Renting rooms by the hour is not a new idea. But by the minute is relatively new.
Recharge, a mobile app that lets users book four- and five-star hotels outside of the traditional timeframe, has caught the attention of JetBlue Technology Ventures.
Recharge has previously raised USD 2.3 million in seed funding from Binary Capital, Eniac Ventures, Expansion Venture Capital and Floodgate.
According to Chief Executive Officer and founder Manny Bamfo of Recharge Labs, Short-term hotel rooms are a great option for long-distance commuters and families, as well.
Recharge isn’t the first app to try to tackle the short-term room-rental market. It has competitors in Dayuse.com and Hotelsbyday.com, both of which run as websites and apps to serve many more cities, from Dubai to London to yes, Manhattan. The difference? The two generally aim at a less-expensive range of hotels and offer only predetermined morning or afternoon time slots.
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