Peer-to-peer marketplace iStopOver partnered with Limos.com to give consumers the option of booking a private car with their short-term apartment or vacation rental.
Under the deal, once a consumer books a stay using the peer-to-peer vacation rental site, they can choose to shop and book private cars from Limos.com for airport rides or transportation around town.
However, there is no tight integration of the two products at this point -- iStopOver customers won't be seeing limos in their booking path.
Instead, in the initial phase of the partnership, once a guest books an accommodation, they receive an emailed link to Limos.com to pursue private car service.
iStopOver is using the Limos.com API to access the private cars inventory.
The service has been rolled out in select cities in the North America and Europe, including New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, London and Paris, iStopOver says.
But, does this partnership represent a curious coupling?
Will cost-conscious consumers looking to rent what sometimes amounts to a room in an apartment or condo want to shell out money for a private car service?
Although Limos.com claims its chauffeured ground transportation provides discounts of up to 40% below standard rates, the private car option often isn't the most frugal choice for peer-to-peer renters on a budget.
But, Savannah Cookson, an iStopOver spokesperson, says not all of its customers are obsessed with rock-bottom pricing.
"In terms of the partnership, while we do offer a selection of budget-friendly accommodations, we also see a growing segment of less-price sensitive guests who value the convenience of our partner services," Cookson says.
iStopOver views the partnership with Limos.com "as a good fit for guests looking to prearrange transportation," Cookson adds.
Vacation rental and peer to peer marketplaces are inevitably branching out to provide new travel products, and the iStopOver-Limos.com alliance speaks to the trend.
iStopOver also offers travel insurance from World Nomads, as well as peer-to-peer event tickets and activities from Seatwave and guidehop, respectively.
For Limos.com, the iStopOver deal represents a likely modest expansion of its distribution reach.
Early this year, Orbitz for Business likewise began offering private car inventory from Limos.com.
And, in other developments pertaining to ground transportation, Concur added Groundspan, GroundScope and Limos.com to its global travel booking and expense product offering.