If you’ve ever been struck by the feeling, you’ll know that a whirlwind wanderlust can get expensive. Hotel and rental rates will often force you back into couch rotting at home instead of exploring somewhere new. When Ifrah Khan started Swiftstay, she wanted to rewrite that travel narrative.
“I’ve been traveling for a long time. I’ve been nomadic,” says Khan. “I wanted to change the way people travel — not like having just two to three trips a year, but being able to go on a trip every single weekend.”
And since the newly launched accommodation company chose Asheville as one of its first destination cities, we wanted to see what this journey was all about.
Spur-of-the-moment stays
Swiftstay isn’t just bringing visitors into the Land of the Sky. Yes, it’s a network of travel accommodations, but the company isn’t based on a semi-anonymous list of vacation rentals. It’s a home exchange community.
If you’re imagining the Nancy Meyers classic rom-com “The Holiday,” you’re on the right track.
The platform lets you stay in a local’s home and have visitors stay in your home, for the price of a cleaning fee and a yearly membership. Each Sunday, they release a list of homes available that coming weekend or even during the week — and because you live in Asheville, you get to book a spontaneous stay in a city that’s within driving distance (right now, Nashville, Chattanooga, Charleston, Charlotte, Savannah, Atlanta, or right here).
All aboard for excursions
You have to start by applying for membership and submitting photos of your home. It can be big, small, owned, or rented — and even pet-friendly. If your home and its surrounding neighborhood qualify (namely, it has a nice atmosphere, is in good condition, and isn’t too far from the hustle + bustle), you go through an interview process. Then you’re introduced to the community and gain access to the app.
Swiftstay works through a credit system. When you join, you automatically get three credits (one credit=one night), and you gain more credits each time you list your home. Pro tip: You aren’t required to list your home every time you stay somewhere else.
There’s also a yearly membership fee of $300, but if you apply during July, Swiftstay will waive it.
Beyond the credits and the membership, you pay a cleaning fee of $150 to stay at another member’s home — but the cleaning is taken care of by the company. The team also provides a kit to host someone in your home (like linens, toiletries, a lockbox, etc.) and puts together a booklet about your home, the neighborhood, and the city with all the essentials.
“It gives your home a little bit of a personality and we want to let you and your guests know what’s around there, what local places to explore,” says Khan. “Instead of being a tourist, it’s like being a local.”
