Skift Take
Travelers are seeking local authentic experiences and going beyond renting out a personal home to guarantee time with the homeowner is a natural extension of the trend.
Peer-to-peer lodging site Homestay.com today announced a $3 million round of funding led by venture capital firm Delta Partners. The site also announced acquisition of Berlin-based HomestayBooking to expand its footprint across Europe.
Dublin-based Homestay is one of several players in the $13-billion private accommodation market to focus on host-is-present experiences.
The site was launched in 2013 and, following the recent acquisition includes private accommodation options in more than 98 countries and 25,000 host listings.
The company plans to use its new round of funding to build more products including new apps and mobile device integration.
Focusing on the host-present experience, sets Homestay apart from other alternative lodging providers like Airbnb and onefinesetay.
According to our deep dive into Airbnb in New York City, only 32 percent of rent listings are for private rooms and 2 percent are shared spaces.
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Tags: vacation rentals
Photo credit: The homepage of peer-to-peer lodging site Homestay.com. Homestay