Misterb&b

Last updated
misterb&b
Company type Private
Industry Homestay, Social networking service
Founded Paris, France, 2014 (2014)
Founder Matthieu Jost
François de Landes
Marc Dedonder[ citation needed ]
Julien Delon [1]
Headquarters
San Francisco [ citation needed ]
,
United States
Website www.misterbandb.com

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] Until 2016, the company was known as misterbnb and was also nicknamed Mr. BnB. [6]

Contents

It is considered the largest gay-focused booking app in the world. [7] It launched a tool that helps LGBTQ+ users to connect.[ citation needed ]

misterb&b supports LGBTQ+ NGOs through its "mister for good" initiative. [8] [9]

History and formation

misterb&b started as a combination of gay travel website myGayTrip and short-term apartment rental service, Sejourning. [10]

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. [11]

In 2014, the site was temporarily blocked by Gogo, an in-flight Wifi service. [12]

By 2015, misterb&b had 55,000 hosts in over 130 countries. [13]

The company was selected for and participated in 500 Startups, one of the largest early-stage accelerators in the world. [14]

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. [14]

In June 2017, the company raised a series A round of $8.5 million. [13]

Joel Simkhai, the founder of Grindr, was an early investor. [15]

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. [16]

It has been selected to join Expedia Group accelerator program to help underserved communities travel more easily across the world. [17] [18]

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. [10] [19]

misterb&b reported that 60% of its hosts in Paris do not use other sharing accommodation websites. [14] It also provides curated hotels on the platform and tools to help members stay safe such as misterb&b gift cards. [20]

There has been a misconception that the service promotes a hookup culture. [21]

Misterbnb encourages forming friendships between hosts and guests. [22] [23]

It offers a loyalty program. [2] It also has safety features such as identity verification. [24] [25]

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

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References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. 1 2 "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.
  6. ↑ Bender, Andrew. "An Airbnb For Gay Men (And Why Women Love It Too)". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "ITB - Travel Industry News - Ukraine LGBTQ community gets the strong support of Misterb&b". Travel Industry News. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  9. ↑ "The man who turned a bad night in into a multi-million dollar app". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  10. 1 2 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.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. 1 2 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.
  14. 1 2 3 "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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Expedia Group kicks off startup accelerator focused on underserved travelers". www.phocuswire.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  18. ↑ Rokou, Tatiana (2023-01-23). "misterb&b selected for Expedia's One World Accelerator Program". TravelDailyNews International (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ Granville, Alan (June 4, 2019). "Staying safe during LGBT+ Pride season". Stuff . Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ 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.
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