Clever online truck accommodation system launched in the US

Former Marriot executive, John Hart, left the hotel business in 2012 to develop an online hotel booking platform called StaySmarter. And over the past year, he has taken his expertise to the trucking community.

StaySmarter for Truckers allows truck drivers to find hotels that are pet friendly and have parking for their trucks, to search all hotel brands, and take advantage of special rates, such as AAA and AARP.

When Hart created StaySmarter, his initial focus was predominantly on frequent travelers, not necessarily truck drivers, he told Fleet Owner. But over time, he said he began to recognise truckers as frequent travellers and realised they needed a designated hotel-booking tool.

"We thought, 'Wow, this is a big market,'" Hart explained. "And when we looked at existing services out there for truckers, we thought, 'This is embarrassing'. We felt truckers were ignored. Clearly they’re not getting the attention they need for the role they play in the economy."

According to StaySmarter’s data, about 10,000 hotels in the US and Canada have truck-friendly parking. Hart said that his platform for truckers shows all hotel chains that accommodate drivers and their trucks. He also explained that rates, available discounts, and any other information truck drivers would need to know about booking a room are all on the one interface.

While there is no word at this stage if StaySmarter for Truckers will make its way Down Under, there can be no doubt that a strong market exists locally, with many similar elements as those to be found in the US.

Check out the site here: www.truckers.staysmarter.com