Direct answer: a hotel has three ways to price the electric bike for guests: free for everyone, paid for everyone, or mixed, free for those who booked on the hotel's website and paid for those who came through an OTA. Cityflow suggests the mixed model, because it can cover the fee and drives direct bookings. The hotel decides.
This article compares the three models: what the hotel gains with each one, what it gives up and when each fits. How the service works is in the guide to electric bikes for hotels.
What are the three guest pricing models?
Free for everyone, paid for everyone and mixed. In all three, the hotel pays Cityflow a monthly fee per bike, on request, with the operation and payment processing included. What changes is who pays for the bike within the hotel.
| Model | What the hotel gains | What it gives up | A good fit if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free for everyone | One more service included in the stay, with no talk of prices | It covers the whole fee and the bike doesn't reward direct bookings | The bike is part of your product or almost everyone already books on your website |
| Paid for everyone | What guests pay can cover the fee | Guests who booked on your website pay the same as those who came through an OTA | You sell very little through your website and want the bikes to pay for themselves |
| Mixed (what Cityflow suggests) | It can cover the fee and drives direct bookings | You have to explain clearly why some pay and others don't | Part of your bookings come through OTAs and you want your website to carry more weight |
What does the hotel gain if the bike is free for everyone?
One more service included in the stay, like the Wi-Fi: nobody asks what it costs and nobody pays at the door. It's the easiest to explain.
In exchange, the hotel covers the whole fee, with no income to offset it. And since guests who arrive through Booking get the same as those who book on your website, the bike doesn't help win direct bookings. It fits if the bike is part of what you sell or if almost all your bookings already come in through your website.
What does it gain if every guest pays?
The fleet is funded by the people who use it: what they pay can cover the fee. It's like a rental, but at the door and carrying the hotel's brand.
In exchange, you lose the direct-booking argument. Guests who booked on your website, the ones you most want to look after, pay the same as those who came through an OTA. It fits if you sell very little through your website and the priority is for the bikes to pay for themselves.
Why does Cityflow suggest the mixed model?
Because it combines the best of the other two. What OTA guests pay can cover the fee, and the free bike only exists on the hotel's website: a reason to book direct that isn't yet another discount. Every booking that moves from the OTA to your website is a commission you don't pay.
It's what Cityflow puts in its proposals, but the hotel chooses the model and the price. It has one delicate point: for the same bike, some guests pay and others don't, and that has to be explained well.
How to turn the free bike into direct bookings is covered in free bike for booking on the hotel website.
What price do you set for guests who pay?
One that's clearly below what it would cost them elsewhere. An electric bike rental on the street costs around €25 a day. At, for example, €10 a day, the OTA guest pays less and also has the bike right at the hotel door.
A daily price matches how the bike is used. In Cityflow's operation, the median rental lasts 8.3 hours and most returns happen between 7 pm and 9 pm: it's the day's transport, not a short spin. And 38.8% of users rent again, so in the mixed model every rental, if you explain it well, reminds the OTA guest that booking on your website would make it free. Figures and methodology are in the operating data.
The guest sees the price on screen before confirming. Payment is included in Cityflow's service: reception doesn't charge anything.
How do you explain it without complaints?
With a single line, the same on the website, in the emails, on the sign next to the bikes and at reception. Complaints appear when one channel says one thing and another says something else, or when the guest discovers the price standing in front of the bike.
| Model | The line for every channel (example) |
|---|---|
| Free for everyone | “Electric bikes included in your stay” |
| Paid for everyone | “Electric bikes at the hotel door for €X a day” |
| Mixed | “Free if you book on our website; otherwise, €X a day” |
Two more rules:
- The price, before arrival. Put it in the pre-arrival email, not at the door.
- Reception repeats, it doesn't improvise. It doesn't take payments or hand out keys; it just says the same line as the website.
How do you get started?
- You tell Cityflow how many rooms you have, whether your keys are NFC and what share of your bookings comes through your website and what share through OTAs.
- Cityflow suggests how many bikes to start with, the fee and an example price for guests who pay.
- You choose the model and the price.
- Cityflow puts the bikes at your door carrying your brand. In the dashboard you see your hotel's rentals in real time.
Cityflow operates in 9 Spanish provinces, with a page for each capital, from Valencia and Seville to Bilbao, Pamplona or Salamanca. The service is on electric bikes for hotels. If you want to see which model fits your numbers, talk to sales.
Frequently asked questions
Which pricing model does Cityflow suggest for the hotel's bikes?
The mixed one: free for guests who booked on the hotel's website and a daily price for those who came through an OTA, for example €10. What OTA guests pay can cover the fee, and the free bike drives direct bookings. The hotel decides the model and the price.
How much should a guest pay for the hotel's electric bike?
The hotel decides. It's best to keep it below a street rental, which costs around €25 a day; a price of, for example, €10 a day does that.
Can a hotel offer the bike free to all its guests?
Yes. It's the easiest model to explain, but the hotel covers the whole monthly fee per bike and the bike stops being a reason to book on its website.
Does reception have to charge the guest for the bike?
No. The guest sees the price on screen before confirming and payment is included in Cityflow's service. Reception only has to repeat the same message as the website and the emails.
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