I’m currently planning to visit and stay locally in Sardinia, Italy with my kids in 2 weeks (any tips?). Since there aren’t many chain-hotel options, I’ve decided it was best to rent a house by the beach using Airbnb.
While searching for a unique place to stay, I somehow discovered an amazing new app that probably will change my future travels in hosted accommodations forever. Pretend Uber and Airbnb got married; they have a baby, and here is Overnight.
Overnight is a new app that lets people book same-day spaces with local hosts. While I haven’t officially put it to the test yet, I did have fun playing around with the app, and I’m excited to give it a go either when I’m feeling spontaneous or when hotel rates are skyrocket and I just need a place to sleep.
Here are some real-time listings from earlier today when I tried to request a place near my current location in northern, NJ (these are probably NYC results):
So How Exactly Does Overnight Work?
Similar to Hotel Tonight, when you need to book last-minute accommodations, you can simply open up the app, sign up (and receive $25 to start, see below), and drop a pin in the area that you want to stay. Next, you can explain your overnight request in detail, which is also included in your user profile.
From there, your request will be sent out to suitable hosts who will review the request. The host can privately decline the request, or agree to host, which then unlocks their place to be seen by you only.
Once your request has been approved by the hosts, you’ll have the option to browse through all of the hosts that have accepted your request, and then you can choose and book instantly.
To authenticate the experience and optimize safety, both guests and hosts must verify their identities by including their Facebook profile, a government-issued ID, a valid credit card, and/or phone number. There’s also a rating system just like Uber & Airbnb.
- Sign up & download the Overnight app on your mobile device
- Enter code “ANGELINATRAVELS” in the payment section for $25 to start (full disclosure, I will also get $25 ).
Bottom Line
While the technology is still very new, I see a very bright future for Overnight, simply because the on-demand society is booming. Overnight is a more streamlined experience than Airbnb because it connects guests and hosts in a somewhat instantaneous manner.
Plus, last-minute guests can choose a place that they know are for sure available for them as opposed to browsing through hundreds of spaces and sending multiple requests.
Overnight is appealing on the hosting side as well, as they take a lower comission than Airbnb does for their hosts (though I don’t know the specifics).
Would you consider using Overnight? What are your thoughts on this new way on-demand way to stay locally?
Overview Overnight is the on-demand accommodation booking iOS app that could book a place to stay tonight – faster, cheaper, and with just the drop of a pin. Our mission is to make travel more accessible to more people. Overnight breaks down the barriers of last minute travel by encouraging spontaneous adventure and allowing for same day stays from local hosts.