The Bag Hotel · Main Street Partner
The Bag Hotel. Built for Main Street businesses.
Downtown businesses in your network earn more. Your communities build the TBH World.
Built for independent local businesses. Not chains. Not platforms. Not machines.
Main Street America has helped generate over $115 billion in local reinvestment, start more than 181,000 new businesses, and create over 815,000 jobs across 2,000+ communities. TBH is building the world's most trusted short-term storage network — powered by exactly the kind of independent, locally-rooted businesses that Main Street has championed for more than 40 years.
$115B+
in local reinvestment generated
181K+
new businesses started
815K+
jobs created
2,000+
communities across the US
Why this partnership makes sense
Every Main Street business already has what TBH needs in a Guardian location: a staffed counter, regular foot traffic, community trust, and a genuine stake in the health of their downtown. Every traveller, commuter, or visitor who stores a bag through TBH is a new person walking through that door — someone who might browse, buy, or come back.
This is not a revenue share bolted onto an unrelated service. It's a natural extension of what Main Street businesses already do: welcome people, serve their community, and make their space work for the neighbourhood. TBH turns that existing role into a new income stream — block by block, business by business, city by city.
Main Street has spent more than 40 years proving that investment in independent local businesses is investment in the community around them. TBH operates on the same principle. Every Guardian in the TBH World is an independent local business — not a chain, not a locker, not a machine.
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 partnerships deliver passive exposure. TBH delivers people: physically, twice.
When a customer stores their items at a Main Street business before exploring the downtown, 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 Main Street business, that second visit is an opportunity. A purchase. A conversation. A recommendation. The kind of interaction that turns a passing visitor into a regular — and a regular into part of the community that keeps that downtown alive.
| 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 |
| Community connection | None. Transaction ends at the machine | Two natural community moments per visitor |
| Brand relationship | No association with the business | Visitor connects the experience to the downtown business |
| Revenue streams | Storage fees only | Storage revenue plus sales and repeat visits |
| Equipment required | Hardware installation needed | No hardware. Any device, any counter |
What does double footfall actually mean for a downtown business?
The maths is straightforward.
A Main Street business handling 10 TBH bookings a day receives 20 visits, guaranteed, before a single sale is made or a single conversation happens.
Downtown businesses grow on foot traffic, repeat customers, and word of mouth. TBH creates all three conditions: customers who store at a Main Street location already know where it is, have interacted with the counter, and are coming back. That's not advertising. That's structural advantage built into every booking.
And unlike foot traffic driven by events or seasonal promotions, TBH footfall costs member businesses nothing extra to generate. It arrives with every booking, year-round.
What Main Street businesses 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 natural opportunities to make a sale, start a conversation, or simply make a good impression on someone exploring the downtown for the first time.
Fast-track entry into the TBH World
Main Street America's accreditation standards are rigorous. Designated communities maintain full-time programme directors and meet ongoing performance requirements. That existing quality signal is one TBH trusts. Main Street businesses join the TBH World faster than any cold application.
Beyond storage: the TBH Insider model
Every Main Street business that joins TBH as a Guardian automatically becomes a TBH Insider. That means they can nominate other local businesses they know and trust — the bookshop next door, the café around the corner, the gallery two doors down — and earn on every transaction those businesses complete in the TBH World, for 12 months per nomination.
Main Street businesses already know the best operators in their downtown. TBH pays them to share that knowledge — and earns the whole block in the process.
Three ways to partner with TBH
Guardian Partnership
Onboard Main Street businesses as verified TBH Guardian storage locations. They earn the majority share of every transaction fee in the TBH World. Automatically, with no setup cost. This is the core partnership: the foundation everything else builds on.
Insider Partnership
Main Street businesses nominate other local businesses they know and trust to the TBH World, earning for 12 months on every transaction their nominees complete. Community knowledge becomes a revenue stream — block by block.
Co-branded Partnership
Verified Main Street businesses in the TBH World receive a co-branded TBH Guardian badge — displayed at their location and in TBH's platform, identifying them as a trusted storage point and a verified downtown destination. Co-branded digital assets developed jointly following first-year partnership activation.
Fast-track onboarding for Main Street businesses
Main Street businesses run lean. Onboarding is designed to take minutes, not days. Businesses that join through a Main Street America partnership skip the standard application queue. Each location is verified, activated, and earning within days, not weeks. Main Street America's existing accreditation is a quality signal TBH trusts — the verification work is already done.
- Apply via the Guardian application form
- TBH cross-references the Main Street accreditation 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 benefit for downtown businesses — one that generates revenue, not just resources.
TBH is building a global network of trusted independent local businesses. Main Street America's 2,000+ communities represent the most concentrated, most carefully curated pool of exactly those businesses in the United States. A TBH partnership puts a direct revenue stream into the hands of those businesses — not a grant, not a training resource, not a networking event. Actual income, generated at their own counter, on their own terms.
Downtown businesses earn more
Every Main Street business 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.
Main Street businesses get priority
Businesses joining through a Main Street America partnership skip the standard application queue. Each location is verified, activated, and earning within days, not weeks. They don't wait in line. They go straight to the front — because Main Street's accreditation has already done the vetting TBH would otherwise need to do itself.
Main Street America earns too
TBH pays Main Street America directly on every transaction businesses in the network 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 network.
Downtown businesses gain global visibility
Every activated Guardian location appears on the TBH map, accessible to customers booking storage from anywhere in the world. A Main Street business in any community becomes part of an international network of trusted storage points, visible to travellers before they arrive. That's global reach for a local business — with no additional marketing cost.
One conversation. No commitment required.
As a Main Street leader, you already know what downtown businesses need: more revenue, more foot traffic, and partners who believe in local. One conversation is all it takes to show you what a TBH partnership delivers: for the businesses in your community and for Main Street America.
Contact us at partners@thebaghotel.com
What Main Street partners ask first
Main Street communities span many business types. Does TBH work for all of them?
TBH works for any independent business with a staffed counter and a secure area to hold items. That covers most Main Street business types: retailers, restaurants, cafés, galleries, boutiques, service businesses, and more. Businesses without a physical counter cannot participate as Guardians, but can still participate as TBH Insiders — nominating other local businesses they know and earning on their transactions for 12 months per nomination.
Will this add to the workload of already busy downtown staff?
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. For a counter already serving customers, TBH fits into the existing flow without disruption.
How much space is needed to store items?
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 and scales with booking volume. If there is a back room or stockroom, that works well too.
What if a customer's items are damaged while in a business's 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.
How does the fast-track process use Main Street's accreditation?
Main Street America's accreditation process is rigorous: designated communities maintain full-time programme directors and meet ongoing performance requirements. That existing quality signal tells TBH that a business is a genuine, independently-operating local enterprise. Businesses joining through a Main Street partnership are fast-tracked through TBH's verification process and typically go live within 48 hours of applying.
Does TBH bring in visitors who are new to the downtown?
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 the downtown, and return. Two visits per customer, every time. For downtowns that depend on tourism, events, and day visitors, that's a consistent and meaningful source of new foot traffic without a marketing budget.
How does TBH fit with Main Street's existing programmes and business support work?
TBH is additive, not duplicative. Main Street's existing programmes focus on revitalisation, training, advocacy, and community building. TBH does something different: it generates direct revenue for individual businesses at their counter, immediately and automatically. That fills a gap in the existing support portfolio — moving from enabling businesses to grow, to putting income directly into their hands.
Can the whole block participate — not just one business?
Yes — and that's exactly how TBH works best. The Insider model means that once one business on a block joins TBH as a Guardian, they can nominate the businesses around them and earn on their transactions for 12 months. A single activated Guardian can bring an entire block into the TBH World. Main Street's community model makes this particularly powerful: businesses already know and trust each other, which is exactly the condition the Insider model is designed for.
Does TBH work in smaller Main Street communities, not just major cities?
Yes. TBH works wherever there is foot traffic and a staffed counter. That includes small towns and mid-sized communities. In smaller markets, TBH is particularly valuable for businesses near transport links, event venues, tourist attractions, or seasonal visitor destinations — places where visitors arrive with bags and need somewhere trusted to leave them while they explore.
Is there any cost or equipment requirement to join?
No cost. No equipment. No new software installation. TBH provides tamper-evident bag seals and a simple labelling system. The TBH app runs on any device the business already uses. There is no hardware to install, no subscription to pay, and no upfront investment required.
Ready to explore a partnership?
As a Main Street leader, you already know what downtown businesses need. One conversation is all it takes to show you what a TBH partnership delivers: for the businesses in your community and for Main Street America.
Get in touch about a partnershipOr email us directly at partners@thebaghotel.com