 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Homestay, Social networking service |
| Founded | Paris, France, 2014 |
| Founder | Matthieu Jost François de Landes Marc Dedonder[citation needed] Julien Delon[1] |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Website | www |
misterb&b is a travel and social networking website that provides a searchable database of LGBTQ-friendly rentable lodging, including rooms, apartments, hotels, and homestays, primarily catering to gay men.[2][3][4] It is accessible via a website and a mobile app.[5]
It is considered the largest gay-focused booking app in the world.[6] It launched a tool that helps LGBTQ+ users to connect.[citation needed]
misterb&b supports LGBTQ+ NGOs through its "mister for good" initiative.[7][8]
History and formation
misterb&b started as a combination of gay travel website myGayTrip and short-term apartment rental service, Sejourning.[9]
Co-founder Matthieu Jost had used services like Airbnb with mixed results. Jost suggested that it was difficult to screen potential hosts to see if they might be gay-friendly. After several uncomfortable experiences, Jost looked into starting a gay-friendly alternative.[citation needed]
The misterb&b website was launched in the spring of 2014.[10]
In 2014, the site was temporarily blocked by Gogo, an in-flight Wifi service.[11]
By 2015, misterb&b had 55,000 hosts in over 130 countries.[12]
The company was selected for and participated in 500 Startups, one of the largest early-stage accelerators in the world.[13]
In May 2015, it was selected by The Next Web as one of the top notable startups from the accelerator. The company also raised $2 million in seed funding at that time.[13]
In June 2017, the company raised a series A round of $8.5 million.[12]
Joel Simkhai, the founder of Grindr, was an early investor.[14]
As of February 2019, the site had over 200,000 properties in 135 countries with total funding of $13.5 million.[citation needed]
As of August 2019, it had over 300,000 hosts in over 135 countries.[15]
It has been selected to join Expedia Group accelerator program to help undeserved communities to travek more easily across the world.[16][17]
Operation
The main function of the website is to match prospective LGBT travelers with LGBT-friendly hosts worldwide.[citation needed]
The website encourages its hosts to make their apartments or rooms available during major LGBT events in their city. It also acts as a social networking service, travel guide, and online community for gay travelers.
There is no charge for posting an apartment or room for rent on misterb&b, but the site charges 17% on room fare from the host and 17% of the final bill from the guest.
Users can search using a number of parameters in their desired city. Some of these parameters include: willingness to accept pets, the choice between gay or simply straight allies, and an option for seeking out "unusual" apartments or rooms.[9][18]
misterb&b reported that 60% of its hosts in Paris do not use other sharing accommodation websites.[13] It also provides curated hotels on the platform and tools to help members stay safe such as misterb&b gift cards.[19]
There has been a misconception that the service promotes a hookup culture.[20]
Misterbnb encourages forming friendships between hosts and guests.[21][22]
It offers a loyalty program.[2] It also has safety features such as identity verification.[23][24]
Recognition
Matthieu Jost, the CEO has been ranked top 100 most inspirational and influential LGBTQ+ leader in the world by Out Magazine.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Litzler, Jean-Bernard (14 July 2013). "Des sites pour trouver des locataires qui vous ressemblent" [Sites to find tenants who look like you]. Le Figaro. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ a b TAYLOR, MIA (March 22, 2019). "Tech Start-Up Wants to Help Travelers Avoid Homophobic Hotels". TravelPulse. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Misterb&b ouvre son capital aux particuliers et mise sur la solidarité LGBT+" [Misterb&b opens its capital to individuals and relies on LGBT+ solidarity]. Têtu (in French). Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- ^ "The Gay AirBnB is Now a Top LGBTQ Travel Platform". www.triplepundit.com. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Out100: 9 LGBTQ+ Names at the Forefront of Beauty and Business". Out. November 4, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "The largest gay hotelier in the world revolutionises travel for gay couples". PinkNews. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "ITB - Travel Industry News - Ukraine LGBTQ community gets the strong support of Misterb&b". Travel Industry News. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ "The man who turned a bad night in into a multi-million dollar app". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ a b Middleton, Josh (20 March 2013). "A Gayer Version of Airbnb, misterb&b, Launches". Philadelphia magazine. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "misterb&b Raises $8.5M in Series A Funding". FinSMES. June 7, 2017. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ JOHNSTON, CASEY (September 25, 2014). "In 2014, who decides to ban a gay website from in-flight Wi-Fi?". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Dillet, Romain (June 7, 2017). "Misterb&b raises $8.5 million to build the Airbnb for the LGBTQ community". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Gay travel accommodations site misterb&b raises $2M seed Funding". DealStreetAsia. May 4, 2015. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Butcher, Mike (March 18, 2019). "misterb&b hits the equity crowdfunding trail to expand into hotels". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ BROOKSTONE, ANNIE (August 17, 2019). "Meet the changemakers: Matthieu Jost from Misterb&b". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Expedia Group kicks off startup accelerator focused on underserved travelers". www.phocuswire.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ Rokou, Tatiana (2023-01-23). "misterb&b selected for Expedia's One World Accelerator Program". TravelDailyNews International (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ Kassraie, Aaron (June 11, 2021). "LGBTQ Is a Growing Market for Travel Industry". AARP. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Noto, Anthony (October 31, 2018). "Airbnb rival MisterB&B wants to keep LGBTQ travelers safe". American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Lambert, Evan (October 5, 2019). "How I learned the hard way whether you should sleep with your Misterb&b host". Queerty. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "9 reasons why staying with misterb&b is the best way to make new friends on holiday". Pink News. September 7, 2017. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Granville, Alan (June 4, 2019). "Staying safe during LGBT+ Pride season". Stuff. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Reynolds, Sean (September 23, 2021). "How 'Black & Abroad' and Misterb&b Are Creating New Types of Travel Guides". Vice News. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Medrano, Kastalia (May 31, 2019). "This LGBTQ-Friendly Alternative to Airbnb Helps Gay Travelers Feel Safe". Thrillist. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
External links
This page was last edited on 23 February 2024, at 13:16