Day use com is a scam

A friend of mine sent me a link to dayuse.com which advertises itself as helping people find a hotel for a few hours in the middle of the day which would seem to be ideal for cuddling. This website claims to offer hotel rooms for significant discounts compared to renting a hotel room through the normal process.

I was looking at renting a hotel room at Comfort Inn and Suites for $80 from 4pm to 10 pm through the dayuse.com site.

I looked up the exact same hotel on Google maps, and was able to book the exact same room, all night long, through Super.com for $60. A twenty dollar difference and I got the room from 5pm on Saturday to 12 noon on Sunday instead of just 6 hours on Saturday.

Comments

  • The benefit to me is the flexibility on check-in times. 3pm never works for me. Blocks that start as early as 8:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. are perfect. It's not about the money. It's about the logistics

  • The idea is you can book from say, 10am to 7pm without having to book two nights. Usually you can't check in until 3pm.

    4pm to 10pm does nothing to make it "day use", that room is still gone for the night for the hotel owner. Kinda defeats purpose of the site to use for that time range.

  • Like you I also didn't care for the pricing structure as I found it more beneficial just to book the room overnight.

    Im sure for some the day hours are beneficial.

  • Yeah this is another one of those bs business strategies. Would not recommend based on pricing.

  • I have to disagree!!! I havebused it many times with no issues.

  • @Atuday it really depends on what your needs are. if they really are day use, the site is excellent.

  • It is not a scam :)

  • If you're using it for regular hitl hours it's not much of a deal and you of course have to shop prices. But it's great for day hours hence the name dayuse anywhere between 8am to 4pm check in for few hours. Daybreakhotel is another good one and so is resortpass. But I'd checking in after 3 or 4pm is good for you than using Priceline or hotels.com or Agoda can be an even better choice

  • My cuddlers use it all the time and have gotten good deals.. maybe that was just an isolated incident. I always suggest that to ppl.
    ❤️❤️❤️

  • I’ve never used it.

  • I'd just say it was an inferior deal then, not really a scam.

    But anyway, the kind of funny thing is that I was thinking about looking into day use hotel rooms for a while and then this morning, I finally visited the site to do a search for one near me. So then hours afterwards, I visit the forum and see this thread on top, lol.

  • If you need to check in before 3, it’s useful. Otherwise, just book the night.

  • DayUse is not a scam. It’s beneficial to use it when you have morning sessions before check in time. If you have sessions after 3 pm, it’s best to get it for the full day.

  • @cuddlebunny4eva you have me wishing my travels brought me to chicago!

  • Having worked in hotels for more than half my life...
    I avoid 3rd party booking sites like the plague - EXCEPT for special circumstances like needing non-standard hours, which DayUse can help with.

    With third party sites (Expedia, Hotwire, etc.), it may sound like a great deal, but there are usually a lot of trade offs.

    • The reservation can only be handled through the 3rd party once it is booked - if something comes up like needing to change dates or if there's an issue at check-in, the hotel can't help you. You end up having to call an overseas call center to have them play middleman, and it's a headache for all involved.
    • many of those great rates are prepaid, no cancel reservations. Once it is booked, you're stuck with it no matter what life throws at you. And again, the hotel's hands are tied.
    • the hotel only gets a portion of what you pay - the 3rd party pays the hotel with a one-time use card, and the hotel cannot disclose what the room rate actually was. In my experience, the 3rd party typically took a 15-20% cut. It also means the hotel can't upgrade you because the prepaid card will only cover negotiated rate plus tax.
    • most discount 3rd party rooms are what are called "flow-through" rooms - meaning all you are guaranteed is number of beds. Not size of beds. Not type of room. Not placement within the hotel. Not smoking or non-smoking. The 3rd party frequently commandeers ADA accessible rooms, meaning you'd be taking a room someone with mobility issues would otherwise use. And again, the hotel can't change your room type. And while the 3rd party site might show pictures with a lovely king bed and sofa, you'll likely end up in a queen standard smoking room next to the elevator or ice machines.
    • oh, and the hotel has absolutely zero control over what those 3rd parties put on their sites. The 3rd parties can absolutely lie about amenities and policies, and then make the hotel take the blame when the shit hits the fan
    • if you do happen to book a discounted refundable/cancelable room, there's a very good chance you are paying the equivalent of a 10-15% discount. This is the same industry wide as AAA, AARP, senior, and military discounts in most locations. Except because you booked 3rd party, the hotel is getting less than you paid since the 3rd party takes their cut.
    • you cannot earn loyalty points or use other discounts if you book through a 3rd party. It doesn't matter if you are a Diamond Elite member - if you book through a 3rd party you can't claim points because you are not paying the hotel - the 3rd party is.
    • have I mentioned how much of a nightmare it is to change or cancel a 3rd party reservation? Really, one of the most irritating, frustrating, and infuriating of experiences working in hotels is having to play telephone between the guest and the 3rd party.

    In short - book direct, folks. It just ain't worth it unless you have very specific circumstances. DayUse isn't a scam... But most of those 3rd party booking sites toe the line.

  • @cuddlefaery

    @cuddlefaery posted: "The 3rd party frequently commandeers ADA accessible rooms, meaning you'd be taking a room someone with mobility issues would otherwise use."

    While apartment searching last year, one complex pushed us toward an ADA-accessible apartment for a discount. Neither my boyfriend or I need it, and while the price was tempting, I asked, "What happens if someone in a wheelchair wants to move in?" The woman touring us proudly assured us, "Oh, don't worry, they can't make you move out, once it's yours, it's yours."

    I was dumbfounded that she was acting like we were the ones needing protection for the living space, when we had no business taking it away from someone who literally couldn't function without it. Needless to say, I let her know we had no intention of taking a limited resource away from someone who needed it, for no good reason. This world... 🤦🏻‍♀️

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🫂 Enthusiast 🏞 Travel Junkie 📷 Shutter Bug

  • Dayuse might not have worked for OP because of his expectations and hours he was trying to book a room.
    I’ve used it many times and had great rates and savings with booking mid/late morning to late afternoon/evening.

  • The only issue I have ever had with Dayuse is if you have a booking in the morning at say 10AM, often they won't have a room ready if they were full the night before and you will have to wait until they get around to cleaning something. I've had to wait almost 2 hours once, which is so disrespectful to my and my cuddlers time.

  • Experiences will vary due to location, events, etc but in most metro areas I can get a $150/night room for $90-120 from 8-2, 10-5, 2-8 etc.

    There was only one time when there wasn’t a room available and I was able to find another 15 min away and was in the room within 30 min.

    You can also cancel up to an hour before checkout time as long as you haven’t checked in so can can book noon-6 and if you longer need the room cancel as late as 5 pm. I never tested the late late cancellation but have cancelled an hour after my check in time with no issues.

  • I've used dayuse.com and hotelsbyday.com - I would hesitate to characterize either site as a scam. But for the times you were trying to reserve (4p-10pm) I would agree that they're probably not the best value compared to just booking a normal overnight room.

  • I use Booking.com. Never had an issue. Even get points back and I heard some people get good deals if they have the CC

  • edited August 28

    As a constant traveler I never use the third party sites because you miss out on a ton of perks. While these 3rd party sites have their own rewards systems, it is extremely limited in what you get in return. I go straight to the provider—be it airlines, hotel or rental car. The airlines gives you better seating others will never see on a third party site, you get bumped up in the boarding process, etc and etc. On hotels I get upgraded to a suite 80% of the time (when I don’t it is because they’re full), I get early check-in (I have checked in in the morning plenty of times), late check out, reduced rates for members only, and complimentary snacks and beverages. On rentals I get free days. All you have to do for all these is join their loyalty programs.

    But the best thing—I have not paid for a flight, room or car rental for a vacation in years. So please, if you do travel frequently, use the actual provider of services. If you don’t, then third party might be the best option.

  • I don't think it's a scam. It just has a different purpose then you or me need.

  • For anything before the locations normal check-in time or when it's just not feasible to stay the night and check out the next morning, dayuse.com has proven to be an excellent option. I've only just now had my first issue with them, and the on-site manager offered me to still check in for my full day (9am-6pm) reservation and extend to stay the night for only about $20 more than the day use rate.

  • Used it several times, no issues. Plus you get pool/beach/gym usage at some, so after the session its like a little vacation day.

    And they have a very good cancelation policy. 10/10, highly recommend.

  • I would never use Dayuse for an afternoon check in time. That’s not the point of them. You’re right. That one was a bad deal. But I use them for actual “day” use. Check ins from between 8am and 10am and checking out between 3pm and 5 pm. Sometimes it’s much cheaper than overnight. Sometimes it’s similar. But I’m using it for the hours. Not the deal.

  • I agree with all those who said to book rooms directly with the hotel is better in practice. Hopefully one day they will start offering daytime use directly on their apps instead of with the 3rd party sites.

  • edited August 29

    The only issue I have ever had with Dayuse is if you have a booking in the morning at say 10AM, often they won't have a room ready if they were full the night before and you will have to wait until they get around to cleaning something. I've had to wait almost 2 hours once, which is so disrespectful to my and my cuddlers time.

    @btc13 what would you have the hotel do? Kick someone out of their room before checkout time? That issue is the main one why most hotels historically have not allowed partial-day rentals - you can't control when people leave,short of calling the cops to trespass or charging them extra. In order for a hotel to offer guaranteed early check-ins, they'd have to lose out on the higher-paying overnight guests and/or hire and pay more staff for faster room turnaround. It just does not make sense from a business perspective.

    I'm guessing they had not anticipated selling out and had banked on someone of your room type checking out early. But I've always told people: if you want a guaranteed early check-in, you must book the night before. That is the only way to guarantee it will be available. Particularly if your desired check-in time is before check-out time.

    If you weren't able to check-in at your booked time, the hotel should have offered free cancellation/refund and/or free upgrade to an available room type. If they didn't, then that's absolutely on the hotel's shoulders.

  • I have never had a room not be available in time. Because it’s a third party site, you do need to book a couple days ahead. I usually call the hotel and confirm as well and just let them know it’s a Dayuse reservation.

    The one time there wasn’t a room available at all was my fault. I booked the night before and there wasn’t enough time for Dayuse to confirm.

    I reached out to Dayuse and was refunded everything including the $5 deposit. Weird scam when they refund all the money immediately.

  • Resortpass has day use rooms that are actually real! I agree, every time I have tried to use Day Use it has been a scam. None of the listings pan out, so what's the point?

Sign In or Register to comment.