Going on a whirlwind vacation with someone you just met for Valentine's Day may sound like a terrible rom-com plot but, for two lucky couples, it's about to be a reality. Dating app The League paired up with online travel agency, CheapCaribbean, and hosted "Paired Up For Paradise" events in San Francisco and New York City on February 8 to find two lucky couples to send on a 5-star getaway.
For the events, The League used their algorithms to select singles that would be a good match and placed them into predetermined groups,. They mingled for the night, and then couples entered for the chance to be selected as the best match. Then, winners were sent on a 5-star CheapCaribbean getaway — that night.
So goes their algorithm work? "The League uses a proprietary matching algorithm thats aim is to connect high-achieving, ambitious individuals," Meredith Davis, Head of Communications at The League, tells Bustle. "Because of our integration with LinkedIn and Facebook, we have a ton of data that is utilized in our selection algorithm. The algorithm looks at dozens of factors: social graph on Facebook and LinkedIn, industry and past industries, education background and degree, the activities and groups people are part of. Our algorithm then looks at users selected preferences as well as the preferences of others. Then we look at popularity scores (based on the community) along with ghosting/flakiness rankings." Couples who met at the event had to submit an application together and a rep from The League and CheapCaribbean then determined the winning couple.
Have you and your friend ever matched with the same person? Well, one dude in San Francisco is probably pissed he didn't make a move first. The winning match in San Francisco (below) started chatting after he recognized her from his roommate's match list. He struck up conversation and told her why she looked familiar. And now, they're going to Cabo on vacation.
While the idea of going away with a stranger for Valentine's Day may feel nerve-wracking to some, for others, it may be the perfect way to really get to know someone. And, it's about time that daters get some more love on Valentine's Day. "Couples get all the love on Valentine's Day, but with 61 percent of people under 35 being single, we wanted to shake up the holiday this year," Michael Lowery, Chief Marketing Officer at CheapCaribbean tells Bustle. "Those who fly solo can take the leap, and who knows, they may even find unexpected love. After all, there is no better place to find romance than in beach paradise."
Whether you're by the beach on a free 3-day trip or in the freezing cold struggling with the monotony of February, with Valentine's Day looming right around the corner, it may be as good a time as ever to take a shot at love with a perfect stranger.
