misterb&b

misterb&b started as a combination of gay travel website myGayTrip and short-term apartment rental service, Sejourning.[11]

Co-founder Matthieu Jost had used services like Airbnb with mixed results. Jost suggested that it was difficult to screen potential hosts to see if they might be gay-friendly. After several uncomfortable experiences, Jost looked into starting a gay-friendly alternative.[12]

The misterb&b website was launched in the spring of 2014.[13]

In 2014, the site was temporarily blocked by Gogo, an in-flight Wifi service.[14]

By 2015, misterb&b had 55,000 hosts in over 130 countries.[15]

The company was selected for and participated in 500 Startups, one of the largest early-stage accelerators in the world.[16]

In May 2015, it was selected by The Next Web as one of the top notable startups from the accelerator. The company also raised $2 million in seed funding at that time.[16]

In June 2017, the company raised a series A round of $8.5 million.[15]

Joel Simkhai, the founder of Grindr, was an early investor.[17]

As of February 2019, the site had over 200,000 properties in 135 countries with total funding of $13.5 million.[12]

As of August 2019, it had over 300,000 hosts in over 135 countries.[18]

It has been selected to join Expedia Group accelerator program to help undeserved communities to travek more easily across the world.[19][20]

The main function of the website is to match prospective LGBT travelers with LGBT-friendly hosts worldwide.[21][12]

The website encourages its hosts to make their apartments or rooms available during major LGBT events in their city. It also acts as a social networking service, travel guide, and online community for gay travelers.

There is no charge for posting an apartment or room for rent on misterb&b, but the site charges 17% on room fare from the host and 17% of the final bill from the guest.

Users can search using a number of parameters in their desired city. Some of these parameters include: willingness to accept pets, the choice between gay or simply straight allies, and an option for seeking out "unusual" apartments or rooms.[11][22]

misterb&b reported that 60% of its hosts in Paris do not use other sharing accommodation websites.[16] It also provides curated hotels on the platform and tools to help members stay safe such as misterb&b gift cards.[23]

There has been a misconception that the service promotes a hookup culture.[24]

Misterbnb encourages forming friendships between hosts and guests.[25][26]

It offers a loyalty program.[2] It also has safety features such as identity verification.[27][28]

Matthieu Jost, the CEO has been ranked top 100 most inspirational and influential LGBTQ+ leader in the world by Out Magazine.[5]

misterb&b was called "an Airbnb for gay men" by Forbes.[21][29]

• Homosocialization

• Official website