- Bike Hotels is a new online platform aiming to make biking holidays easier
- Set up by former professional cyclist Matteo Bono
- Cycling enthusiasts can use the site to find 'bike-friendly' accommodation
They say cycling is the new golf. If so, then say hello to bike holidays, in place of the perennial golfing holiday.
Just in time to assist this trend, Australia’s first platform to connect cyclists with bike-friendly accommodation has been launched.
Based on similar models in Europe, Bike Hotels aims to make bike travelling easier so cycling enthusiasts can pedal off into the wide, blue yonder knowing appropriate accommodation is available at ride’s end.
Former professional road cyclist and six-time Tour de France competitor Matteo Bono is behind the new business. Mr Bono says that his passion for cycling is only matched by his love of the Australian landscape.
“This beautiful country has so much to offer cyclists,” explained Bono “but there just wasn’t enough information to connect cyclists with bike-friendly businesses to make their travels easy, so we created Bike Hotels to do just this and support their needs.”
Bike Hotels provides a similar-looking search engine to familiar accommodation sites such as Stayz and AirBnB, except with the addition of bike relevant services in the results.
With international travel unlikely for some time yet, Mr Bono saw the need to open a service that allows locals to get the most out of their home holidays.
“Bike Hotels exists to encourage people to ride more often, explore further and stay longer by offering accommodation options that make bike travel simple,” he said.
According to Tourism Victoria, cycling tourism is worth more than $360 million a year to the state. The same report noted that lack of facilities is hampering the development of cycling holidays.
The UN Tourism Organisation has calculated that cycling tourists spend more and engage in a broader range of experiences than the average tourist. While an average tourist stays 4.5 nights on a holiday at any particular place, cycling tourists tend to base themselves and remain an average stay of 16 nights.
The Bike Hotels website provides information about planning such trips and finding accommodation that is custom-suited to serving cyclists. Information such as bike washing, storage, laundry services as well as breakfast options are all available on the platform.
Additional ‘bike-friendly’ facilities such as a workshop area, bike maintenance tools, spare parts, pumps, maps and guides and bike hire are also searchable through the website.
