Airbnb gets more U.S. competition as 9flats snaps up iStopOver
Skift Take
9flats is Airbnb's prime competitor in Europe and, unlike copy-cat side Wimdu, has some tested travel minds behind the steering wheel. Look for some fun movement in the U.S. as they begin to seriously compete.
As Airbnb continues to ramp up its international expansion, 9flats, which claims to be the leader in Europe, is expanding the other way: Today, the private short-term rentals provider (or Airbnb-clone) has announced the acquisition of North American iStopOver. A move that will see the Berlin-headquartered company get a hub in Toronto and benefit from iStopOver’s customer-base and inventory, bringing 9flats offering to over 100,000 beds globally. Based on that metric, this puts 9flats much closer to its US rival.
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