HouseTrip raises $40m for international expansion

The investment will be used to expand into more territories and develop new products and services for travellers and hosts, according to the company. So far HouseTrip was focused on rentals in important European destinations. The funding round is led by venture capital firm Accel Partners, with existing investors Balderton Capital and Index Ventures also participating. It is by far the biggest financing round of a Swiss start-up in 2012.
 
The website covers 130,000 properties in more than 15,000 destinations. By the end of 2012, Travellers will have booked more than 3 million nights’ sleep by the end of the year via HouseTrip since its launch in January 2010.
 
Co-founder and CEO Arnaud Bertrand said: “My wife and I created HouseTrip on the back of a painful experience booking a holiday rental. We knew there had to be a better way to discover and book holiday rental accommodation that was both anxiety-free and easy-to-use.”
 
Fellow co-founder and chief financial officer Junjun Chen-Bertrand added: “We are very excited to welcome Accel Partners as we look to expand internationally. Their experience in taking companies global will be a critical asset for the next phase of our growth.”
 
Sonali De Rycker, a partner at Accel Partners, added: “In a short space of time HouseTrip is fast becoming the destination of choice for the European traveller. “With a world-class product and management team, HouseTrip has the potential to create a very successful marketplace in the exciting category of vacation rentals.”