Off & Away provides users with a new way to find great deals on their next trip. The site partners with businesses to offer up extremely discounted rates on accommodations. Destinations include many highly sought places, including Las Vegas, Hawaii, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, San Francisco, Miami, San Diego, the Caribbean, London, Paris, Boston, Seattle, Vancouver, Vermont, Chicago, New Orleans, Palm Springs, Colorado, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C. The site may not include every out of the way destination, but it includes an admirable list of popular options. Users can purchase bids then use those bids to try and win auctions. After winning an auction, the user is awarded with the suite at the price listed on the auction. Even if the user does not win, they earn money towards stays at more than 100,000 hotels throughout the world.

Visit www.offandaway.com

Off & Away was created in December of 2009 by Michael Walton and Doug Aley. Based out of Seattle, Washington, the site was created to provide users with a better way to save money on their travels. Walton is currently the Vice President of Product Development while Aley is the CEO.

Most travel discount themed websites work out special deals and offer them to all visitors. While this system works, the discounts are generally minimal. It is impossible to offer a deep discount to a large group. Off and Away gives all users a fair chance to get an extreme discount on their next hotel stay. By implementing the auction system, Off and Away makes the process fun and interesting. Users can get tremendous discounts and earn money towards hotel stays for each auction they do not win (credits must be used within 30 days).

The Off & Away website provides users with an eye-catching glimpse of what they could win through the site. Large images of luxurious hotel rooms with breathtaking views and comfortable settings encourage users to bid. The stylish door knob logo and dark blue color scheme also compliment the site, creating an attractive backdrop for featured auction listings. The main navigation bar includes links to each destination so users can see what is available in the places they want to visit.

A new user can register for Off & Away by clicking on the gold “Get Started” button along the right hand column of the homepage. The top of the registration form includes a button that invites user to register through Facebook. Below, users are asked for a first and last name, email address, and password. Users must also check the terms of service agreement box beside the grey “Continue” button. The bottom left hand corner includes a check box that is automatically checked to sign the user up for news updates. This must be manually unchecked to opt out.

How much a user spends on Off & Away depends entirely on their bidding habits. Users can purchase one bid for about $1. Each time a user bids on an auction, the price is increased by 10 cents and 20 seconds is added on to the timer. Users will also have to pay the price listed on the auction, but this amount will vary depending on what the auction is offering.

Anyone who is looking for a good price on a hotel room can appreciate Off & Away. The system seems to have a fair balance for all users. The more a user is willing to spend on bids, the more likely they will be to win. The auction discounts appear to be low enough that spending money on bids is worth it.

• Purchase and use as many bids as you like
• Win auctions to get deep discounts on hotel stays
• Earn real money towards a stay in a participating hotel for each lost auction
• Search for accommodations in many popular travel destinations
• Combine earned lost auction credits for one big discount

Visit www.offandaway.com

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