Explore why PopulStay is different from hotels and other homesharing platforms

The concept of homesharing platforms is simple: you can book space in someone’s home (a room, a bed, a guesthouse), ideally, for less than the cost of a standard hotel. Such platforms are very popular, and the reason is obvious — demand.

More and more travelers are staying in other people’s homes when they go on vacation. For example, according to research firm MoffettNathansonn, in 2015, a third of Americans were using Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, and other similar platforms. In 2010, that figure was just 8%!

There are certain advantages, which the majority of home-sharing platforms have, and PopulStay is not an exception. Let us list the most important ones:

Why PopulStay and not a hotel?

1. Human Contact ✅

Normally, you don’t often get into conversations with the hotel check-in staff, do you? You talk to them only when you have problems, such as problems with your key card and so on. But what about pleasant conversations? If you have a host, your experience will be much more social. It is a fun way to meet people and learn about local culture.

2. Individual services ✅

You can feel at home! If you choose homesharing, yo can enjoy comfortable living rooms, dining rooms, full-kitchen and laundry-rooms. IBesides, many hosts provide swimming pools, yards, bicycles for cruising around town, or even boats.

3. Flexibility ✅

Hosts are flexible with check-in and check-out.You do not need to worry about strict check-in and check-out times that might interfere with naptime or force you out of your digs too early. You can make arrangements, which will suite both your hosts and you. Moreover, your hosts can leave a key for you to come or leave at your leisure.

4. Ideal for big groups ✅

You can pick the right home that can fit your family or friends just right. You are ulikely to have a trouble with the size of the living space. In addition, home-sharing platforms are pet-friendly. It is possible to find accommodations, which let guests bring their four-legged friends.

5. Privacy and Independence ✅

A home-sharing patform is the perfect solution for families, groups of friends or a romantic getaway for two .You can choose to cook at home or to go to the restaurant. Your kids will have their own room.

Why PopulStay and not other home-sharing platforms?

Nevertheless, there are travelers who avoid services like Airbnb. Let us refer to MoffettNathanson once again to see the reasons why:

38% — prefer hotel services

38% — uncomfortable staying in someone else’s home

37% — prefer hotel property amenities

36% — prefer hotel room amenities

34% — option never occurred to me

27% — renting a home is too expensive

26% — do not need the extra space

17% — concerned about safety

17% — concerned about cleanliness

16% — not sure what to do if there is a problem during stay

9% — not comfortable with booking and payment process

Although there are people who really like hotel services and nothing else, such problems like “uncomfortable staying in someone else’s home” or “option never occurred to me” can be easily tackled. We, at PopulStay, are working on it. If these problems are solved, almost all of the respondents can become prospective PopulStayers!

6. New technology = new approach ✅

PopulStay has a different approach, which goes beyond traditional platforms and copes with the problems listed above by non-traditional methods.

Populstay’s end-to-end IoT ecosystem is going to make use of innovative smart-locks, smart-WiFi, smart-fridges, cleaning services etc. to automate as many processes as possible.

7. Value and price ✅

It is easy to find much larger rooms — also luxurious rooms — in Airbnb accommodations than hotels at the similar price or even cheaper. However, their commisions are still VERY high.

PopulStay’s decentralized nature is created by the trust blockchain technology provides, allowing it to act as the middleman, without the need for a third-centralized-party. Therefore, operating costs and fees are significantly decreased. Various payment methods are accepted from credit cards to several cryptocurrencies, consequently minimizing guest’s expenses and enhancing user experience for all parties.

8. Safety ✅

One of the missions of PopulStay is to prove that houses can be as safe as hotel rooms. We are implementing smart locks, which are safer than modern hotel locks. Learn more on our website: https://www.populstay.com.

Blockchain technology allows the development of community-run, transparent, and fair dispute resolution applications. PopulStay is integrating such a platform to solve cases efficiently and for every booking, a deposit by both guest and host is held in escrow as collateral. If a dispute arises, evidence has to be presented to a randomly selected and qualified group of PopulStay jurors. The trial’s mechanics incentivize jurors to act fairly and the winning party will receive the aforementioned deposit as compensation.

9. Community ✅

Most owners are absentee landlords, leaving you to fend for yourself. That is why we strongly believe that community is a must. Populstay is creating an environment, where no matter which city you travel to, as long as there is a Populstayer nearby, you have a friend.

Existing home-sharing platforms are all taking different measures to prevent bypassing their platforms (e.g. by restricting direct communication) in order to maintain their core profit model, up to 20% commission. On the contrary, Populstay is reviving the sense of community by incentivizing its users to create strong relationships between them.

10. Trust ✅

There are a lot of properties which are less ideal than advertised. We, at PopulStay, want to avoid it. All the data will be uploaded to blockchain. No fake properties, no fake reviews!

By the way, each action you do on the PopulStay platform influences your reputation! The more you contribute, the higher your rating becomes and the more benefits you receive, including discounts, free tokens and bookings.