French Staycation app creators Mathieu Ecollan, Mathieu Dugast and Kevin Hutchings had the idea for their phenomenon hotel-booking app in summer 2017, as they worked amid Paris’ 40-degree heat. “We couldn’t take holidays and were craving a break,” they said. They discovered that the season was actually the slow part of the year for city hotels, “we thought it would be fantastic to enjoy all these empty rooms, pools, spas, and create a new form of mini-vacations for Parisians stuck in Paris,” and Staycation officially checked in.

The app’s premise is simple. From 9 AM each Wednesday, holiday-craving city dwellers can make a last-minute booking for a gorgeous hotel in their city for the upcoming Sunday – the quietest day of the week for hoteliers. A 24-hour slice of paradise is provided, with a luxurious breakfast for two, and one-of-a-kind experiences to fill residents’ days, such as, a private chauffeured outing from the historic Venetian hotel Baglioni or cocktail making at Covent Garden’s Henrietta.

With an excess of 500 premium properties available to choose from, the app now also includes various plush London escapes, including East-London oasis, The Stratford. Shrewd and breathtakingly designed, both interiorly and externally, the 145-key, the five-star hotel combines industrial-chic with elegant greenery, complete with an all-day lounge and terrace, Kitchen E20, ideal for luxuriating in the remaining summer sun.

From the heights of urban high-rises to the tranquillity of nearby-countryside retreats and everything in between, Staycation looks set to revolutionise what Sundays mean in the capital to many. Head below to sample some of the game-changing stays the app has on offer and head to staycation.co to discover more…