Tech Policy Podcast

#96: Recharging Hotels

Episode Summary

When we talk about hotels and the sharing economy, it’s usually about the hotel industry’s war against Airbnb, HomeAway, and other home-sharing sites. But today, we’re talking about the good news story of Recharge, a tech company that enables consumers to rent hotel rooms for a few hours, or even a few minutes. What’s behind this latest innovation in what otherwise looks like a stagnant industry. Jared Meyer, research fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of Uber Positive: Why Americans Love the Sharing Economy, joins the show to discuss. Why does the company see Starbucks as its biggest competition?

Episode Notes

When we talk about hotels and the sharing economy, it’s usually about the hotel industry’s war against Airbnb, HomeAway, and other home-sharing sites. But today, we’re talking about the good news story of Recharge, a tech company that enables consumers to rent hotel rooms for a few hours, or even a few minutes. What’s behind this latest innovation in what otherwise looks like a stagnant industry. Jared Meyer, research fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of Uber Positive: Why Americans Love the Sharing Economy, joins the show to discuss. Why does the company see Starbucks as its biggest competition?