London - A new vacation rental site allows users to scout for guests and hosts based on their attractability – not the room’s.
LoveRoom, which launched last week and is currently in beta testing, states that it is a platform for connecting “attractive” and “interesting” people.
Its founder, Los Angeles-based tech entrepreneur Josh Bocanegra, said over 700 people are currently signed up for the free service and there are plans to roll it out from the US globally.
LoveRoom is similar to a standard dating site, in that it allows users to search for people by age range, gender and sexual preference.
Once they find someone who takes their fancy, he or she can strike a deal on the accommodation front.
Profile photos show people pulling their best poses.
One 21-year-old woman, Jeanine, self-described as the “life of the party”, pouts at the camera wearing red lipstick as she seeks out a male suitor to stay with.
Users who rent their places can deny booking requests, and each candidate must confirm their identity with Facebook and SMS verification.
Along with other safety tips, the site encourages: “Make sure your host is a hottie! You don’t want to book with a host who may be using outdated or misleading photos.
“So we suggest video chatting with your host on Google Hangouts, Facetime, Skype etc before booking. Besides, this will be a great way to get to know each other more.”
Bocanegra said he came up with the concept after his own experience with the accommodation rental site Airbnb.
When he included a shot of his girlfriend in the profile picture, he said he attracted a lot more bookings for his studio apartment, which was very plain and had only an air mattress on the floor.
“I thought, what if people can share a room with people based on similar interests and attractiveness? It would kinda be like Airbnb for dating.
“The intent of the app is to give single people who travel… a place to stay where they might find love – or sex.
“What happens if you think the person you rented from on Airbnb is attractive? And vice versa. You’re in their home, you want to be professional. LoveRoom solves that problem.”
He is now on the hunt for developers and is hopeful for a full launch of LoveRoom on Valentine’s Day. – Daily Mail