Trying to stick out in a rental niche can be difficult, but when Ian Daly created SUP Hood River, he came up with a unique proposition. Rather than being tied to a physical location, he made his sup rental business mobile. He also chose Booqable as his platform of choice for receiving online bookings, which has allowed him to offer a professional renting experience.
There are many sup rental businesses worldwide, and they usually congregate around the same rivers and lakes. Finding a way to stand out in this niche is no easy feat, but the answer is more radical than it seems. This kind of thinking leads rental business owners to find success in markets that already seem saturated.
SUP Hood River
Ian founded an inflatable stand-up paddle board rental business in Hood River, Oregon, in 2022. He came to this point after noting the lackluster experience of similar rental companies in the area. Many are tied to a physical location and only allowed for limited time spent exploring and having fun with their sup boards.
He wanted to allow customers to get away from the busy Columbia river beaches and will enable them to explore the alpine lakes on Mount Hood and the surrounding area. To achieve this, he decided that his sup rental business, SUP Hood River, needed to be mobile and allow for longer rentals. He hopes this will encourage tourists to explore what is available in the area.
By allowing customers to book online and delivering sups directly to wherever they are staying, Ian has removed the restrictions usually associated with sup rentals. In addition, allowing for a whole day and long-term rentals rather than just a few hours, his customers’ only limit on their exploration is the time they wish to keep hold of the boards.
Finding a booking platform
Of course, with bookings happening entirely online, Ian needed to create a website and find a platform to integrate with it. Ian thought he would need to spend countless hours finding and customizing a solution that perfectly met his needs. However, he realized this would not be the case when he came across Booqable’s website integration.
He chose Booqable because it was an easy-to-use booking platform that worked for his purpose while also looking great on his website. Thanks to the embeddable components, Ian was quickly able to integrate a very professional-looking booking platform with his website. The customer experience is flawless and fits perfectly into his website’s styling.
SUP Hood River now operates entirely from mobile, as Ian can use the mobile app to keep track of upcoming orders and make deliveries. This has allowed them the luxury of not being tied to a physical location and serving many more customers than he would’ve been able to. He has been able to achieve all of his goals for his rental business.
Taking on more towns
Now that SUP Hood River is up and running, the concept for Ian’s rental model has proof that it works. Thanks to his work building the business, creating his website, and integrating Booqable. He hopes to grow his company to serve beyond Hood River and expand to other tourist towns around him close by and in other states.
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