SteemStays: An Accommodations Marketplace on the Blockchain
We believe that the Steem blockchain has more potential than just being a social media network. Much like Bitcoin, Steem has many services built up around it that use its blockchain. Steemit was the first application, and now we want to present yet another application built on top of Steem.
Introducing SteemStays.com : Travel, Blog, and Meet
Do you need a place to spend those hard-earned SBD? Do you like to travel and meet new people? Do you live in a travel destination city and want to offer your services to others in the Steem community?
Look no further than SteemStays!
What is SteemStays?
In a nutshell, AirBnB + SBD + Lower Fees = SteemStays; however, SteemStays is much more than that!
SteemStays is a decentralized community with members all across the globe and is a way to bring everyone together: to meet, to laugh, and to have fun. SteemStays is more than just a night or two in someone's home while traveling; it is a way to take the online relationships and friendships we've created and translate them to the real world.
SteemStays will have its own portal to the Steem blockchain allowing a user to perform a myriad of tasks. Login, create a profile or a listing, browse past guest and host reviews, upload images and much more!
As a neutral third party, SteemStays will be providing escrow payment services between a guest and a host.
Security
We take the security of our users very seriously. This means that if you are a host, we will never publish your address or your full name on the blockchain. Like on AirBnB, you will be able to approve reservation requests of travelers. With our customized review system, you can rate your experiences as a guest or a host and browse a user’s past reviews.
However, we urge you to do your own due diligence and will not be responsible for the improper actions of others!
Host Opportunities
As a host, you can choose how much interaction you want amongst your guests! Maybe you want to provide them with a guided tour of art or history museums? Or take them on the best hiking trails in the area? You could even go on a white-water rafting or canoeing trip. Perhaps go bungee-jumping or skydiving? Finally, don't forget to show off the night-life of your hometown.
As a host, you will be able to advertise additional services that you would want to provide beyond a mere lodging. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!
Team Members
@complexring Chief Visionary
@aizensou Lead Developer
@b0y2k Creative Director, Front-end Developer
@jesta Technical Advisor
Specifications
All Steem users will have access to SteemStays, be able to view listings, request a reservation with a host’s advertisement, and comment on postings. Official reviews and listings for a host and guest will only be possible with our in-house verification method.
All host listings, reviews, and comments in AirBnB’s style will be on-chain, which also allows users to gain even more rewards as both a guest and a host!
Sensitive information like real name and location of users will be encrypted with a state-of-the-art method, > 256 bits. Users will have the choice to save their sensitive information on-chain or off-chain.
We don’t save any real addresses of our users. They are welcome to contact each other using private communication until we have our own decentralized communication solution (based on Steem).
A guest whose reservation request has been accepted by a host will send SBD to the @steemstays account first as confirmation. We will act as escrow and hold the SBD until a guest’s stay has ended, and then we will release the funds and transfer to the host.
An escrow fee of 5%--split between the host and the guest at 2% and 3%, respectively--will be applied. Compare that to the fees of AirBnB, Homeaway, and VRBO! SteemStays is able to do offer competitive rates because we avoid the processing fees that are incurred by other companies who use legacy payment systems.
Current status
- SteemStays design and Bootstrap HTML for frontend is 99% done.
- Backend is 80% finished, last encryption specification is being tested before the first working prototype could go live.
In addition, during the alpha launch, only trusted users can become hosts. For details please contact us in #steemstays at steemit.chat.
Roadmap
- Working prototype
(Specifications and design will probably get revamped after taking suggestions from users and advisors.) - Mailing List + pre-alpha sign up
- Alpha (targeted towards Steem users + family and friends)
- Beta (targeted towards general cryptotoken community)
- Launch
Funding
The project will be funded currently entirely from @SteemStays-related posts’ payout and in part by witness funds. If you want to donate funds to the project, please contact @complexring.
Vote for the team as witnesses: @aizensou, @complexring, @jesta.
If you are interested in becoming involved with SteemStays, join #steemstays on https://steemit.chat . We are always looking for talented people/developers to join the project.
great idea! this will be a very interesting project and I'll be interested to see where this goes in the future.
good job to everyone who worked on this project! maybe I will travel and use steemstays soon, would be awesome!
Woohoo, I'm actually super excited about this project. It might be too late for steemfest, but hopefully the site is up and has some awesome hosts before next event. It would be a great way for steemians to book from each other, and pay in SBD :)
P.S: Witnesses got my vote.
:)
Thanks for your kind words and the vote, @furion. Your project is awesome as well.
Great!
Yeah we have an option for housing on Peerhub, but having a housing focused website and having different platforms to choose from is great... Will you have it in time for SteemFest? A lot of travelling going on then and I'm sure extra rooms are available... Good luck!
Thanks @steemrollin. We are trying our best here to have it working before SteemFest, but we can't promise anything. We know that's a great opportunity to promote SteemStays.
How will you form this project? subchain? sidechain? and post says "we hold escrow" it means steemstay is not decentralized?
There is an escrow smart contact on the Steem Blockchain. Hopefully they are using that.
Yes it's what we plan to use.
I was wondering when someone would come up with this, I am glad I didn't have to write about it or get it going myself. Excellent initiative, this is exactly what we need.
This is Excellent!
I have also been thinking about this and have the domain name steemBnB.com , steemholidays.com and steemtravels.com. If you have any interest in these names I am most ready to associate with this initiative, and you may contact me as @norbu on steemit.chat
This is really awesome.. I get excited when I see an app built on top of the steem blockchain.. Seen a lot buh this is way top on my list of really cool ideas.. Looking forward to the live prototype..
Great work guys! All the best!
One step closer to being able to travel on Steem! Let me know where I may go and stay with fellow Steem beings ASAP! :D
This is awesome! Great work guys. Look forward to trying it out. :)
This is fabulous! And I really like the prototype design. It seems like a more evolved version of Steemit.com. Of course, the real challenge is marketing. I'd love to hear if you have an evil master plan to take on AirBNB :)
(Of course, I've been voting for all three of you as witnesses for a long time.)
This looks awesome!!!
:) nice one @kushed