TripAdvisor buys HouseTrip

HouseTrip has a turbulent history.  The company was founded in 2009 by Arnaud Bertrand and Junjun Chen who met at the Écôle hotelière de Lausanne. For building up the company they moved to London. The first years of HouseTrip have been very successful. The start-up became one of the largest holiday rental websites in the world with 7 million overnight stays, 20,000 destinations and 300,000 properties in 2015. However, its competitor Airbnb has grown rapidly and has outstripped HouseTrip. The two founders left the companies and Arnaud Bertrand spoke frankly about the challenges and the lessons he learned as a first-time founder.

Today TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site, announced it has acquired HouseTrip.

The addition of HouseTrip will expand the TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals offering in high-demand urban destinations.   TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals has over 770,000 properties, and adding HouseTrip’s high quality inventory will give travellers more choice for their holidays. 

The HouseTrip brand will move forward as part of the TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals group.  HouseTrip’s listings will be integrated into and displayed on TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals, gaining access to the audience of the world’s largest travel site. 

“We’re committed to growing TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals and providing travellers with the best possible selection of high quality homes, no matter their destination or budget,” commented Dermot Halpin, president, TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals.  “HouseTrip brings valuable choices to our travellers, particularly those visiting Europe, and we’re excited to continue expanding beyond the nearly 800,000 properties we list now.”

The terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.

HouseTrip raised more about $60 million. In 2012 the company attracted $40 million in a financing round led by venture capital firm Accel Partners, with existing investors Balderton Capital and Index Ventures also participating.