, where they will get Zero-Commission Room Bookings and a FREE website. Led by a formidable team of 4 co-founders, including both serial entrepreneurs and domain experts, this venture has the perfect mix of strength, talent, and spirit.
Starting out of India’s cleanest city, Indore, this travel startup aims to democratize the Hotel Booking industry. ZookStay aims to help Hoteliers generate bookings while benefiting Guests by offering transparent, fair pricing. Traditionally, Hotel owners have depended on Commissions to drive sales via Online Platforms, but this groundbreaking initiative marks a tectonic shift.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Abhishek Agarwal, who passionately believes in transparency and wishes to build an ecosystem where all Hoteliers would have an equal opportunity to showcase their rooms without having to depend on hefty commissions.
Excerpts from the Interview of “Abhishek Agarwal, CEO – ZookStay”
Q1: How did you come up with this idea? And why do you think it is needed?
A: My 15-year long journey in the hotel industry has given me a deep understanding of the nuances and challenges of providing exceptional guest experiences while managing costs, ARR and cashflow. At the same time, 8 years growing with a fintech has equipped me with the skills to innovate, scale, and navigate the digital transformation landscape.
This put me in a headspace where I could see the problems with the existing solutions, problems that Hoteliers face on a daily basis, but are ill-equipped to fix.
Q2: Sounds interesting! So how do you plan to solve these issue?
A: ZookStay is a platform dedicated to offering curated hotels, villas, and cottages that promise comfort, exclusivity, and personalized stays. Our mission is to democratize hotel stays by operating on a 100% commission-free model. This ensures that customers pay only the actual price of the room, without any markups, and that hosts receive their earnings without delays or deductions. All money paid by guests for bookings is transferred directly to the Hotel’s Bank, with Zero Deduction & Zero Delay.
This allows Hoteliers to offer Guests better rates than they could in traditional ways, while also ensuring a robust cashflow.
Q3: In what ways do you imagine ZookStay will impact the Hospitality landscape?
A: Zook means “Passion”, and we believe ZookStay will be instrumental in the overall growth of the digital Hospitality sector. We envision ourselves as a community-driven Brand that encourages First-Gen & MSME Hoteliers such as myself to be independent by providing an ecosystem of discoverability, trust and transparency.
Our research shows that Hotel bookings systemically flow to the platform offering best prices, as Guests know that the overall experience depends on the selection of Hotel, rather than the booking platform. We aim to align the goals of Hoteliers, the Platform and Guests by creating collective benefit.
At the core of ZookStay is the principle of transparency, equity and value-addition to all stakeholders. We strongly believe that technology should be a catalyst to growth, and not a gatekeeper. Our main goal will be to empower the MSME Hospitality sector to find freedom from Commissions, Delays & Deductions.
For any support and information feel free to reach out at Abhishek Agarwal’s LinkedIn Profile and abhi@zookstay.com
