Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't want to carry around or keep charging an extra device.
What if it was free?
It's not that it's free, but having to carry around another device is a hassle.
Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
41–50 of 207 posts
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#42What are you using to coordinate with your staff that actually meet customers? Do you have a mobile app or an internal website they use for this? Same questions for customers: Agents could acknowledge that they are there and waiting (with the customer's desired name/special request). It could also function as a customer support interface as well as providing the support phone number. This seems like it would be very…
Communication with everyone involved has been a pain point for us, even as we've thrown technology at the problem. Right now, we're of course communicating with our agents via email, phone, and text to make sure everything goes smoothly. Plus, our clients have the agent's information and the agents have our client's information, so they can communicate directly if necessary. In the near future, the client and the age…
> In the near future, the client and the agent will have a Lyft-like experience on arrival or departure, where our agent sees the customer information on their agent app, and the customer sees the agent information on their customer app.
That's not going to happen without a data connection on the customer's phone though, which means either expensive roaming, buying a SIM card before they meet the agent, or fighting through crappy airport Wi-Fi sign-up pages. You could potentially partner with the airport Wi-Fi and have your application authenticate them to the Wi-Fi network automatically though. Do you have any other thoughts on how to solve the data problem?
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#43This looks great, will definitely try it out next time I travel. Looks like there is no fast tracking immigration/customs for US airports though? Any plans to add this in the future?
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#44This is great! This is sort of like how Clear brokers deals with airports to expedite security, except for more interesting and complicated airport processes. Could have used this coming back from Rome to the United States via Spain. Ended up going through customs 4 times just to make a transfer. Curious how difficult it was to do this for 500+ airports so quickly, especially since you're a private company and operat…
Thanks! You're spot on about the difference between us and Clear. It sounds like you had a tiring customs experience on your trip from Rome to the USA!
It wasn't easy to launch in 500 airports. Through a ton of research and work, we were able to partner with many companies and individuals who had the appropriate access at each airport. The key for us was that we wanted to create the one trusted, consistent place book this service.
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#45Off-topic, but how expensive are five-letter, English word .com domains right now? I don't see new companies with domains that are small-ish words very often.
Wow, yeah that domain must have cost a ton of money. Wouldn't that be worth at least 5 figures, maybe even 6? Is that something that YC would encourage them to do, and maybe help fund the domain purchase?
You're right, the domain wasn't cheap, but we had it prior to YC. We bought Solve.com at my last company (n/k/a StudentBrands.com) for a math-related product we were going to build, but we decided to focus elsewhere and didn't use the domain. Anyway, we were able to work out a way to use it in a way that worked out for everyone.
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#46Hey Blaine! Congrats on your launch. My co-founder Sarah and I just moved from SF to travel the world while we bootstrap our startup, Canny. I'm also a huge fan of products like Shyp, Instacart, Prime Now, and Gobble that let you trade money for time. I think I could be your target customer. However, $210 sounds pretty darn expensive for HK. I just went there last Nov. It didn't take much research at all to figure ou…
Since you're an international traveler, I'd like your thoughts on our idea. Would you think it's a life saver if the hotel you checked into at your destination gave you a smartphone that gives you access to the Internet, Google Maps, and other travel-related apps while you can also use it to Wifi hotspot your own personal phone?
I travel a lot and to many different places and I can say no, this isn't a useful service to me. A local SIM card yes, and those are the first thing I do upon arrival at airports (I have a pouch of 30 or so I keep as momentos).
My wife was just in Accra and received an Android device like you described at her hotel. My advice to her was not to use it for anything that involved logging in, because honestly, that just sounds shady.
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#47First of all this is a great service, and congratulations on the launch.
But...
After checking I am a bit disappointed:
- Istanbul: $235.00 Not including "Fast Track Immigration/Customs" for 2 passengers you can get local fast track card (I think it is around $500 for a year) which grants fast track on immigration/customs and also for all security checkpoints for 2 pax
- Amsterdam: $345.00 Includes fast track vs Privium Basic €121 yearly incl. VAT
- London: $220.00 Includes fast track vs AFAIK it is around 50 GBP for fast track for one time
Also I think if target is business travelers, a lot of airlines provide complimentary fast track for business class travelers. I don't recall not using fast track when flying business.
TBH I dont think Meet and Assist has big value, unless you provide some added value there.
Also at least I was expecting some lounge access on departures.
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#48So what assets do you have on the ground at each airport you serve? Do you really have offices at all those locations? Or are you just a booking agent for the companies with those shady-looking web sites?
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#49Off-topic, but how expensive are five-letter, English word .com domains right now? I don't see new companies with domains that are small-ish words very often.
For five-letter .com domain names sold within the last 12 months, here are some public sale prices: place.com $550,000; asset.com $406,000; sandy.com $46,100; hours.com $31,000; sleek.com $30,000; patty.com $21,000; drove.com $18,500; these.com $14,100; vents.com $5,500; swore.com $5,450
Re: Launch HN: Solve (YC S17) – We Save International Travelers Hours of Time
#50Hey Blaine! Congrats on your launch. My co-founder Sarah and I just moved from SF to travel the world while we bootstrap our startup, Canny. I'm also a huge fan of products like Shyp, Instacart, Prime Now, and Gobble that let you trade money for time. I think I could be your target customer. However, $210 sounds pretty darn expensive for HK. I just went there last Nov. It didn't take much research at all to figure ou…
Since you're an international traveler, I'd like your thoughts on our idea. Would you think it's a life saver if the hotel you checked into at your destination gave you a smartphone that gives you access to the Internet, Google Maps, and other travel-related apps while you can also use it to Wifi hotspot your own personal phone?
No. I don't stay at hotels, I stay at airbnbs. Most hotels / airbnbs have Wi-Fi, so you don't need the separate device.
I'd rather just have a SIM card. I buy these at the airport anyway.