How it works
You answer four questions: where, when, who and your budget. We fill the wheel with strange places to sleep that fit those answers, and you spin. Whatever it lands on, you also get a ready-made search of ordinary places nearby for the same dates, in case the strange one is booked or a bit much.
What goes on the wheel
- Only places we have checked in the last 90 days: open, bookable and still weird.
- Only places that can sleep your whole group and are open on your dates.
- Only places within your budget, with one exception: one slice may cost up to half as much again, and it says Splurge on it.
- Within 50 mi of the city you pick, or within your chosen drive time for Surprise me.
- If fewer than three places fit, there is no wheel. We say so, show what does fit, and the closest strange stay within 150 mi.
How the winner is picked
Our server picks the winner before the wheel moves; the spin is the show. Stranger places and more recently checked places get a slightly bigger chance. A shared link replays exactly the same wheel and result.
How we make money
When you book through our buttons, the booking site pays us a commission. You pay the same price as going to the site yourself. We never invent prices, availability or “only one left” warnings: prices on Spin a Stay are a “from” price with the date we last checked it, and the booking site shows the real price for your dates.
Some owners pay to be a Featured partner. Featured places get a slightly bigger chance on the wheel and are always labelled Featured. They still have to fit your answers like everyone else.
Photos
We only show photos we have permission to use. Where we don’t have one yet, you see one of our drawings instead.