Hong Kong-based Hey Travelista is a flash-sale service dedicated to offering affordable luxury five-star hotel packages
Co-founder Tony Low says that, while similar services such as Secret Escapes and Voyage Privé exist, theirs is the first to focus on Asia.
Do you love to travel and stay in luxury hotels, but do not want to fork out top dollar? A new Hong Kong-based platform might be able to help you with that.
Hey, Travelista is a flash-sale service dedicated to offering deals on luxury five-star hotel packages so that they are affordable for the masses. It is similar to Cathay Pacific’s weekly “Fanfares”, which does the same for air tickets. Hey, Travelista launched last July and so far has members in 53 countries, although the focus is on Asia.
“Hong Kong citizens are the most travelled in the world,” says Tony Low, co-founder of Hey Travelista. “Many people want to take advantage of all the short holidays and get out of the city, which means taking a flight. This year we have eight long weekends because of the way the public holidays fall. They want to have as many experiences as possible, but for the same budget.”
In Europe, Secret Escapes and Voyage Privé offer something similar, and in Australia, Luxury Escapes offers luxury travel offers at reduced rates. But no such service existed in Asia, so Low and his two co-founders – his wife, Alyssa, and her former hospitality industry colleague Brian Koroll – decided to fill the gap in the market.
“Our offering is taking Asia-based travellers to the rest of the world,” says Low, who has a background in IT. “Luxury Escapes tends to focus on what Australians want: Bali, cheap beers. As an Australian, I can say that. But it’s different from what Asians want.”
So what do Asians want? For Hongkongers and Singaporeans, saving money is the most important factor when seeking travel recommendations, according to a 2017 report by travel industry IT firm Amadeus called “Journey of Me Insights: What Asia-Pacific travellers want”.
“There are a lot of local people in Hong Kong and Singapore who have studied overseas,” Low says. “They have a propensity to travel and are high-income earners. They like to stay in five-star hotels, but they do not like to pay. They want affordable luxury.”
Unlike hotel booking sites such as Expedia and Hotels.com that offer a wide range of hotel packages, Hey Travelista focuses on the luxury end and sells packages based on a minimum two- or three-night stay that include things like airport transfers, spa treatments, drinks on arrival and food and drinks credits. It is free to join – you just need to sign up online.
An example of the sort of deal Hey Travelista offers travellers seeking discount five-star luxury hotel and resort packages. An example of the sort of deal Hey Travelista offers travellers seeking discount five-star luxury hotel and resort packages.
Travel & Leisure
Discount five-star hotel packages in Asia the focus of travel platform Hey Travelista
Hong Kong-based Hey Travelista is a flash-sale service dedicated to offering affordable luxury five-star hotel packages
Co-founder Tony Low says that, while similar services such as Secret Escapes and Voyage Privé exist, theirs is the first to focus on Asia
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Travel news and advice
Kate Whitehead
Kate Whitehead
Published: 10:45 am, 30 Mar 2019
Do you love to travel and stay in luxury hotels, but do not want to fork out top dollar? A new Hong Kong-based platform might be able to help you with that.
Hey, Travelista is a flash-sale service dedicated to offering deals on luxury five-star hotel packages so that they are affordable for the masses. It is similar to Cathay Pacific’s weekly “Fanfares”, which does the same for air tickets. Hey, Travelista launched last July and so far has members in 53 countries, although the focus is on Asia.
“Hong Kong citizens are the most travelled in the world,” says Tony Low, co-founder of Hey Travelista. “Many people want to take advantage of all the short holidays and get out of the city, which means taking a flight. This year we have eight long weekends because of the way the public holidays fall. They want to have as many experiences as possible, but for the same budget.”
In Europe, Secret Escapes and Voyage Privé offer something similar, and in Australia, Luxury Escapes offers luxury travel offers at reduced rates. But no such service existed in Asia, so Low and his two co-founders – his wife, Alyssa, and her former hospitality industry colleague Brian Koroll – decided to fill the gap in the market.
Tony Low of Hey Travelista. “People like to stay in five-star hotels, but they do not like to pay,” he says.
Tony Low of Hey Travelista. “People like to stay in five-star hotels, but they do not like to pay,” he says.
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“Our offering is taking Asia-based travellers to the rest of the world,” says Low, who has a background in IT. “Luxury Escapes tends to focus on what Australians want: Bali, cheap beers. As an Australian, I can say that. But it’s different from what Asians want.”
So what do Asians want? For Hongkongers and Singaporeans, saving money is the most important factor when seeking travel recommendations, according to a 2017 report by travel industry IT firm Amadeus called “Journey of Me Insights: What Asia-Pacific travellers want”.
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Brian Koroll of Hey Travelista. “We can ask hotels to include things that have little cost to them,” he says.
Brian Koroll of Hey Travelista. “We can ask hotels to include things that have little cost to them,” he says.
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“There are a lot of local people in Hong Kong and Singapore who have studied overseas,” Low says. “They have a propensity to travel and are high-income earners. They like to stay in five-star hotels, but they do not like to pay. They want affordable luxury.”
Unlike hotel booking sites such as Expedia and Hotels.com that offer a wide range of hotel packages, Hey Travelista focuses on the luxury end and sells packages based on a minimum two- or three-night stay that include things like airport transfers, spa treatments, drinks on arrival and food and drinks credits. It is free to join – you just need to sign up online.
If you are just after a room for the night, this probably isn’t the best platform – it’s for those who want to indulge in some of the bells and whistles that many of today’s luxury resorts have to offer.
Alyssa Low of Hey Travelista.
“If you’re staying at Six Senses, then the room is just the start. We’re allowing you to get the full experience of what this five-star brand can offer,” Low says.
Koroll, a 34-year veteran of the hospitality industry, knows where to push hotels to get extras at a reasonable cost.
“What are the things that have a hard cost or a soft cost? For example, adding another person onto breakfast is a soft cost – the breakfast buffet is already there. And most luxury hotels have their own fleet of cars and drivers. We can ask hotels to include things that have little cost to them,” Kroll says. He also works with the hotels to find out what aspect of their property they want to showcase and then negotiates a package for their members.
So what does a good deal look like? At the time of writing the platform had a two-night package at One & Only The Palm in Dubai for HK$10,936 (US$1,400), inclusive of service charges and taxes. That got you a premier room, facing the beach, and included breakfast, access to the water park and a discount at the spa. The longer you stay, the more inclusions you get. Koroll says it represented a 40 to 50 per cent reduction on the standard price.
While Hey Travelista works with both independent properties and large chains, Koroll says it can usually negotiate better value packages with the independents – something to look out for on the platform if you are hoping to snag a deal.
