Netherlands: HolidayHero, a software platform that supports hotels and short-term rental hosts to manage and exceed guest expectations, has closed a €500,000 pre-seed funding round to kick off its vision of delivering proactive and personalised guest experiences in the travel industry.
The investment was led by Ruud Stelder, Dennis Cuijpers [formerly of SEOshop / Lightspeed and now at Orderchamp], and Hjalte Niehorster [formerly of Lightspeed], a renowned group of SaaS-tech angels and founders.
Founded in Amsterdam earlier this year, HolidayHero is a software platform and ecosystem that empowers hotels and short-term / vacation rental hosts to manage guest experiences beyond the booking. With the HolidayHero Guest app, users can save time on guest management, boost their top-line revenue and exceed the overall guest expectations.
Sjeel Koster, co-founder and CEO of HolidayHero, said: “Raising half a million euros in pre-seed funding, we aim to bring our guest experience technology to market maturity, attract customers, and expand the team.”
With more than 5.6 million listings on Airbnb and 28 million on Booking.com, today’s travellers are lavished with choice, according to HolidayHero. But, with traveller expectations at an all-time high, hosts and hoteliers must work harder than ever to secure loyalty and increase repeat business, meaning that meeting basic lodging needs is no longer enough.
While most short-term rentals and hotels drive revenue from bookings alone, many miss out on the opportunity to maximise revenue by offering travellers additional services from pre-arrival to checkout. From proactive service to personalised interactions and connected experiences, understanding guests’ needs — and exceeding their expectations — is crucial to staying ahead of the competition.
HolidayHero’s mission is to empower hosts and hoteliers around the world to exceed guest expectations. With the HolidayHero Guest app, they can digitalise and automate all guest interactions beyond the booking. The app supports guests during their stay and strives to exceed their expectations by sending them proactive and personalised offers.
Short-term rentals and hotels are able to try out the product and become BETA testers by signing up at this link.
