EDITOR'S COMMENT
• Amid the flurry of funding rounds in the short-term rental space, it is not just rural and leisure accommodation providers that are securing investment [see Raus and Campspace from last week's newsletter] - New York-based apart-hotel company Mint House is the latest beneficiary of surging investor interest in the segment.
Mint House - which has surpassed $60 million in funding to date after its $35 million Series B round - is part of a new generation of urban lodging startups that are "redefining the boundary between hotels and short-term rentals" due to their flexibility and smart technology offerings.
Managing buildings through rev-share agreements in key urban destination markets across the United States, Mint House joins counterparts such as Sonder, Placemakr and NUMA in raising funding this year and being able to meet demand from leisure and business travellers alike, signalling an upturn for the prospects of city tourism in the year ahead.
In addition to business and leisure travellers, remote workers and digital nomads will be increasingly keen to stay with flexible accommodation providers when they return to cities. The fact that Airbnb's career page had more than one million visits after it announced a "work from anywhere" policy suggests that this is a market that lodging startups can capitalise on.
• There are now just nine days to go until the 2022 Shortyz Awards - the first in-person Shortyz since March 2020.
If you haven't yet secured your tickets, following the recent shortlist unveilings, click here to make sure you can join the party.
We look forward to welcoming you to Skyline London next Wednesday 18 May for a memorable night of recognition and celebration for the entire industry.
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