A SINGAPOREAN based in New York has hit upon an unconventional way of renting out accommodation to travellers, harnessing the power of the Internet and social networking sites.
Entrepreneur Teo Jia En, 26, and her Italian boyfriend Federico Folcia, 29, have launched a website, www.roomorama.com, offering travellers shortterm accommodation in people's apartments in New York, Chicago, Boston and Toronto.
It means home owners who are often away for reasons such as business can earn spare cash from their vacant apartments.
This alternative accommodation is up to 60 per cent cheaper than hotel rooms in New York, according to the site.
For example, a nightly stay in an apartment in Tribeca, a hip neighbourhood in lower Manhattan, costs about US$191 ($287), 40 per cent cheaper than a hotel in the same area.
Ms Teo says: 'It's great for people who are sick of hotels and want a break from touristy spots in the city. They can also explore places from a local's point of view.'
She came up with the idea after her frequent travels for work left her own apartment in New York City vacant for weeks. To earn extra cash, she started renting it out a few days at a time to holiday-makers wanting an affordable place to stay.
Ms Teo and Mr Folcia then realised the idea had more potential and co-founded Roomorama.com in July. They even ditched their day jobs as account managers in Bloomberg, a financial information and media company.
The business is 'not profitable yet', she says, but she expects it will break even in the next three to four months.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment