HotelsByDay books rooms available in the daylight hours

Did someone say “day date”? With this app you can grab a hotel stay during the middle of the day for lower rates.

Name: HotelsByDay

Available: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Requires iOS 7 or later. Also available for Android on Google Play.

Cost: Free

What it does: The app reveals a variety of options for the traveler when it comes to hotel stays. Discover hotels that will let you book a room for the day (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) instead of overnight. Available in 11 cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York City, Newark, N.J., Philadelphia,, Atlanta, Chicago, Palm Springs, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. .

What’s hot: I love the opportunities this opens up: day dates for busy parents, pool and spa access for afternoon meet-ups, a work space for business people or a place to rest before or after a long flight or during a layover, just to name a few. Travelers can search for rooms for “Today,” “Tomorrow” or by picking a date on a calendar. I found the Serrano Hotel in San Francisco available on a Sunday in May for $68 (plus taxes and fees that brought it to $89); it was $193 with taxes on the hotel’s website. When I searched New York City, I had several options between $65 and $299 (pre-tax).

What’s not: I tested the app on my iPhone 6 Plus, and the Location box was a bit deceiving. There was a prompt to search your “Current Location.” However, because it services a limited number of destinations, I wasn’t going to get any hotels if I was off-list. I’d prefer to see a drop-down menu to prompt me to choose one of the cities from those that are available.