HotelTonight
HotelTonight is a travel agency and metasearch engine owned by Airbnb and accessible via website and mobile app. It is used to book last-minute lodging in the Americas, Europe, Japan and Australia.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Type of site | Subsidiary of Airbnb |
---|---|
Founded | December 2010 |
Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
Area served | United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan |
Owner | Airbnb |
Founder(s) |
|
Industry | Hotel, Tourism |
Services | Travel agency |
URL | hoteltonight |
Native client(s) on |
History
HotelTonight was founded in December 2010 by Sam Shank, Jared Simon, and Chris Bailey.[8] When it first launched in January 2011, the mobile app was only available in the US and on Apple products.[9] The app launched on Android devices in July 2011 and now includes cities in Europe, Canada, Central America and South America.[10][11][12]
Fundraising
In May 2011, the company raised a $3.25 million Series A round from Battery Ventures, Accel Partners, and First Round Capital.[13] In November 2011, they raised $9 million from Accel Partners, Battery Ventures, and First Round Capital.[14] In June 2012, a Series C round from U.S. Venture Partners, Accel Partners, Battery Ventures, and First Round Capital raised another $23 million.[15] In September 2013, the company raised $45 million in a Series D round led by Coatue Management, bringing its total funding to $80.5 million.[16]
Operations
In October 2014, HotelTonight expanded from same-day only bookings to allowing users to book rooms up to 7 days in advance.[17] In September 2018, they began allowing bookings through the website.[18]
In March 2019, HotelTonight was acquired by Airbnb for approximately $450 million in cash and stock.[19][20][21]
References
- Perlroth, Nicole (December 11, 2012). "Wallflowers of Silicon Valley Get Asked to Dance". The New York Times.
- Leo, Jen (February 20, 2011). "Web Buzz: Hotel Tonight app alerts travelers to same-day deals". Los Angeles Times.
- Brady, Paul (February 4, 2013). "Mobile Booking Taking Off As Early Adopters Become Evangelists". HuffPost.
- "Touch here for a bed". The Economist. February 4, 2013.
- Cohen, Jennifer (January 7, 2014). "Overwhelmed By Options? Try These 10 Must Have Apps for 2014". Forbes.
- Kennedy, John (March 12, 2014). "Co-Sign: How You Can Book Last-Minute Hotel Deals For SXSW Music". Vibe.
- Van Grove, Jennifer (April 15, 2014). "Same-day booking app HotelTonight predicts the future too". CNET.
- O'Shea, Dan (April 26, 2011). "How a New App Is Helping Hotels Fill Rooms". Entrepreneur.
- O'Neill, Sean (November 22, 2012). "A boom in same-day hotel booking apps". BBC News.
- Price, Emily (June 20, 2012). "HotelTonight Expands Into Europe, Now Offering Deals in London". Mashable.
- Ha, Anthony (December 11, 2012). "HotelTonight Expands To Continental Europe, Adds Language Support, And Launches Gift Credits". TechCrunch.
- Mott, Nathaniel (April 26, 2012). "HotelTonight Expands to Europe and Canada, Partners With Look.io for Better Robo-Human Relations". PandoDaily.
- "HotelTonight Secures $3.25 Million Series A Funding from Battery Ventures, Accel Partners and First Round Capital" (PDF) (Press release). Battery Ventures. May 10, 2011.
- Rao, Leena (November 18, 2011). "Battery And Accel Put $9M In App For Last-Minute Hotel Deals, HotelTonight". TechCrunch.
- Ogg, Erica (June 5, 2012). "With $23 million in new funds, Hotel Tonight is going global". Gigaom.
- Shontell, Alyson (September 5, 2013). "HotelTonight Raises A $45 Million Round Led By A Hedge Fund To Help You Book Cheap, Last-Minute Rooms". Business Insider.
- LEE TREJOS, NANCY (September 26, 2014). "HotelTonight to let guests book hotels next week". USA TODAY.
- O'Neill, Sean (September 4, 2018). "Mobile-First Booking Startup HotelTonight Expands to Desktop". Skift.
- Griswold, Alison (March 7, 2019). "Airbnb is buying into the hotel industry by acquiring HotelTonight". Quartz.
- Ting, Deanna (March 7, 2019). "Airbnb Is Buying HotelTonight: Here's What That Means". Skift.
- Forman, Laura (March 11, 2019). "Airbnb Wants to Be a Contender". The Wall Street Journal.