Nightswapping: The Latest in Local Accommodations

It’s not Airbnb: Money does not change hands. It’s not Couchsurfing: Accommodations are more formal and include an actual bed. But it’s also not HomeExchange: You can simultaneously trade places with another traveler, but you don’t have to. Enter Nightswapping (formerly known as Cosmopolit Home), the latest in “living like a local” — and, if you don’t care to pay, hosting like a local too.

The new company, based in France, aims to foster a sense of community and kinship while conveniently avoiding the legal issues Airbnb has faced from local authorities and housing regulations. The idea is this: When you host travelers from around the world — either in an extra room while you’re there or in a space they have to themselves — you’ll earn credits known as travel capital. In turn, you can use those credits as free nights at other host locations around the world (the website says there are more than 10,000 in more than 160 countries). According to the site’s terms and conditions, a member (someone agreeing to host as well as travel) will receive a credit of seven nights at registration, so he or she can start traveling right away. This gesture is not considered a gift but an advance — the member is still expected to host in return.

Although the site claims to be free, guests must pay a $9.90 “connection fee” to confirm a nightswap. This fee goes to the company, not the host.

Don’t feel comfortable sharing your space? Nightswapping offers an equivalent nightly rate for each location you may be interested in, ranging from 7 to 49 euros. How does the site bypass the “room for sale” legal gray area? Hosts never actually receive money, even if the room is paid for — just travel capital, or nights. Nightswapping absorbs the payment (for your convenience, of course). Locations vary, but are generally broken down into Europe and “exotic destinations” (which include North America); it seems there are far more hosts in Europe than anywhere else.

The best hosts in each region are highlighted, and ratings are shown at the top of the lister’s profile. We like the thorough profiles, which offer size and dimensions; comfort, condition and a description of the interior design; a carousel of photos; a map detailing relative location; a photo of your host with some basic information including age and languages spoken; and the last time someone stayed at the property.

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According to the site, “Nights have a different value depending on the standard of the accommodation you wish to stay at.” Rated 1 through 7, your home’s value is calculated based on an algorithm taking size, comfort level, location and other factors into account. Once rated, you can see what your hosted nights will translate into during your own stay abroad. Seven nights in an accommodation rated “Standard 3” equals four nights in a “Standard 5” accommodation, or 10 nights in a “Standard 2” accommodation.

In theory, the idea of fostering continent-crossing friendships with little to no monetary burden seems very Kumbaya. But while Nightswapping bypasses some of the legal issues faced by other similar services, the question of personal safety remains, especially for solo travelers or hosts. Nightswapping uses a similar social media vetting system for its hosts as Airbnb and suggests checking your personal home insurance and liability policies before hosting a guest. It also gives hosts the option to deny guest requests. Nightswapping recently announced that each stay will be covered by insurance worth up to 450,000 euros (approximately $488,663 USD), while Airbnb offers a million dollar host guarantee for every booking (with some limitations). It all comes down to your personal comfort level.

Would you consider a stay with Nightswapping?

— written by Brittany Chrusciel