Weather or not
THE bet is simple: You book a trip, you purchase a “WeatherPromise,” and you’re eligible for a refund if a meteorological act of god spoils you’re fun. Sort of.
Here’s the rub: WeatherPromise is a new app that uses AI to predict the weather during your trip. If their prediction doesn’t match reality, they pay up to $10,000. If the weather acts as predicted, you’re out the cost of the WeatherPromise (we were quoted roughly $500 on a $10,000 trip). Like the odds?
Dan Price, co-founder of WeatherPromise, told The Post that the product is about “opening doors.” We guess you can look at it like a kind of insurance.
“It’s a brilliant idea,” said Professor Chekitan S. Dev with Cornell’s SC Johnson College of Business. “Weather remains a severely under-solved pain point in the hotel business.”
But meteorologist Michael A. Favetta isn’t convinced: “Based on my experience, weather changes too quickly … and is difficult to predict more than a few days ahead.”
So what happens if they get it wrong? Travelers can expect to receive an apology along with instructions to confirm refund details. “We know it’s raining because we watch the weather while you’re on your trip,” said Price, noting that they will someday cover snow as well as rain. The refund process is easiest if you book travel through one of the app’s travel partners, but you can also submit documentation.
Now you might be saying to yourself, “If the weatherman can’t get it right, how can these guys?” But may we remind you that they house always wins?