Marketplace for (very) short-term office rentals

Offering a professional alternative to working from the nearest Starbucks, a new service from iStopOver makes it easy for people to rent (very) short-term business space worldwide. Created by Canadian tech enterprise Brightspark, the website provides a fully-automated service that connects offices with office-needers. Listing is free for hosts, while guests are charged a 6–11% service fee. Rental terms can range anywhere from a few hours to several months, with spaces for rent including warehouses, boardrooms, offices, desks—even parking spaces. Users can refine their search according to particular requirements, such as wifi access, phone systems, catering, etc. (The service was launched two months ago, so available properties are still limited.) Guests and hosts can communicate through the site to exchange details. The booking process is automated, and iStopOver handles all payments online, only releasing payment to the host when they enter a reservation code given to them by the guest on arrival. This acts as a security measure for guests, giving them the option to leave without revealing their reservation code if the workspace doesn’t match up to its description. The benefits? Those without offices gain access to a suitable working environment and professional image, while hosts can make money from empty spaces. iStopOver for Office Rentals is an expansion of iStopOver’s original home rental model. Both share features with services we’ve covered before on Springwise, but iStopOver looks to be growing into a one-stop solution for short-term rentals. One to partner with regionally? (Related: Helping consumers rent out unused space, Office space rented out by the desk, Parking and zipping) Spotted by: Mark Skapinker