A new hotel booking website has been launched, offering travellers discounted rates depending on how popular they are on social media.

Under the slogan ‘It pays to be you,’ Hotelied asks users to create a travel profile and connect their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles, with Instagram soon to follow. Depending on the virtual popularity of the user, they are then able to access discounts of up to 50 per cent at high-end hotels around the world which are eager to attract the business of online ‘tastemakers.’

Hotelied.com currently has properties in US cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Portland and Miami – including the Metropolitan by COMO in Miami Beach – with more international locations expected shortly. Hotels signed up to the site are able to set their own discount parameters depending on the specific clientele they wish to attract, for example guests who work in specific industries such as fashion, entertainment, or business, or those who are frequent travellers.

The initiative is part of the growing trend for hospitality businesses to harness the power of their guests’ digital footprint in exchange for discounts. Last year, Sydney’s 1888 hotel was dubbed the world’s ‘first Instagram hotel’ after it began offering a free night’s stay to anyone with more than 10,000 followers on Instagram. It also ran additional competitions geared towards encouraging guests to essentially do the marketing department’s job for it and the hotel features a range of fun photo-themed areas such as the “selfie-space” where guests can pose for photos behind a special frame.