Life

If Tinder and Airbnb Had a Love Child

by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

Coming soon to a city near you: LoveRoom, the VRBO-meets-Tinder website with the enticing tagline: Rent your room to attractive people. It's like AirBnB for hotties! The brainchild of founder Joshua Bocanegra and his girlfriend, the site is estimated to launch in two months. It will function as both a website and a smart phone app. According to its website, LoveRoom is "a platform where people can rent their living space to other people under one condition: they need to be attractive. LoveRoom it's like Airbnb for Dating ;)" (emphasis and emoticon theirs).

"If you like using Airbnb and you like using Tinder, you'll really like LoveRoom," Bocanegra said in an email. "LoveRoom runs like a standard dating site where users search age range, location, gender and sexual preference. Once a user finds someone that visually sparks their interest, they can rent their living space — a full apartment, room, futon or an airbed."

All users must confirm their identities via Facebook and SMS verification. Those with spaces to rent can deny booking requests for any reason, like on other hosting sites.

LoveRoom is the latest in a string of, er, questionable apps that have been making headlines. One recently launched app, Pure, allows for totally anonymous hookup hunting. The new app Carrot Dating, launched earlier this month, allows men to bribe women to go on dates with them. Makes you long for the days of being set up by friends, doesn't it?