Edinburgh business travel · NovaBid
NovaBid opens to businesses when five founding hotels are live
There is no date. Here is what opening depends on, what you can do now, and what we are deliberately not promising. We would rather you knew exactly what you are signing up to than found out later.
Signing founding independent Edinburgh hotels now. Businesses join the list and post first, the day the fifth hotel is live.
Or leave your email and hear from us before we open.
One email a fortnight until launch. Unsubscribe any time.
When does NovaBid open, and what happens on the day?
NovaBid opens to businesses the day the fifth founding hotel in Edinburgh is live. We are signing those hotels now, and we do not set a date because it depends on them, not on us. From that day a company posts a trip, independent Edinburgh hotels reply through the platform with private offers, and the company compares them, books one and pays. Away days and meetings follow later, once the terms for events are agreed. Until then you can join the list, and we email you the day we open.
Written and checked by Thomas Mellot, founder of NovaBid, who has worked in hotels and bars in Edinburgh, Amsterdam and the Alps. About Thomas.
Last reviewed . We correct these pages when the facts change; tell us if something here is wrong.
What gets in the way
Most companies announcing a launch date are describing software that is already finished. Ours is built; opening depends on hotels signing and on the checks we list below, and we would rather wait than open half ready.
You have probably been burned by a "launching soon" page that never launched, or one that launched into something half working. Fair.
You may have a trip in October or November that you need to sort now, not when it suits us.
How it works
01
Today: join the list
NovaBid is signing its founding independent Edinburgh hotels now. Businesses join the list with a first name, a company email and, if you like, the trip you have in mind. You post first, the day the fifth hotel is live, and we email you that day with the link.
02
The day the fifth hotel is live: hotel stays open
From that day your trip goes to independent Edinburgh hotels, they reply with private offers, and you compare them side by side. One booking, one payment, one confirmation, and the hotel issues its own VAT invoice for the stay. Away days and meetings are not bookable at launch: you can describe one and we will come back to you when venues can take bookings.
03
The checks behind opening
We open to businesses only when five founding hotels have signed and are set up to be paid, our accountant has signed off the VAT position, and a real booking and refund have gone through end to end. Until all of that is done there is no date, and this page will say so.
Pricing
Free for businesses.
No markup on the rate, no subscription and no per-booker fee. The hotel pays a published commission on a paid booking.
Frequently asked
Why is there no date?
Because a marketplace with too few hotels to answer your brief, or that cannot pay its hotels properly, is worse than no marketplace. Opening depends on five founding hotels signing and on the checks above, which we will not skip. We would rather open late than open without them.
What are you not promising?
We are not promising how many hotels will answer your brief, because that depends on the week and the hotel. We are not promising a saving, because we have no completed bookings to derive one from and you should distrust anyone who claims otherwise this early. And we are not promising away days on the day we open.
Which hotels are on board?
Independent Edinburgh hotels and independently owned groups, never chains. We are signing a founding cohort of ten properties, no more than two per group, and are part of the way through it. We do not name a partner until they have told us in writing that we may, so the partners page will fill up as those permissions come in rather than all at once.
What will it cost me?
Nothing. No booking fee, no subscription, no markup on the offer price, before or after launch. The hotel pays NovaBid a commission on a paid booking, 10% for founding partners and 12% standard, plus VAT where applicable. That does not change when we open.
Try it for one trip
Join the list to post an Edinburgh trip the day the fifth founding hotel is live. Hotels then send private offers, and nothing is charged until you confirm one.
Join the list