The Luxe Nomad, a private flash sales site for luxury hotels, launches in beta

The Luxe Nomad, a service that offers up to 70 percent off luxury hotels and villas for members, has launched in beta, the company announced in a press release today.

The private flash sales site currently has more than 100 hotels available, including Sri Panwa in Phuket and The Upper House in Hong Kong. Each sale lasts between seven to ten days, giving members a short window to purchase their deals.

Industry experts and celebrities curate the destinations that are offered on the website. Short and sweet reviews, accompanied by high-quality photos, inform time-starved consumers about the service, comfort, and features of each hotel.

Just over a month ago, The Luxe Nomad received an investment with undisclosed terms from Tigris Capital and government agency SPRING Singapore. Founded by former Malaysian model Stephanie Chai, the Singapore-based company is tackling a massive Asian online travel booking market, estimated at US$51.6B in 2011. The figure is derived by industry sources like PhiCusWright and Expedia.

Flash sales operators typically work by offering merchants and services the opportunity to clear excess inventory. The inventory is sold on a website, where the limited time period of the sale causes a frenzy among customers to snap up the items or coupons. Flash sales sites then earn from the commission or transaction fee for every product sold.

Online flash sales first took the world by the storm in the form of daily deals sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. Although the long-term viability of the business is being questioned, a Business Insider report is optimistic about the future of the flash sales industry.

The Luxe Nomad represents an evolution by offering exclusivity, luxury, and an emphasis on quality in tandem with cutthroat pricing.

In Asia, several flash sales sites have popped to quench the continent’s thirst for luxury travel. Examples include Singapore-based, Neoteny Labs funded ImpulseFlyer, India’s Exclusively.in; and Malaysia’s HotelClub, which has four and five star hotels.