When The Guestbook launched, just over a year ago, the service offered travelers a 5 percent rebate at over 300 independent and boutique hotels. By the standards of major hotel chains, that’s a paltry network, making those rebates a decidedly hit-and-miss affair.

It’s not a figment of your imagination: A hotel loyalty program does exist that offers cash back for your stays. What it does: The reward program offers 5% cash back through PayPal or e-payment sources and gift cards such as Visa, American Express, bitcoin, Amazon, iTunes, Best Buy, Bloomingdale’s, Target, Starbucks, Toys R Us and more.

Members who join earn 5% cash back when making direct hotel reservations either from The Guestbook’s site or the hotel’s site. There is also the option to receive 10% back if it is applied toward a future stay at one of the portfolio’s 500 independent & boutique hotels. When you use the service, it directs you automatically to the hotel website, which allows you to double dip earning benefits associated with a direct hotel booking as well as cash back from The Guestbook. A unique feature is that the program’s Global Giving initiative also rewards nonprofit organizations with additional funds when guests reach certain milestones – $10 after 10 stays, and $25 after 25 stays.

Most people don’t just go to various online travel sites shopping around for the best price on the hotel they’ve already decided on — they go to travel sites to figure out where to stay in the first place.‍ For hotel chains to shift consumers to book direct, they need to: Show consumers the product that best meets their needs

Boasting a network of over 500 boutique hotels worldwide, The Guestbook is the first hotel booking app that gives its users 5% cash back or 10% trip cash to be used on the site. If you’re looking to stay in brand-name hotels, this app isn’t for you. Meant to cut out the expensive middleman that most large hotels can afford to pay, The Guestbook only hosts smaller independent hotels – supporting local businesses and paying its users in one fell swoop! Perfect for solo travelers who’d like their budgets to spread a bit further – hey, if you can’t split it down the middle, might as well get some of your money back.

In case you’ve missed it, hotel chains and online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia and Travelocity have been warring over whose customers should get the lowest rates. As the battle between the two sides rages on, a new player has joined the fray: The Guestbook. In a nutshell, the company is a loyalty program that rewards members with up to 5 percent cash back for booking directly at more than 450 independent and boutique brand hotels in cities around the world. We recently caught up with founder and CEO James Gancos to learn more about the company and what’s driving its model.

Looking for something a little more tangible from your hotel rewards program? A new travel site, The Guestbook, actually gives you 5% cash back for booking directly with more than 450 independent and boutique hotels around the world, including 255 in Europe, 140 in North America, 35 in Asia, 18 in South America, nine in Africa and four in Australia.

Hot off the presses! This just in!‍ There is a cool new site that allows you to get 5% back on hotel bookings.‍ Introducing The Guestbook‍ The best part is that you can make your booking directly with the hotel (or through The Guestbook website). As long as you have registered with TheGuestbook.com and your emails match, you are in business.

The most rewarding way to book hotels from a points-earning standpoint is usually by booking directly through the hotel. For independent hotels, online travel agencies such as Expedia and Orbitz will let you earn points in their respective rewards programs. And if it is airline miles you want, booking sites such as Rocketmiles, and PointsHound will let you earn miles with your favorite airline frequent flyer program. But what if you are most interested in simply earning cashback for your hotel stay?

Some folks in our hobby avoid independent, small-chain, and boutique hotels for their paid travel, because they’d rather accumulate points in a big chain hotel loyalty program.‍ Now, there’s a way to earn cash back on paid stays at certain non-chain hotels. The Guestbook is a service that connects travelers with 300+ independent hotels, and pays 5% cash back on stays booked directly with the hotel or through their service.

The hotel booking space is one of the most saturated markets online, due to the fact that these sites are often charging fees of 15-25% to the hotels for each booking. The Guestbook is a new hotel booking website that has thrown their hat into the ring, it differentiates itself by offering 5% cash back on all bookings and you’re able to book directly with the hotel.

Founded by veteran hotel operator, James Gancos, The Guestbook was created to provide users with an alternative to online travel websites, which actively discourage hotel-to-guest dialogue and charge large commissions. “Today’s business and leisure travelers want the best rates plus stay personalization, but that’s not possible by booking indirectly through online travel sites,” said Gancos, Founder and CEO of The Guestbook. “With The Guestbook, we’re reconnecting the traveler and the hotel through an instant gratification booking and rewards program that enhances the guest experience and drives loyalty.“

Unless you’re a business traveler or live in a hotel a la Eloise, earning enough points for a free night’s hotel stay can feel like a, pardon the pun, pointless effort. Typically, most repeat guests don’t reap the rewards of a hotel loyalty program until after they’ve completed 10–15 stays. (Fine print: That’s stays, not nights.) While there are many ways to earn points aside from booking a room—by having a hotel-branded credit card or by signing up for the program’s earning promotion of the month—you’ll still have to deal with blackout dates, expiration dates, and unexpected “restructurings” of the points-earning system. Playing the points game also forces you to stick to chain hotels that look indistinguishable from one another, even though they might be at opposite ends of the world. But booking a cool boutique hotel that doesn’t offer perks for your repeat visits can also leave you feeling empty inside.

The Guestbook recently debuted its instant cash back hotel booking rewards program, the first of its kind in the industry. Users will receive 5 percent cash back on hotel rates at more than 300 global hotels, with additional 5 percent cash back on restaurant and spa purchases at participating properties. Enrollment is free and members can choose to either book their stay from The Guestbook or an individual property’s site.

The Guestbook, a hotel rewards site that is making its debut today, gives travelers 5 percent cash back for their stays. Users, who sign up with their email addresses, can make a reservation either through the Guestbook site or on the hotel’s direct site and redeem their rewards through PayPal or gift cards to more than a dozen retailers such as iTunes and Amazon. The site has partnered with 300 independent and boutique hotels around the world for the debut, including the Hudson in New York and St Martins Lane in London and has a promotion through the end of November in which all new enrollees receive $25 toward their first booking.