Yuupon.com want to be your best vacation friend. Loosely translated from Japanese as just that, the new flash deal travel site launched on Tuesday, March 29.
`During launch week we have several deals around the country and a lot in Florida. One deal with Hilton Orlando is 50 percent off two nights and includes free breakfast and dinner,` said Mary Song, founder of Yuupon.com.
She first got the idea for the website when browsing a similar site Woot that offered a daily t-shirt deal. A veteran of the travel business for years, she said she thought it would be great to have a site that offered weekly travel deals in the most hassle-free way possible.
`The pressure to buy fast, buy in groups and commit to dates wears thin with Yuupon’s target audience who wants less pressure with better benefits7,` said Song.
Here’s how it works. Travelers browse the deals, choose the one they want, purchase it and either print or save a PDF voucher that Yuupon will automatically generate immediately. Unlike other deal sites, said Song, Yuupon doesn’t require customers to reserve travel dates at the moment of purchase. Instead, they can call the hotel, mention the voucher and book at their leisure. Vouchers must be brought to the hotel at check-in.
`We’ve figured out how to let a large number of consumers snag the deals, stress free that other sites make them work for,` said Song.
Some sites feature deals that are limited to a first come first serve type of basis, said Song. At Yuupon, the deals are available to an unlimited number of people for the entire week they’re featured and there are no minimum or maximum group sizes required.
Yuupon.com promises deals 40 percent to 90 percent off what travelers might find on other travel sites or the hotel site itself. Each week there will be eight to 20 deals featured, many of which come with additional perks like a gas card, free hotel services or other packages. Full cash refunds are available within eight days of purchase and after that period a credit toward future trips is given.
Also during the launch period, Yuupon is taking $1 million in marketing budget and randomly dispersing it in amounts of $10 to $1,000 into members’ accounts in the form of `Getaway Gold,` or vacation dollars that can be used toward purchasing deals. Membership is free and optional and members also receive a newsletter alert when deals go live.
Song said Yuupon, headquartered in Clifton Park, expects to hire some 40 employees locally in the next few months and additional employees beyond the Capital Region. Eventually, Song hopes Yuupon will have around 500 employees.
For more information about Yuupon, visit www.Yuupon.com or search for it on Facebook and Twitter.
“