Airbnb Competition Heats Up As Venture Capital Floods Vacation Rental Market

Home-sharing mammoth Airbnb may experience newfound competition as venture capitalists pour millions into vacation rental startups.

One Portland-based company in particular just raised $104M in funding this week. Vacasa boasts that it offers customers what Airbnb does not — full-service property management that provides guests with an experience that is as comfortable as a hotel stay with the convenience of a home-sharing stay, Bloomberg reports. The company charges property owners commissions and fees close to 35%. Its rivals typically collect less than 20%.

Founded in 2009, Vacasa has maintained a relatively small footprint since its inception. While the majority of its rental properties are in the Oregon area, it has inventory in 13 countries with aspirations to reach 20 by the end of 2018. This makes the concept a serious contender against Airbnb, Fast Company reports. Other big names in the vacation rental space include HomeAway — recently acquired by Expedia for $3.9B — and VRBO.

Vacasa's Series B funding round was led by Riverwood Capital, NewSpring, Level Equity and Assurant Growth. The private company closed its first venture capital round of $40M more than a year ago, and the latest effort has allegedly doubled Vacasa’s valuation.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Wall Street Impatient For Big Tech Returns On Data Center Spending

As AI Adoption Ramps Up, Half A Million Property Managers Are In The Crosshairs

Treasuries Hover Around 4.7% As Wall Street Questions If Warsh Is A 'Dove In Hawk's Clothing'

Avison Young Had Assets Frozen By Bank Over Unpaid Taxes

Camden Property Trust Sells West Coast Portfolio, Clears $1.5B Target

Churchill Downs Plans To Sell 9 Casinos, Focus On Horse Racing

Bringing Stability And Savings To CRE Insurance Through Working Layer

More Hotel Owners In Need Of Cash Are Getting It From The Big Brands

Former Arms Dealer Targeting Heartland Apartment Takeover Files For Bankruptcy

SEC Charges REIT, Its Founders With Alleged $152M Fraud Scheme

Equinix Ramps Up Spending Plans Amid Faster-Than-Expected AI Shift

Cortland, Pulte, INVH, Walker & Dunlop Execs Talk Changing Demographics, AI