Mar

BREAKING: Airbnb bookings management service Hostmaker collapses

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Company had been trying to find new investors after burning through £30 million but landlords have been reassured that bookings will go ahead.

Airbnb bookings management service Hostmaker.com has ceased
trading after failing to find new investors to keep it afloat.

The high-profile company had been in trouble for some
time and last week newspaper reports revealed it was facing administration.

Hostmaker had already burned through £30 million of
investor’s cash raised during two funding rounds and had expanded rapidly
across London but also internationally in Thailand, France, Spain, Italy and
Portugal.

Its service offered landlords an ‘arms length’ short stay
service and charged to list their properties on Airbnb, collect payments,
complete check-ins and outs, and change over properties with new linen and a
cleaning service.

But such rapid expansion, and high marketing and
operational costs, made it a heavy loss maker and its 2018 accounts show it
spent £12 million generating £9.9 million in revenue.

Industry alliance the UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) has moved to
reassure landlords that one of its members, Houst, has stepped in to fill the
service gap left by Hostmaker’s collapse and all bookings that had been made
with Airbnb have now been transferred.

“It is always sad when a company falls into
financial difficulties but it is one of the traits of a fast, evolving and
growing sector,” says Merilee Karr, Chair of the STAA.

“My sympathies go out to all the Hostmaker
staff and their customers that have been affected by this news.

“We are pleased that the industry has acted quickly so
that homeowners who were customers of Hostmaker have been migrated to one of
our member companies.”

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