Vista Rooms, Mumbai-based online budget branded accommodation aggregator, has created a fully functional app-like experience on Instagram where travellers can browse locations and property options as well as book a hotel of their choice.
This is perhaps the first time in India that a company has attempted to do something like that. The company claims that this app-like experience on Instagram has a richer feel than the website and can be extended to exploring, booking and even reviewing the property.
The company intends to use Instagram as a standalone mobile application that can serve both as an app and a social networking tool. On tapping the photos, users are directed to other fully featured pages where information on the property, local food, places of interest, culture are available.
From the hotel page, the user can view the details, cost and even book the room. The user would be directed to the vista room-booking page through a regular browser.
Amit Damani, Co-Founder and Head of Online Sales & Marketing, shared,
While Instagram is typically used by brands for static visibility, we saw an opportunity to leverage Instagram as our standalone mobile platform where users can experience an entire journey from discovering to booking and then even reviewing their stay on the same platform.
Ankita Sheth, Co-Founder & Head of Partnerships, explained,
Brands have spent a lot of time, energy and investment on building basic, functional apps. As a start-up, we wanted to stay resourceful and instead of making a big investment for an app, we felt we could leverage existing platforms to reach out to a wider audience more effectively. At the ideation stage, this whole idea stumped us; but as the idea started formalizing, we realized that Instagram has a huge untapped potential.
By creating the Vista Rooms app on Instagram, we wanted to revolutionize customer engagement via social media. The Vista Rooms app on Instagram would inspire, excite and engage both potential and existing customers.
Founded by Amit Damani and Ankita Sheth, Vista Rooms offers standardized branded accommodations across India with focus on quality, affordability and customer experience.
It is spreading its network in Tier II & III cities across India where there is a major need for standardized budget travel accommodations. As there is lack of trust and faith amongst customers whilst traveling over to these hubs, the company is also focusing on ensuring a service that retains its quality and faith over its customers.
In this space, Vista Rooms competes with the massively backed Oyo Rooms and Zo Rooms. Oyo Rooms has raised $125.6 million till now in four funding rounds from six investors while Zo Rooms has raised $47 million in two funding rounds from Orios Venture Partners and Tiger Global Management.
