Hostmaker closes $1m funding round to turbocharge international expansion

Hostmaker

The funds will be invested in technology designed to improve guest communication and experience for the host community, as well as expansion into other exciting European capitals that Hostmaker has set its sights on.

Hostmaker is growing 400 per cent YoY; it currently supports nearly 1000 hosts across the UK, France, Spain and Italy. In the last six months, Hostmaker launched in Paris, introduced a new account management system for hosts and created a design service that helps Airbnb listings stand out from the rest. This year, Hostmaker has been named #20 among the top 100 UK startups and also one of Forbes’ 5 British businesses to watch.

Launched in July 2014 and founded by Nakul Sharma, an experienced hospitality professional and Airbnb host, Hostmaker is a full-service Airbnb management company that takes the hassle out of managing short term rentals for homeowners. It provides hotel-standard cleaning services, linen rental and welcome packs for arriving guests as well as pricing optimisation, guest communication and even design services or maintenance for Airbnb hosts. It’s a hands-off solution for people who want to optimise their renting revenues without lifting a finger.

Nakul Sharma, founder and CEO Hostmaker said: “We have been encouraged by the very positive feedback we’ve received from the Airbnb host community about our services. Hostmaker is now making hosting easy for nearly a thousand hosts across four major European Airbnb destinations – London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona, and we now have additional cities in the pipeline. This new backing from our supportive investor group will allow us to further invest in technology to improve customer experience. We’ll also continue to build our talented hospitality operations team.”

Lawrence Barclay of DN Capital commented: “We are delighted to increase our investment in Hostmaker which is the category leader in the hospitality management space. We are excited about this next phase in Hostmaker’s growth as they continue to consolidate their position in London, as well as ramp up their presence in new markets.”

Alvaro Alvarez del Rio of Initial Capital added: “In a rapidly growing segment of the hospitality technology sector, we believe Hostmaker’s approach of uncompromising customer service and its independence from external service providers will make it the go-to partner for hosts who want to benefit from short-term lets without all the hassle this process traditionally involves.”