Alexandru Filip launched Pickatrip.ro, the first Romanian platform for stays and holidays at considerably reduced rates, even 30-40% lower than in the booking systems of hoteliers and travel agencies. In addition to preferential rates, Pickatrip.ro subscribers also benefit from numerous extra benefits: services and products included in addition to accommodation, additional discounts in locations, free activities offered by hosts and much more. Booking is done exclusively online, with a few clicks, directly on the platform, and subscribers have 7 days to receive a full refund if they want to cancel their stay.
The platform's partners are highly regarded and carefully selected locations; initially only in Romania , and in the future also from abroad. We are talking about both niche locations, such as traditional houses and historic mansions, as well as modern guesthouses and top hotels. And the offers are for all tastes and budgets. For example, this week the following offer is being promoted at a 4* guesthouse in Neamț County: 450 lei (instead of 720 lei) for a three-night accommodation package in June, in a superior double room, free access to various facilities, an additional 20% discount at the restaurant and a clay modeling demonstration offered by a local craftsman.
Pickatrip.ro can be tested for free for 30 days, simply by creating an account that provides access to all the benefits and vacations of the platform. After this period, the cost will be 19 lei/month for those interested in remaining a subscriber and continuing to take advantage of the weekly offers. The subscription can be canceled at any time, as there is no contractual period. "The light bulb with the idea of Pickatrip.ro came on right in the middle of lockdown, when the pandemic hit tourism. I thought then that the HoReCa industry, especially hotels, would find it extremely difficult to return to its previous parameters. In addition, I knew that Romanian tourism was facing an older problem, even before the crisis generated by the new coronavirus. Namely, the average occupancy rate in accommodation structures, of only 35%, and the low average overnight stay, of 2,3 nights per Romanian tourist ," says Alexandru Filip, founder of the Pickatrip.ro platform.
"Analyzing the context and studying the market, I came up with the idea of creating a platform on which we could sell online stays of at least three nights, and not only in highly coveted concept locations, but also in hotels with quality services. Moreover, we aim to encourage Romanian tourists to travel during the week, at extremely attractive rates, thus avoiding the weekend crowds.", adds the entrepreneur. The platform was launched in beta version, following a minimal initial investment. Alexandru Filip and his team aim to create 1.000 free accounts by the end of June and reach 2.500 loyal subscribers by the end of the year. They also want to sell 20 vacations per month, at an average rate of 1000 lei/stay. Among the goals for next year, when the tourism market will be closer to the normal of 2019, are doubling the number of subscribers and vacations sold, in parallel with attracting private investment to develop the final version of the platform and to create a smartphone application. Alexandru Filip has 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship, tourism and digital. He is the owner of Casa Filip in Sarichioi, a traditional guesthouse in the Danube Delta, built following an investment of 250.000 euros. He owns and runs Eventur, a full-service marketing agency specialized in tourism. In 2016, he co-founded Bucharest City App, a leisure application with 100.000 users that was sold in January 2020 to a mobile operator.
