Startups Are Turning Hotels and Rentals Into Shops for Retail Goods
Photo Caption: An example of items that could be for sale at a short-term rental. Startups like Glimpse, The Host Co., LiBi, and Minoan help hotels and short-term rentals sell retail goods. Source: Glimpse.
Skift Take
Weirdly, airlines are the upselling masters. But spacious hotels and short-term rentals have much more to cross-sell to travelers than any flying tin cans have. Calling all consumer brands and local artisans: Here's the new "product placement."
A handful of startup companies — Glimpse, The Host Co., LiBi, and Minoan — are aiming to make it easier for the operators of hotels and short-term rentals to grow their sidelines in selling retail goods such as furnishings and handcrafts.
Many travelers covet decor they find at their hotel or rental. Some want items either as a souvenir or for a practical purpose. So a few hotel companies have long offered ways to buy some of their products, such as Marriott International's The Westin Store for mattresses and other Westin hotel items.
Now some startups say they're making it easier for brands, such as mattress maker Casper, and creators,
