Denmark’s LuggageHero — a New Savior for New York Travellers
It’s an ordeal encountered by every traveller somewhere, somehow: you’ve arrived early to your destination or checked out with hours left before departure and there’s nowhere to leave your luggage. Nowhere, that is, until now.
Enter LuggageHero — Denmark’s urgent response to this global phenomenon that has burdened travellers since time immemorial. Launched in Copenhagen and expanded to London, LuggageHero has now crossed the Atlantic and landed in New York to great acclaim, bringing its formula for hassle-free luggage storage with it.
“You arrive in New York hours before your rental is ready and you want to explore the city without schlepping your bag. Go to luggagehero.com to locate a convenient storage site inside a verified shop or other business, reserve your spot, show up, and check in your luggage,” explains LuggageHero’s website. “Your bag will be secured with a tamper-proof seal, and you’re free to go have fun!”
Just days after launching in the Big Apple, #DenmarkInNY spoke with LuggageHero CEO and founder Jannik Lawaetz on how his company is the hero New York travellers deserve and need when trotting around the globe.
DNY: How have you experienced the New York market differ from the one in London and Copenhagen so far?
Jannik Lawaetz: It’s been crazy days since we launched. Funny when you always say things are bigger in the States. But they are. Traction is the fastest we have seen and bookings are bigger in terms of pieces of luggage per booking. I think more people are just carrying more luggage over here than I could ever imagine. And people are very open-minded!
In taking LuggageHero to New York did you have to adjust the concept in any way?
We certainly had to change everything into dollars and update our terms and conditions to fit local conditions. But nothing besides this. I believe this is what categories us as a scalable startup. We can fit anywhere.
What makes the New York market special? Is it a “dream” to make it here?
New York is on every traveler’s mind. It’s the city that never sleeps and everyone must visit. It’s the top place to go and one of the Top 5 most traveled destinations in the world. The symbol of NYC is so strong that it needed us. And the need is so obvious when walking up and down the avenues of Manhattan. I have never seen so much luggage in my life being lugged around for no reason. No better scenario can be found when you are called the luggage entrepreneur from Copenhagen!
What makes a New Yorker different to, say, a Londoner or a Copenhagener? What are the psychological and behavioural differences that you take into consideration when opening up here in NYC?
New York is very different as most travelers going to New York are not international travelers. They are Americans. This makes it very different from London or Copenhagen but also opens up entirely new business opportunities. The language barrier is low in terms of our B2C customers. But we have the same very broad mix of cultures in terms of the shops we have from London. So from the learnings in London, we have taken a lot of tactical moves into consideration when both launching, recruiting but also when communicating with the shops in our support. And all these tactics have so far worked out great.
Now that you’re in New York what are your next ambitions?
We want to be become the biggest luggage storage provider in the world. That is our end goal. I don’t have any comments on our next steps but they will lead us towards our end goal.
What are some of the craziest LuggageHero stories that you can share with us from your experiences around the world?
1.When I launched the concept and was recruiting customers in the most trafficked station in Copenhagen, people actually took me for a thief trying to steal their luggage.
2. My company shares the same address as my home address in Copenhagen. At least once a month I get up in the night because people are calling the door mistaking the company address with the LuggageHero storage location. We have now decided to move the company address.
3. I got on a plane to London one day, and the couple sitting next to me was talking about LuggageHero. I didn’t know them. Luckily it was good things they talked about. That was an amazing feeling.
4. I was standing in one of our shops in NYC and noticed a couple booking with LuggageHero when I asked if I could be of any assistance. When I told them I was from LuggageHero they instantly recognized me as the founder from pictures on the website. Just really funny to me and the crew there.
