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January 28, 2015

Villy – Smarter Advice, Better Trips

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Villy was created to make it easier for people to plan vacations to places they’ve never been before. Rather than spending hours researching hotels and hotspots, Villy gives travelers a way to quickly learn about the best neighborhoods in cities around the globe. The company has partnered with “travel experts” to bring its users insider information and exclusive deals on selected hotels.

Select the city you’re planning to visit, and begin “discovering” what Villy has to offer. To refine its suggestions, Villy invites you to select the things you want to see and do while traveling—for example, to shop or visit museums—along with who you are traveling with and how much money you hope to spend. Based on this information, Villy will recommend neighborhoods for you to visit, ranked with scores that are based on a combination of your preferences and opinions of its “experts.” For more detailed results, enter your vacation dates along Villy’s top panel. You can review a neighborhood list, and see all the hotels Villy has recommended in one place by clicking on the “Hotels” tab.

Villy’s integration with Trip Advisor lets you see the average rating for each hotel it recommends, while Villy’s travel experts provide detailed lists of all the best things to do in the neighborhoods surrounding those hotels. Users who are interested in sharing hidden gems in their own cities can apply to become experts on Villy’s platform.

Practical Uses:

  • Find out the best places to stay in Paris
  • Learn about the best shopping spots in San Francisco
  • Save money when booking five-star hotels in Europe
  • Earn extra cash by sharing insider information about your own city

Insider Tips:

  • Adjust the price per night to see different hotel options on Villy
  • Browse through specific neighborhood tags, like Hipster, Nightlife, or Artsy
  • Users can apply to become travel experts
  • Villy has partnered with Expedia for its hotel deals

What we liked:

  • Recommendations are customized based on the type of trip a person is planning
  • Showing the best things to do in a specific neighborhood is more helpful than an entire city
  • Villy has combined data and algorithms with human advice
  • Villy’s integrated maps are fun to use

What we didn’t like:

  • Users may be able to find better hotel prices elsewhere on the web

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2014
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
  • Founded by: Rami Lachter and Itai Turbahn
  • Web site: http://www.villy.co

Costs:

  • Free

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