Well, this is kinda... genius.
As much as we love Kayak and Expedia -- and everything in between -- it can be completely frustrating to try to book a hotel in a city you know nothing about.
Enter SmartDepart, which made its debut in August thanks to founder Matt Yagey. Think of it as a way to find not only the best deal but the best hotel for your needs.
As Yagey told HuffPost Travel via email,
It was definitely born out of personal frustration for both me and my [c]ofounder. At the time, I was constantly traveling to new cities and wanted a site that would help me make an informed decision on which hotel I should book. The sites that were currently available did a great job of helping me find the best price, but very little to actually help me choose which hotel was best. That's where the idea for SmartDepart was born.
The site lets you pit two hotels against each other in a side-by-side contest based not only on price and ratings but on dining options nearby, sights and even predicted Uber or taxi fares from the airport (it also tells you which hotel is closer to the airport). It's just a simpler way of traveling, instead of opening up a booking site and then the individual hotel pages. It's interesting to note that, with SmartDepart, the highest-rated hotel doesn't always "win."
Happy browsing!
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