Announcing Swiftstay, the latest venture from Neighborhood Studios!
A last-minute travel app powered by members-only home sharing.
Today we couldn’t be more excited to announce the launch of the second startup to emerge from Neighborhood Studios — Swiftstay!
Origin Story
At Neighborhood Studios, we are committed to nurturing ideas that make our local life much better. Our studio process began in January 2023, with the successful launch of our first venture, Homegrown, in June. Today, we celebrate the spin-off of our July 2023 experiment, marking our first B2C company.
Our Inspiration
In late 2022, our research highlighted a significant trend in home-sharing, a concept that has evolved dramatically since the 1950s. Intrigued by the potential to leverage this concept to enhance local experiences, our team spent the first half of 2023 exploring how to localize home-sharing effectively, utilizing prime residential properties typically overlooked by short-term rental platforms.
After a few months of work, we gained enough conviction around a concept that it became our July 2023 experiment and the results were strong enough for us to begin the process of finding the perfect co-founder/CEO for this business.
Fortunately, our very first studio EIR was nearby as the team gained conviction for this idea, so Ifrah Khan joined us recently to run the business. Ifrah is a seasoned expert in consumer marketplaces and her enthusiasm and expertise perfectly aligned with our vision.
What Sets Swiftstay Apart?
Despite the universal desire to travel, many are deterred by cost, planning complexities, and busy schedules. Swiftstay is designed to make travel spontaneous and affordable through a members-only platform that leverages primary residences (either rented or owned) within driving distance.
Here’s how it works:
- Every Sunday evening, we list available homes for the upcoming weekend.
- Members can book a getaway and simultaneously make their homes available to others, creating a continuous exchange of homes.
- From Sunday to Thursday each week, new listings are added, allowing members to plan quick, hassle-free getaways without the need for pre-planning or time off work.
- The cost for the whole weekend trip is simply the cleaning fee for the home.
The original promise of short-term rental companies like Airbnb was that you could travel at a great price and live like a local during your trip. With the growth of bland investment properties on the platforms, out-of-control fees, and cities passing restrictive regulations, Swiftstay is getting back to what made these platforms so great at the beginning — you can travel like a local at a great price.
Looking Ahead
Swiftstay is set to launch across seven cities: Asheville, Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Savannah.
Join our waitlist on the Swiftstay homepage to be the first to know when we are adding new homes and new cities.
Experience the freedom of spontaneous travel with Swiftstay — where your home (either rented or owned) is your passport to countless adventures.
Thanks to Hypepotamus for covering our launch today.
To follow more startup launches at Neighborhood Studios, sign up for our updates on our homepage.
About Neighborhood Studios
Neighborhood Studios is a venture studio that partners with tenacious founders to build hyperlocal startups from the ground up.
If you are building a business in any hyperlocal space or if any of this really grabs you, we want to hear from you. Drop us a note at goodstuffnearby@neighborhoodstudios.com.
To follow more happenings at Neighborhood Studios, sign-up for our updates at the bottom of our homepage.
Only neighborhoods can save us!
