Solikend Platform Yields First Results

The Solikend platform for ‘charitable hotel stays’ launched last September lets you book hotel rooms with the proceeds going to non-profits or charities.

The web platform, christened “Solikend” in reference to “solidaires” (united) and “weekend”, under development since the spring of 2017 at the Izarbel Technology Park, is now operational. The idea behind the platform created by Yoann Magnin is to sell hotel stays whose payment will be totally donated to charities. That way, when “charitable hotels” have vacant rooms available, they offer them to Solikend free of charge, and the price the customer is charged for the hotel goes to a Solikend non-profit partner via the platform.

After testing the concept in 2018 with seven hotels and a website developed by Redbox  an Izarbel agency, Yoann Magnin officially launched Solikend last September. About 60 hotels and some 30 non-profits have partnered up with the platform that is innovating tourism. Worth noting: at the time of booking, the customer is requested to make a “contribution to support SOLIKEND”, the amount (determined by the customer) is from 5% to 25% of the price of the room booked. The current, four-member Solikend team includes three salaried employees. 

“About 30 hotels spread across Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 30 others in the rest of the country are on Solikend with an offer limited to 20-50 nights a year, to keep it manageable. The hotels give us a fairly open calendar, showing unavailable dates when they are fully booked. For customers, it’s a way to support a non-profit and enjoy yourself with a weekend stay in accommodations ranging from 2-star hotels to luxury palaces. And beyond the charitable aspect, it’s a civic-minded alternative to online booking platforms whose service charges can benefit the local economy instead. Solikend is an economic model yielding its first results,” Yoann Magnin concluded.

Website:https://www.solikend.com