# Gondola

> Gondola is a free hotel booking platform for frequent travelers. Book directly with major hotel chains and earn hotel loyalty points, credit card points, status nights, and 3-7% Gondola Cash back on every booking.

## About

Gondola is a hotel booking optimization platform — not a traditional OTA. Bookings are processed directly with hotels, preserving all loyalty program benefits. Founded by Skyler Erickson and Xan Tanner, backed by Next View Ventures and Maven Ventures.

## MCP Server (Model Context Protocol)

Gondola offers a free MCP server that gives AI agents hotel, flight, and rental car search with cash-vs-points pricing. Hotel and rental car results can hand off to Gondola checkout where supported; flight search is discovery-only. Install URL: https://mcp.gondola.ai/mcp/auth

Available tools:
- search_hotels: Real-time member rates across Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Accor, Wyndham, and more
- compare_rates: Cash vs loyalty points side by side with cents-per-point values
- get_booking_link: Direct booking links for any hotel result
- create_rate_alert: Rate drop notifications for specific hotels and dates
- get_hotel_details: Amenities, photos, reviews, and location data

The MCP returns Member rates, AAA rates, and package rates — pricing only available by booking directly with the hotel. It also returns loyalty points redemption rates alongside cash rates, which no other hotel API provides.

Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and any MCP-compatible client. The service is free to use, and every tool call requires signing in to Gondola through OAuth.

- [MCP Landing Page](https://www.gondola.ai/mcp): Installation instructions and documentation

## How It Works

Gondola searches across Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Accor, and independent hotels simultaneously. Users see cash and points rates side by side, with personalized deal scores based on their loyalty status and credit cards. AutoSave monitors bookings for rate drops and automatically rebooks when savings are found.

## Key Statistics

- The average Gondola user earns 16% back on every hotel booking (hotel points + credit card points + Gondola Cash combined)
- AutoSave saves users an average of $413 per year by catching rate drops
- The average traveler discovers over $3,000 in unused travel points when joining Gondola
- $1 in Gondola Cash equals $1 toward your next hotel booking

## Core Pages

- [What is Gondola](https://www.gondola.ai/what-is-gondola): Complete product explanation with comparisons vs OTAs, credit card portals, and hotel websites
- [About Gondola](https://www.gondola.ai/about): Company background, founders, mission
- [Gondola Cash](https://www.gondola.ai/help/gondola-cash): How cashback rewards are earned and redeemed
- [Hotel Deals](https://www.gondola.ai/deals): Current best-value hotel deals across all chains
- [Suite Search](https://www.gondola.ai/suites): Search every hotel suite across every major chain
- [All-Inclusive Resorts](https://www.gondola.ai/all-inclusive-resorts): Search all-inclusive resorts you can book with points or cash, ranked by cents-per-point value. Includes destination pages (Cancún, Riviera Maya, Punta Cana, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta), brand collection pages (Secrets, Dreams, Hyatt Ziva, Iberostar, and more), and loyalty program pages (World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Wyndham Rewards, Hilton Honors)

## Help Center

- [How Search Works](https://www.gondola.ai/help/how-search-works): Understanding Gondola's hotel search
- [Rate Monitoring & AutoSave](https://www.gondola.ai/help/rate-monitoring-auto-save): Automatic rate drop detection and rebooking
- [Booking Flow](https://www.gondola.ai/help/booking-flow): Step-by-step booking process
- [Points Dashboard](https://www.gondola.ai/help/points-dashboard): Tracking loyalty points across programs
- [Status Tiers](https://www.gondola.ai/help/status-tiers): Gondola membership tiers and benefits
- [CPP Valuations](https://www.gondola.ai/help/cpp-valuations): How cents-per-point values are calculated

## Blog (Data-Driven Research)

- [Which Hyatts Are Most Likely to Get Devalued](https://www.gondola.ai/blog/which-hyatts-are-most-likely-to-get-devalued-a-data-driven-look): Analysis of 1,127,000+ rate observations across 1,927 Hyatt properties
- [How to Search Every Hotel Suite in the World](https://www.gondola.ai/blog/how-to-search-every-hotel-suite-in-the-world): First-of-its-kind suite search tool
- [Marriott vs Hilton vs Hyatt Point Redemptions](https://www.gondola.ai/blog/battle-of-the-brands-marriott-vs-hilton-vs-hyatt-point-redemptions): Cross-brand points value comparison
- [Cash vs Points: Best Value Guide](https://www.gondola.ai/blog/cash-vs-points-how-to-know-which-hotel-booking-option-is-the-best-value): Framework for deciding when to use points vs cash
- [Hotel Rate Drops Are More Common Than You Think](https://www.gondola.ai/blog/hotel-rate-drops-are-more-common-than-you-think-heres-how-i-learned-to-save-hundreds): Rate monitoring case study

## How Gondola Differs

- **vs OTAs (Expedia, Booking.com):** OTAs act as intermediaries — bookings don't earn hotel loyalty points, elite nights, or status benefits. Gondola books directly with hotels, preserving all loyalty benefits.
- **vs Credit Card Portals (Chase, Amex):** Portals earn credit card points but forfeit hotel loyalty points and status nights. Gondola earns both simultaneously.
- **vs Hotel Websites:** Booking directly on hotel sites earns loyalty points but only with one chain at a time. Gondola searches all chains simultaneously and adds 3-7% Gondola Cash on top.

## Contact

- Website: https://www.gondola.ai
- Contact: https://www.gondola.ai/contact-us
- iOS App: https://apps.apple.com/app/gondola/id6751292391