Airbnb Buys Startup Trip4Real
Jennifer Billock September 20, 2016
Airbnb has bought a new startup called Trip4Real that offers tours and experiences at various destinations.
Airbnb is furthering its reach into the full travel solution sector with the recent acquisition of Trip4Real, a Barcelona-based startup that offers users a marketplace of experiences and tours. Airbnb was initially partnering and advising the company, but decided to buy it straight out.
“We are delighted to welcome Trip4Real to the Airbnb family,” Airbnb told TechCrunch. “[Founder] Gloria Molins and her team share our vision of a different kind of travel experience that is local and authentic. Their experience and expertise is a great complement to our ongoing efforts to transform the way that people travel.”
The purchase amount has not been made public, though TechCrunch reports that the price was between $5 and $10 million. Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia reported that when the purchase was made, Trip4Real had 40,000 users and 10,000 activities listed on the site.
“We are delighted to join the Airbnb family,” Gloria Molins, Trip4Real’s founder, told VentureBeat over email. “Airbnb and Trip4real share a vision of a different kind of travel experience that is local and authentic. We have an exciting future together. We will continue to operate as a standalone business in the near term, and there will be no immediate impact on our experience hosts or current bookings.”
This acquisition is not Airbnb’s first foray into a complete travel solution. Last month, the company launched an app called Airbnb Trips that allows users to make restaurant reservations and book city tours. And this summer, the company tested a City Hosts program, where Airbnb guests could rent a private tour guide in the city they were staying in.
