Say hello to Stasher: Never 'lug' your travel luggage around again with this new startup

The brainchild of Oxford graduates, Stasher is the world’s first sharing economy solution for left luggage.

The startup connects travelers with shops, hotels and other businesses with extra storage space where they can hope to safely store their luggage to make the most of their day.

The service is said to be ideal for those who find themselves early for an Airbnb check-in and have a few hours to spare before a flight, or if they’re event-goers subject to the latest bag policy limitations.   Stasher currently has over 750 ‘StashPoints’ across 70 cities in 17 countries, from London and Paris to Los Angeles and Tokyo. The idea is that no one should ever be far from a handy place to leave their bag safely and securely.

Stasher’s CEO, Jacob Wedderburn-Day, said: “2018 has been a phenomenal year for Stasher.

“Our team doubled in size, we’ve established a presence in every major European city, and our international expansion is well underway with StashPoints being added daily in the USA, Japan and Australia.

“And this is only the beginning, we recently stored our 100,000th bag ahead of target without a single insurance claim and aim to stash half a million bags in the next 12 months.”

Stasher customers can find their closest StashPoint and book online via a mobile-optimised web app that pairs them with their nearest StashPoint using GPS technology.

Priced from £5 or €5 per item per 24 hours, it is supposedly 50 per cent cheaper than traditional left-luggage facilities in train stations. Each bag is also insured up to £750.

In terms of businesses and through being listed on the platform, independent hotels, shops and businesses monetise their excess storage space, whilst benefiting from the added footfall with around half of Stasher customers buying something extra in store.

In July, Stasher won the Expedia Affiliate Network and Hotels.com Jumpstart accelerator programme prize, which put them on the radar of Hotels.com, securing an integration with the travel industry’s mogul.

Other partners include Lastminute.com, Leisure Pass, National Express, Accor Hotels, Cruise.co as well as over 50 vacation rentals companies.