The Bag Hotel
visits per booking, guaranteed
Every TBH customer visits a member bookshop twice.
Drop-off on the way out. Pick-up on the way back. Two guaranteed footfalls per booking, built into how TBH works.
Built for independent local businesses. Not chains. Not platforms. Not machines.
Why this partnership makes sense
Independent bookshops are among the most beloved, most trusted, and most community-rooted businesses in any neighbourhood. Customers linger. Staff know their regulars. The shop is already a destination.
TBH turns that existing presence into something more: a new revenue stream and a guaranteed source of return visits, without adding complexity, disrupting the browsing experience, or requiring additional equipment. Staff do what they already do. TBH handles the rest.
TBH is built on a simple belief: the best person to look after a traveller's belongings is a trusted local business owner. Not a locker, not an algorithm, not a multinational. Every Guardian in the TBH World is an independent local business. That's not a coincidence. It's a founding principle.
Two visits.
Double the opportunity.
Most retail partnerships deliver passive exposure. TBH delivers people: physically, twice.
When a customer stores their items at a member bookshop before exploring the city, they return to collect them. That return visit is guaranteed. It's not a marketing goal or a conversion target. It's built into the transaction.
For a bookshop, that second visit is a browsing opportunity. A conversation. A recommendation. The kind of moment that turns a visitor into a regular.
| Locker systems | TBH Guardian | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer interaction | Customer uses a machine | Customer interacts with staff, twice |
| Return footfall | Zero guaranteed return visits | Guaranteed pick-up visit every booking |
| Browsing opportunity | None | Two natural browsing moments per customer |
| Brand relationship | No association with the bookshop | Customer connects the experience to the member bookshop |
| Revenue streams | Storage fees only | Storage revenue, browsing and potential sales |
| Equipment required | Hardware installation needed | No hardware. Any device, any counter |
What does double footfall actually mean?
The maths is straightforward.
A member location handling 10 TBH bookings a day receives 20 visits, guaranteed, before a single book is recommended or a single display catches anyone's eye.
Independent research consistently shows that unplanned browsing drives a significant portion of bookshop sales. TBH creates the conditions for that browsing to happen twice per customer, every time.
And unlike foot traffic driven by advertising or events, TBH footfall costs member stores nothing extra to generate. It arrives with every booking.
What member bookshops gain in the TBH World
Earn on every item stored
Each member location keeps the majority share of every storage transaction fee. Bags, luggage, equipment, parcels: whatever customers need to store safely. No hardware. No subscription. No new software installation. No upfront cost.
Two visits with every booking
Drop-off and pick-up happen at the member counter. Every booking brings a customer through the door twice, giving staff two opportunities to make a recommendation, start a conversation, or simply make a good impression.
New visitors, lasting connections
TBH customers are often travellers, event-goers, and day-trippers who don't yet know the member bookshop. Storing there is how they find it. The pick-up visit is how they remember it.
Beyond storage: the TBH Insider model
Member bookshops that want to go further can also become TBH Insiders. By nominating other local businesses to join the Guardian network, they earn on every transaction those businesses process, for 12 months per nomination.
It's a way to strengthen the local business community and generate passive income at the same time.
Three ways to partner with TBH
Guardian
Member bookshops accept bags and items for storage at their counter. They earn on every transaction, set their own hours, and need no additional equipment. This is the core partnership: the foundation everything else builds on.
Insider
Member bookshops nominate other local businesses to become Guardians. They earn on those businesses' transactions for 12 months per nomination. No storage required: just local knowledge and a good network.
Co-branded
For bookshops with strong community reach, co-branded partnerships are available. Member branding appears alongside TBH's in local promotions, helping both reach new audiences together. Contact us to discuss.
Fast-track onboarding for bookshop association members
Independent bookshops run lean. Onboarding is designed to take minutes, not days. Member bookshops that join through an association agreement skip the standard application queue. Each location is verified, activated, and earning within days, not weeks.
- Apply via the Guardian application form
- TBH reviews and approves the location (usually within 48 hours)
- The location is listed on the TBH map and starts receiving bookings
- Training takes less than 15 minutes using a simple app on any device
No contracts to negotiate. No hardware to install. No IT team required. If the counter is staffed, the location is ready.
A new member benefit that pays members and the association.
TBH is building a global network of trusted local businesses and independent bookshops are among our most valued partners. Association leaders are measured on one thing above everything else: the value they deliver to members. TBH is designed to add to that value directly and to reward the association for making it happen.
Your members earn more
Every member bookshop that activates as a TBH Guardian earns the majority share of every storage transaction fee processed at their counter. No upfront cost. No equipment. No new software installation. No risk. A new income stream that runs alongside everything they already do.
Your members get priority
Bookshops joining through an association agreement skip the standard application queue. Each location is verified, activated, and earning within days, not weeks. Members don't wait in line. They go straight to the front.
Your association earns too
TBH pays the association directly on every transaction member bookshops process, for the life of the partnership. The structure starts with a first-year partnership rate and steps up as the relationship and volume grow. This is not a one-time referral fee. It is an ongoing revenue stream tied to the activity of the membership.
Your members gain global visibility
Every activated Guardian location appears on the TBH map, accessible to customers booking storage from anywhere in the world. A member bookshop in any city becomes part of an international network of trusted storage points, visible to travellers before they arrive.
One conversation. No commitment required.
As a booksellers' association leader, you already know what your members need. One conversation is all it takes to show you what a TBH partnership delivers: for your members and for the association.
Contact us at partners@thebaghotel.com
What bookshop partners ask first
Will bag storage take up shelf or floor space we can't spare?
No dedicated space is required. Most Guardians use existing counter space or a small area behind the desk. TBH provides tamper-evident bag seals and a simple labelling system. The footprint is minimal. If there is a back room or stockroom, that works well too.
Our staff are small in number. Will this add to their workload?
The process is designed to take under two minutes per transaction. Check in a bag, attach a seal, store it safely, check it out when the customer returns. The TBH app handles the rest: no manual records, no cash handling, no additional admin.
What if a customer's items are damaged while in our care?
All items stored through TBH are covered by TBH Protection, our built-in coverage programme. Guardians are not liable for items stored in good faith following TBH protocols. Full details are available at thebaghotel.com/pages/guardian-protection.
Does this conflict with any existing locker or cloakroom arrangements we have?
TBH is complementary to existing cloakroom arrangements, not a replacement. The key difference is that TBH brings the customer to the member counter and back again, rather than directing them to a machine. If lockers are already in place, TBH adds a human-facing option that generates staff interaction and browsing opportunity those lockers don't.
How does TBH fit with an independent bookshop's brand and values?
TBH is built around independent local businesses. We don't work with chains or franchises at the Guardian level. We work with community-rooted shops. The ethos is local first: customers support local businesses, local businesses support their communities, and TBH connects them. For a bookshop already committed to that model, TBH is a natural fit.
Does TBH bring in customers the bookshop wouldn't otherwise see?
Yes, and they come back. Customers book storage before they arrive, meaning they've already chosen that location as their base for the day. They drop off, explore, and return. Two visits per customer, every time. For bookshops near tourist areas, transport hubs, or event venues, that's a consistent and meaningful source of new foot traffic without a marketing budget.
Ready to explore a partnership?
We work directly with booksellers' associations to bring TBH to their entire membership. As a booksellers' association leader, you already know what your members need. One conversation is all it takes to show you what a TBH partnership delivers: for your members and for the association.
Get in touch about a partnershipOr email us directly at partners@thebaghotel.com