Misterb&b

misterb&b
Company typePrivate
IndustryHomestay, Social networking service
FoundedParis, France, 2014 (2014)
FounderMatthieu Jost
François de Landes
Marc Dedonder[citation needed]
Julien Delon[1]
Headquarters
San Francisco[citation needed]
,
United States
Websitewww.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]

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

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. ^ 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.
  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. ^ 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.
  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. ^ 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.
  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. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  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.