The startup world has a new crazy idea: Uber, but for naps or checking your email.
Recharge Labs has an app that allows people to rent fancy hotel rooms by the minute for insanely high prices, in case they need somewhere to take a power nap or catch up on work.
The secret to the app’s success? Counting on rich people to be insane. Look at these prices!
Prices in New York range from $0.83 to $2 per minute (plus 14.75 percent lodging tax). Let’s say your priority is getting some rest; that means you’ll pay from $20 to $46 for a 20-minute power nap, $57 to $128 for a 60-minute snooze-and-shower, and $85 to $207 for a 90-minute stay in which you can catch up on email.
$207 for catching up on email! Apparently that’s a thing people will pay for! Here are better places to nap or catch up on email:
- Your car
- Starbucks
- The park
- The train
- The toilet
- A bar
- Literally anywhere that doesn’t charge you $207 to do it
Crain’s Chicago Business insinuated that the rooms are also being used for sex breaks, which makes a little more sense for the privacy aspect, even though that still seems like an asinine amount of money. Recharge Labs has found other potential uses for the rooms, as well.
Short-term hotel rooms are good for plenty more than just romance and napping. You can use them as quiet spots with Wi-Fi to crank out work on deadline, places to quickly shower and change as you shift from daytime to evening meetings, or as refuges to rest up in after redeye flights. According to recharge Labs CEO founder Manny Bamfo, they’re a great option for long-distance commuters and families, as well. “We’ve been most surprised to see how useful it is for nursing mothers,” he said.
You all are welcome to pay me half the price of what you will pay hotels to do whatever you want in my apartment. You an even hang out with my dog.
