It was a chilly day in February 2016 when I huddled under the heat lamps of the terrace of l’Hibou to met the lovely Nina Forlani to hear about her recently launched smartphone service, INSIDR. At first I was a little skeptical. Since most travelers come equipped with their own smart device, why do they need another one? But I quickly saw that INSIDR doesn’t merely provide travelers with a phone, their one-of-a-kind smartphone rentals really put Paris at your fingertips and help you shift through online clutter to give your the coolest insider experience of the city. The Forlanis keep innovating their service and they’re giving us the inside scoop on what’s new… plus I’ll be discovering all of this firsthand this weekend with one of their phones! Read more below and follow me on my INSIDR adventures on Instagram and Facebook!
Since Nina and her brother Ben launched INSIDR a little over a year ago, their cutting-edge service has been growing rapidly and has garnered the attention of major publications like the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian and Elle. The INSIDR team are as reactive as their phones. Not only do users have unlimited data, fabulous custom maps, tour and ticket bookings, They’ve been carefully observing the trends in the types of requests their guests have been asking for and, as such, have come with a range of fabulous new pocket guides and special deals, access and services available only to holders of an INSIDR phone.
In addition to these, as of June INSIDR will have coverage all around Europe. You’ll be able to grab your phone in Paris, use it for a few days in France, then go to Italy, Germany, Spain… anywhere else in Europe with it! They’ve noticed that a lot of their clients start with Paris before traveling around so Paris can be your entry door and you’ll be able to start connected over your whole trip on the continent. They’ll also soon be offering international calls will be available on request very soon.
So what can you expect from the new and improved INSIDR experience? Read on… and see a special surprise for my readers at the bottom of the page!
INSIDR POCKET GUIDE
- Geolocalized maps of Paris with 700+ recommended places to experience the city like a Parisian (restaurants, bars, cafés, small boutiques, nightlife, etc)
- Over 10 GPS-guided walks to discover some local areas with the help of the phone, which includes photos and selected anecdotes and historical information
- Real-time access to our community of 100+ locals, speaking English and many other languages including Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Italian.
- Daily news bulletin to all travelers with transport and weather information, as well as recommendations of things to do and see on each specific day – this message is sent both in English and in Mandarin
INSIDR CONCIERGE
The INSIDR phone is the pocket concierge of international travelers in Paris. They can help with restaurant bookings, to search for concert / exhibition tickets, and reach out to partners to organize authentic local experiences. We also serve as the emergency hotline of travelers in Paris. We have helped countless travelers lost in the metro, or who had unfortunate experiences (pickpockets/scams).
INSIDR EXPERIENCES
- Exclusive deals – INSIDR is creating amazing partnerships with selected quality partners to help travelers get preferred treatment during their stay in Paris:
- Galeries Lafayette – INSIDR is now a proud partner of Galerie Lafayette, the biggest and most renowned department store in Paris. INSIDR travelers get complementary access to the VIP concierge lounge when visiting the department store. This includes free champagne tasting, private concierge instant detax, and plenty of other luxury perks. INSIDR travelers will also get access to the weekly fashion show help at the department store for VIPs and influencers
- Caves NYSA – Caves NYSA is a local wine specialist with 21 shops in Paris. They specialize in small independent wine producers that they source themselves. Quality and price is outstanding and the staff is amazing. INSIDR travelers now enjoy 10% discount on all their purchase at Caves NYSA. They will also get free access to all their wine, champagne and spirits tasting organized regularly throughout Paris
- Maxim’s Bateau Ivre – Luxury boat docked right by Notre Dame cathedral and touring the Seine river. INSIDR travelers will get priority discounted access to the boat. A complete different experience for the otherwise crowded and touristy river cruises
- AND MANY MORE GREAT THINGS ARE COMING… such as custom guides with maps and walks in other cities in France
- Exclusive partnership with Tiqets – INSIDR is partnering with Dutch startup Tiqets to enable travelers to book all their museum and site tickets directly on their phone at the same price as at the counter. Tickets are skip-the-line, which mean that for the same price they can enjoy faster access to the sights without having to print their tickets which are automatically displayed on their INSIDR phone. No more queuing at all the sites in Paris to get in!
Wow! So many ways to turn your Paris trip from average to incredible! I’ll be updating this post with my own experiences with INSIDR this weekend. But already I’m happy to announce that my readers who book an INSIDR phones will get a special “Made in France” gift! Be sure to mention “JETAIMEMENEITHER” when booking.
You can learn more about INSIDR phones in my overview of their services here. Find out more and book at www.insidr.paris.
