After sharing homes, apartments or vehicles to travellers, it was only a question of time before boats became one of the next areas in play.
GetMyBoat has recently tried to muscle in on the trend with the launch of its Sleep Aboard service, with the company claiming boat owners have jumped on board (no pun intended) with the idea.
San Francisco, US-based GetMyBoat (TLabs here) is positioning the accommodation-type extension to its boat and sea-borne activity service as a "boat-and-breakfast" offering, where travellers stay aboard the owner's boat at the dock.
It is hoped the extension of the marketplace to include an overnight stay will give boat owners the chance to increase their income beyond just renting out a boat for activities and local trips.
Since the launch of the service two weeks ago, GetMyBoat claims some 1,000 new boats have been added to its growing inventory of 35,000 products in 143 countries.
The company may be onto something with the addition of boat-based accommodation to its portfolio, with major events such as F1 Grand Prix, Olympics, FIFA World Cup often seeing entire cities or regions fill their traditional hospitality options.
Chief information officer Bryan Petro says:
"There are boating bed and breakfasts in Newport, Miami, and San Francisco; houseboats on landlocked lakes where people want to stop and enjoy some fresh air.
In Amsterdam, houseboats are popular, while in the United Kingdom, canal boats are the norm. Some offer breakfast deliveries while others offer a boat ride as an amenity."