Skift Take
With so many startups working on similar concepts, it will difficult for most to break out and differentiate themselves enough to gain the customers they need.
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- Pillow is a short-term rental management company that promotes listings online, handles cleaning and guest support, and updates pricing to reflect demand.
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- Meeple is a social platform that connects tourists and locals to meet new people and check out local venues.
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- Yallo is an Android app that adds call features that become particularly helpful on the road.
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- GoDiscover coins itself, “the Tinder of travel,” in which users either accept or reject sites within a city to create a personalized map of the places that they’ve selected.
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- IBaround uses iBeacon technology to engage flyers as they pass Duty Free and airport stores.
These are not world-changing startups. They offer quick services that help ease some aspect of the travel experience from enjoyable — picking attractions — to the tedious — planning and preparing for short-term guests.
>> Yallo is an Android app that adds call features that become particularly helpful on the road. Users can make and receive international calls with their current phone number, access lower than standard roaming fees, or search and transcribe and annotate calls.
SkiftTake: Outside of tapping into a Wi-Fi network, making calls internationally is still an expensive and burdensome process. Any easy-to-install apps or services that ease that process are likely to experience some growth.
>> Meeple is a social platform that connects tourists and locals to meet new people and check out local venues.
SkiftTake: Travelers are obsessed with connect with locals but are locals that eager to meet up tourists? There have been many startups built around the concept, but we’ve yet to see traction to support their growth.
>> Pillow is a short-term rental management company that promotes listings online, handles cleaning and guest support, and updates pricing to reflect demand. Users can either pay a 15% per booking fee or a regular fee based on monthly rental income.
SkiftTake: Pillow is one of many services that have emerged to meet demand from entrepreneurs who have made a business out of short-term rentals.
>> IBaround uses iBeacon technology to engage flyers as they pass Duty Free and airport stores. The Swedish startup has so far worked with L’Oreal and Kraft to boost sales in New Delhi Airport.
SkiftTake: iBeacon technology is still very much in its infancy giving IBaround time to work out its kinks and gain customers as it grows.
>> GoDiscover coins itself, “the Tinder of travel,” in which users either accept or reject sites within a city to create a personalized map of the places that they’ve selected.
SkiftTake: The format of swiping for and against a limitless number of options has become so popular that it was only a matter of time before a travel version emerged. This is a quick, if not lazy, way to plan a trip.
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Tags: skiftseedlings, startups
Photo credit: Pillow is a short-term rental management company that promotes listings online, handles cleaning and guest support, and updates pricing to reflect demand. Pillow