Badi Rolls Out AI Room Booking App In NY

As it joins the bevy of firms aiming to change the home rentals market, the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered long-term room rental app Badi has rolled out in New York City. A host of other apps like Spareroom, Roomster and Roomi are also aiming to help consumers find housing, Bloomberg reported.

Chief Executive Officer Carlos Pierre said in a statement, “Every major city around the world is suffering from overcrowdedness and increasing rent prices.”

The company counts over two million users of the European app, and has 300,000 listings in cities that include Barcelona, Madrid, London and Berlin. Badi had a pilot in November in New York and is now looking to grow in the United States. The company has notched $45 million in funding.

The app’s algorithm taps into information like interests, age, lifestyle preferences and gender to assist users in locating tenants or rooms. Users have the ability to chat directly with potential roommates and to send and receive payments using the in-app messaging feature.

By tapping into behavioral information, Badi can provide “more quality connections between renter and seeker,” per the company.

In another case, Roost allows travelers to book hotels and find roommates. Travelers start by visiting the Roost site, which shows cities and events. They can enter how many people are traveling and choose a category of hotel. Next, they can select in which neighborhoods or regions they would like to stay. Users can then access a list of all the other travelers who are visiting their target area on the same dates. They can select which people they would want to stay with by tagging profiles, much like a dating website. Half of the traveler’s payment is refunded to them when a mutual match occurs.