SAN FRANCISCO—Are guests ready to recharge? Manny Bamfo is betting on it. His app, Recharge, lets consumers rent hotel rooms by the minute.
Where does an idea like this one take root? In traffic. Bamfo, CEO of Recharge, was studying traffic flows in metropolitan cities and realized that the placement of different cafés in the city affected the way people moved because city travel is often based upon “junction stops.”
“We all use hotels when we travel for a journey in another city, yet every morning billions of people leave for a journey in their own metropolitan area around the world,” Bamfo said. “Some make a junction stop at a café or gym, while others don’t rest until they get back home. We saw a massive pain point for commuters; people in the city and displaced passengers lacked the basic human needs of a bed, bath and shower. We decided to solve that pain point and Recharge emerged.
The app caught the attention of travel behemoth JetBlue Technology Ventures, which made an investment in the company. The two sides met in Silicon Valley at a travel technology event and realized they have some of the same connections and a shared viewpoint on the future of travel. It proved to be a match. JetBlue serves as a strategic investor and Bamfo is working with the company to scale the business.
“Our synergy came from how we view the customer’s journey, and how we want to provide a seamless experience for travelers,” said Bamfo. “When your flight is canceled, delayed or you land on a red eye flight, you don’t often have immediate accommodation. Being able to walk in and out of a hotel on your clock provides relief in this stressful situation. Our partnership opens the opportunity for us to provide relief to distressed travelers.”
Here’s how it works: The consumer downloads the Recharge app and will see a list of luxury hotels close to them. The consumer books through the app and can stay for as long or as short as necessary. When ready to checkout, the guest can do so directly from the app.
“The idea is to provide customers the freedom to use the hotel for as long or as short as they want. We provide control over their hotel booking process for a premium. With customers no longer confined to a set check-in or checkout time, consumers enjoy greater freedom while providing incremental revenue for hotels,” he said. “We have overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers and hotels. We have learned there is a tremendous market for hotels not only for travelers, but also for locals.”
Recharge has plans to expand to all major U.S. cities and will soon explore international expansion.