GuestReady raises US$3mil in seed funding, acquires Easy Rental Services

• Plans to utilise the funds to reach five more cities by summer 2018
• Has acquired a portfolio of about 600 apartments since its launch in August 2016

GUESTREADY, a proptech startup in the urban short-term rental management space, has closed US$3 million (RM12.72 million) in seed funding in order to expand its business to new markets. Currently operating in London, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, the startup says it plans to utilise the funds to reach five more cities by summer 2018.

They also announced the acquisition of Easy Rental Services, a former competitor in London and Paris.

The funding round was led by Impulse VC, with participation from Xponova and Boost Heroes, the VC firm led by Fabio Cannavale, founder of the Lastminute Group, among others.

Existing investors including Swiss Founders Fund and Senn & Partners also renewed their investments.

GuestReady plans to use the fresh funding to fuel its expansion and cement its position as the leading Airbnb management company globally.

In keeping with their vision of using technology to help property owners unlock the full potential of their real estate, GuestReady has acquired a portfolio of about 600 apartments since its launch in August 2016.

The company operates across five cities globally, and has already welcomed over 20,000 travellers from 120+ countries into their apartments.

Initially started as an on-demand platform for individual activities like cleaning, laundry, and managing the check-in and check-out of guests, GuestReady now focuses exclusively on fully managed properties that they advertise on short-let platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway, and Booking, among others.

The company’s main focus over the past year, besides bolstering its presence across its markets, has been to develop a product that provides the property owners full visibility and control over the calendars and financials of their properties.

It syncs real time with sales-side platforms like Airbnb, and provides a lean logistical setup that allows it to minimise the turnaround time between guests.

GuestReady takes a percentage of the earnings from the apartments as a management fee, or guarantees a specific income per month based on a predictive model developed by GuestReady.

Alexander Limpert, CEO and co-founder, highlights that GuestReady’s aim is to become a strategic partner to each of its clients: “The success of our clients and the satisfaction of their guests is of prime importance to us. In order to provide an even better service to our clients, we are also very happy to announce that this summer, we have completed the acquisition of Easy Rental Services. Since its launch three years ago, the company has developed operational excellence in its home markets London and Paris.”

Beyond geographical expansion, GuestReady is also planning a move further into the B2B space by building a product backend to automate and streamline property management tasks.

The appeal of GuestReady’s model is more concretely echoed in Airbnb’s recent announcement of the “Select” programme, which is targeted at wealthy travellers who are more particular about things like sheets and working hairdryers. In the meantime, it is clear that GuestReady has already built a headstart on the enormous task of closing the gap between the vacation rental industry and traditional hotels.

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