NEW YORK, APRIL 1, 2019 – Vertoe, the on-demand luggage storage service that allows travelers to free themselves from their bags short-term, announces its expansion into 19 US markets following steady traveler adoption and positive merchant feedback in existing locations.  

“With Vertoe, we feel that we’ve tapped into a large problem in travel surrounding the neglection of both planning for and the available options surrounding ‘short-term storage’,” said Sid Khattri, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Vertoe. In fact, according to proprietary research from Vertoe, over 200M travelers in the US are at one point burdened by their luggage each year, a problem the company refers to as “lugging”.

“On transition days during a trip, travelers are hampered by large pieces of luggage that are prohibiting them from getting maximum value out of their destination – we’re a solution that gives these travelers freedom to roam knowing that their belongings are safe,” Khattri adds.

Vertoe rolled out to travelers in New York, LA, Miami and Boston in 2018 as part of an expanded beta test. Following success in those regions, the company has just completed their expansion into an additional 15 cities, which includes; Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Philadelphia, Austin, Atlanta, Orlando, New Orleans, Nashville, Denver, Sarasota, Portland and Baltimore.

In addition to providing an affordable short-term storage solution for travelers, with the service starting at $5.95 per hour, over 300 local merchant partners have also greatly benefited from the Vertoe offering to date. Owners of local convenience stores, retail shops, dry cleaners and small cafes are now able to further utilize their physical space by using Vertoe as a supplemental revenue source. On an average, partners earn anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on demand, capacity, etc.

Additionally, local merchants are benefiting from the extra foot traffic in their stores, with 25 percent of Vertoe users making an additional purchase when dropping off or picking up their luggage.

Shahid Shah, owner of multiple NYC gift shops, has seen the benefits of using Vertoe.

“Vertoe is very convenient for customers who are in the city for a few hours and want to explore,” said Shah. “The service is super fast, plus these new customers that come into our stores often make a purchase.”

To guarantee the safety of luggage, each location is manually verified and Vertoe partners are trained before becoming a certified partner. Also, to further the platform’s goal to offer a worry-free experience to travelers, Vertoe offers free cancellations when plans change and a complete refund in the case of cancellation. Each bag is insured up to $5,000.00 when stored with a Vertoe merchant and is sealed with a uniquely-coded tamper-proof packaging. Vertoe is currently available via web browsers. The company is set to launch a mobile app in summer 2019.

About Vertoe

With a play on the latin word “Verto,” meaning transformation, Vertoe is focused on creating more space in ever-expanding cities by solving the problem caused by a lack of short-term storage solutions in the market. Headquartered in New York City, Vertoe offers multiple affordable and convenient luggage storage locations close to major transit areas and key tourist spots. For more information, visit www.vertoe.com.