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Wimdu

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WIMDU
Wimdu logo
HeadquartersBerlin
OwnerHomeToGo Group
Rocket Internet
Websitewimdu.com
CommercialYes
LaunchedMarch 2011; 15 years ago (2011-03)
Current statusOnline
Written inRuby on Rails

Wimdu, powered by HomeToGo, is an online marketplace for booking lodging, accessible by website and mobile app for iOS and Android.[1] The company does not own any lodging; it is merely a broker and receives commissions from every booking.[2][3][4] It is set up as a "clone" of similar websites.[5][6] Wimdu searches and redirects users to the website that has the relationship with the lodging provider such as Expedia, Booking.com, HomeAway, Vrbo, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, FlipKey, and Airbnb.

History

[edit]

The company was founded in 2010 and launched in March 2011. Wimdu was registered as a limited company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH) in March 2011.[7]

Arne Bleckwenn and Hinrich Dreiling, the founders of Wimdu, previously founded and managed several other startups.[8][9]

In June 2011, it received $90 million in investments from Kinnevik AB, which invested €25 million, and Rocket Internet.[10][11][12][13] At the time, it was the largest investment in a European startup ever.[14]

By May 2011, Wimdu was available in 11 languages.[15]

In May 2011, Wimdu launched a spin-off business for the China market called Airizu.[16]

Shortly after the launch of Wimdu, Airbnb publicity criticized the business model, writing

"A new type of scam has been brought to our attention: Airbnb clones posing as competition. We’ve discovered that these scam artists have a history of copying a website, aggressively poaching from their community, then attempting to sell the company back to the original."[17]

Airbnb considered acquiring Wimdu, but decided against it as Airbnb was uncomfortable with Wimdu's culture and tactics.[18][19][20]

By September 2011, the site was available in 16 languages and offered 25,000 lodging options in more than 100 countries.[21]

In December 2011, WirtschaftsWoche rated Wimdu among the most important startups of 2011.[22]

By 2012, Wimdu claimed to be the biggest social accommodation website from Europe.[23] After the first year in business, Wimdu had booking revenues of $6.6 million per month.[24][25]

In September 2012, due to rising costs, the company fundamentally changed its growth strategy. Activities of international offices were reduced and some employees moved back to the Berlin headquarters.[26][27]

In 2013, Wimdu closed its separate China subsidiary Airizu.[28]

Peer-to-peer property rental companies faced new regulatory requirements beginning in 2013 in Germany.[29]

Wimdu continued its operations in Berlin despite 9flats shutting down its Berlin offices.[30][31]

In January 2013, Rocket Internet evaluated selling the company.[32][33]

In October 2014, the founders Arne Bleckwenn and Hinrich Dreiling left their positions at Wimdu at their own requests, taking positions on the advisory board.[34] The management was handed over to Arne Kahlke und Sören Kress,[35]

In November 2014, Wimdu expanded its activities at its Berlin headquarters.[36]

From 2013 to 2014, bookings on Wimdu increased by 31%.[37] In the first quarter of 2015, sales were up 34%.[38]

In February 2015, Italian conglomerate Mediaset and Wimdu signed a media for equity deal.[39] Mediaset invested "several million euros" in Wimdu and gave it advertising on the Mediaset TV channels.[40] The investment funded expansion[41][42] and by April 2012, Wimdu expanded in Italy, Spain and other Southern European countries.[43]

In April 2016, Berlin adopted a law that restricted private apartment rentals.[44][45] Wimdu then filed a lawsuit against the law, arguing that the law illegally restricts the fundamental rights of hosts.[46][47][48]

In October 2016, the company announced a merger with 9flats.[49][50] In October 2016, 9flats acquired the company.[51]

In December 2016, it was sold to Wyndham Destinations's Novasol brand of Denmark.[52][53][54]

In August 2017, the company had 12,000 listings in Germany, compared to 160,000 for Airbnb.[55]

In May 2018, NovaSol was acquired by Platinum Equity.[56]

In September 2018, it was announced that the website would shut down by the end of the year and all employees were fired.[57][58][59][60]

The company is now part of the HomeToGo Group, also owned by Rocket Internet.[61]

Controversies

[edit]

Rocket Internet, which is led by the Samwer brothers and was invested heavily in Wimdu, is renowned for its aggressive entrepreneurship and leadership style.[62][63]

Wimdu has been accused several times of being a clone of Airbnb.[64][65][66]

Wimdu offers a "hotel light" experience in a market where Airbnb has the "first mover advantage".[67] Airbnb and Wimdu are competitors, especially in German-speaking Europe.[68]

In January 2016, Wimdu was accused of not assisting hosts with vandalism and Wimdu refused to compensate the owner of a Berlin apartment that had been destroyed, beyond offering a dedicated "insurance" for such damages.[69][70] Wimdu denied the allegations and pointed out that the host had demanded an "excessive refund" in this case.[71] Die Zeit invited experts to check the standard form contract, which was deemed to be unsatisfactory.[72]

On 30 May 2016, a Dutch TV program, Groeten van Max, showed fake images used to advertise lodging. Wimdu refused to comment and expelled the inquirers from its offices.[73]

In April 2018, Paris filed a lawsuit against Wimdu and Airbnb for allowing listings of lodging without specific registration numbers.[74]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Wauters, Robin (14 June 2011). "Investors Pump $90 Million Into Airbnb Clone Wimdu". TechCrunch.
  2. ↑ Wortham, Jenna (25 July 2011). "Room to Rent, via the Web". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Higgins, Michelle (4 January 2012). "19 Web Sites for Travel Savings in 2012". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Choat, Isabel (28 June 2013). "How to find and book a holiday apartment online". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ Sanchez, Maricel (16 July 2019). "Imitation simply wasn't enough: A Wimdu post-mortem". EU Startups.
  6. ↑ O'Neill, Sean (27 September 2018). "Airbnb Clone Wimdu to Close Despite Having Raised More Than $90 Million". Skift.
  7. ↑ "Wimdu GmbH: Company Register". Bundesanzeiger.
  8. ↑ "Personen: Arne Bleckwenn". gruenderszene.de (in German).
  9. ↑ "Personen: Hinrich Dreiling". gruenderszene.de (in German).
  10. ↑ Kerr, Ronny (June 15, 2011). "Airbnb clone Wimdu raises $90 million". Vator.
  11. ↑ Wauters, Robin (14 June 2011). "Investors Pump $90 Million Into Airbnb Clone Wimdu". TechCrunch.
  12. ↑ "Kinnevik invests EUR 25 million in Wimdu.com" (Press release). Globe Newswire. 15 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Hüsing, Alexander (15 June 2011). "Zimmerdreikampf: Wimdu sammelt 90 Millionen US-Dollar ein" [Indoor raid: Wimdu raises $ 90 million]. deutsche-startups.de (in German).
  14. ↑ Schmidt, Holger (15 June 2011). "Rekord: Start-Up Wimdu erhält 90 Millionen Dollar Finanzspritze" [Record: Startup Wimdu receives $ 90 million in cash injection]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German).
  15. ↑ "Wimdu.co.uk Sends Individualists on Holiday With a New Platform for Accommodation of all Kinds" (Press release). PR Newswire. 26 May 2011.
  16. ↑ Ohr, Thomas (10 May 2011). "Wimdu enters the Chinese market with Airizu". eu-startups.com.
  17. ↑ Tsotsis, Alexia (9 June 2011). "Airbnb Freaks Out Over Samwer Clones". TechCrunch.
  18. ↑ Rao, Leena (11 October 2013). "Brian Chesky Talks About Why Airbnb Didn't Acquire European Clone Wimdu, Global Growth And More". TechCrunch.
  19. ↑ Räth, Georg (14 October 2013). "Airbnb hätte beinahe Wimdu übernommen" [Airbnb almost took over Wimdu]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  20. ↑ Dickey, Megan Rose (16 July 2013). "Airbnb Is Shifting Its Strategy So It Doesn't Crash And Burn". Business Insider.
  21. ↑ "Affordable Oktoberfest Accommodations Available Through Wimdu" (Press release). PR Newswire. 6 September 2011.
  22. ↑ "Gründer: Die wichtigsten Startups" [The most important startups]. Wirtschaftswoche (in German). 29 December 2011.
  23. ↑ Fryatt, Linsey (22 March 2013). "Wimdu vs Airbnb – the battle for Europe hots up ahead of London 2012 Olympics". The Heureka. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  24. ↑ Wauters, Robin (22 March 2012). "After one year, Airbnb rival Wimdu is big. How big? $132 million a year big". The Next Web.
  25. ↑ Kaczmarek, Joel (22 March 2012). "Wimdu gibt erstmals Zahlen bekannt" [Wimdu announces figures for the first time]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  26. ↑ Hofmann, Alex (19 September 2012). "Wimdu streicht internationale Büros zusammen" [Wimdu cuts international offices]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  27. ↑ Hofmann, Alex (20 September 2012). "Airbnb rival Wimdu confirms cuts to international offices, refocus on Berlin". The Heureka. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  28. ↑ Horwitz, Josh (12 July 2013). "Rocket Internet has reportedly shuttered Airizu, its struggling Airbnb clone in China". The Next Web.
  29. ↑ Thurm, Frida (27 November 2013). "Auch deutsche Wohnplattformen sollen Daten herausgeben" [German residential platforms should also release data]. Die Zeit (in German).
  30. ↑ "Nach Verbot von Ferienwohnungen gibt Vermittler 9flats in Berlin auf" [After the ban on vacation rentals, 9flats gives up in Berlin]. Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 27 November 2013.
  31. ↑ Räth, Magdalena (27 November 2013). "Airbnb rival 9flats shuts down office in Berlin". The Heureka. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016.
  32. ↑ Räth, Magdalena (29 January 2013). "Wimdu findet keine Abnehmer" [Wimdu finds no buyers]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  33. ↑ Dörner, Stephan (29 January 2013). "Samwer-Brüder werden Wimdu nicht los" [Samwer brothers cannot get rid of Wimdu]. The Wall Street Journal (in German).
  34. ↑ Hüsing, Alexander (30 October 2014). "Bleckwenn und Dreiling verlassen Zimmervermittler Wimdu" [Bleckwenn and Dreiling leave broker Wimdu]. deutsche-startups.de (in German).
  35. ↑ "Wimdu-Gründer geben Geschäftsführung ab" [Wimdu founders give up management]. gruenderszene.de (in German). 30 October 2014.
  36. ↑ "Wo Mitarbeiter von anderen Ländern träumen" [where employees dream of other countries]. deutsche-startups.de (in German). 5 November 2014.
  37. ↑ Ohr, Thomas (6 May 2015). "5 unexpected things Rocket Internet's annual report for 2014 reveals". eu-startups.com.
  38. ↑ "Apartment rental platform Wimdu on the attack - revenues up 34 percent in first quarter of 2015" (PDF) (Press release). Rocket Internet. 7 May 2015.
  39. ↑ Bockenheimer, Johannes (6 February 2015). "Mediaset steigt bei Berliner Zimmervermittler Wimdu ein" [deal Mediaset joins Berlin-based broker Wimdu]. Der Tagesspiegel (in German).
  40. ↑ Wirminghaus, Niklas (5 February 2015). "Wimdu schließt Media-Deal mit Berlusconis Sendergruppe" [Wimdu closes media deal with Berlusconi's broadcasting group]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  41. ↑ "Berlusconi-Konzern steigt bei Zimmervermittler Wimdu ein" [Berlusconi Group acquires Wimdu, a room broker]. Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 5 February 2015.
  42. ↑ Hegemann, Lisa (6 February 2015). "Wimdu: Werbe-Deal mit Berlusconis Mediaset" [Wimdu: promotional deal with Berlusconi's media set]. WirtschaftsWoche (in German).
  43. ↑ Schröder, Miriam (28 April 2015). "Deutsche Urlauber wollen keine Katzen". Handelsblatt (in German).
  44. ↑ Eisenring, Christoph (16 April 2016). "Wo Berlin uncool ist" [Where Berlin is uncool]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German).
  45. ↑ Rada, Uwe; Schmalz, Sophie; Schneider, Eva (24 April 2016). "Jetzt wird es ernst" [Now it's getting serious]. Die Tageszeitung (in German).
  46. ↑ "Portal Wimdu.de klagt gegen Berliner Ferienwohnungsverbot" [The Wimdu.de portal is suing Berlin's holiday apartment ban]. Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 14 April 2016.
  47. ↑ "Internetportal klagt gegen Ferienwohnungsverbot in Berlin" [Internet portal complains against ban on holiday apartments in Berlin]. Handelsblatt (in German). 24 April 2016.
  48. ↑ "Lawsuits against Berlin's holiday apartment ban failed" [Lawsuits against Berlin's holiday apartment ban failed]. Die Welt (in German). 8 June 2016.
  49. ↑ Lomas, Natasha (10 October 2016). "Airbnb rivals Wimdu and 9flats consolidate". TechCrunch.
  50. ↑ Sheivachman, Andrew (10 October 2016). "Airbnb's Most Well-Funded European Rival Wimdu Is Acquired by 9flats". Skift.
  51. ↑ Sheivachman, Andrew (10 October 2016). "Airbnb's Most Well-Funded European Rival Wimdu Is Acquired by 9flats". Skift.
  52. ↑ May, Kevin (5 December 2016). "Wimdu sharing wannabe sold to Wyndham brand Novasol". Phocuswire.
  53. ↑ Whyte, Patrick (5 December 2016). "Wyndham Steps Up Investment in Sharing Economy With Two New European Deals". Skift.
  54. ↑ Schlautmann, Christoph (10 January 2017). "Vacation Home Firm Snaps Up Wimdu". Handelsblatt.
  55. ↑ Höhler, Gerd; Louven, Sandra; Streit, Matthias; Peer, Mathias (26 July 2019). "Tourismus-Metropolen gehen gegen Airbnb und Co. vor" [Tourism metropolises take action against Airbnb and Co.]. Handelsblatt (in German).
  56. ↑ "Wyndham Worldwide Announces Completion of its Sale of its European Vacation Rentals Business" (Press release). Platinum Equity. 9 May 2018.
  57. ↑ "La pataforma Wimdu no aguanta la competencia y cerrará sus puertas a fin de año" [The Wimdu platform cannot stand the competition and will close its doors at the end of the year] (Press release) (in Spanish). Europa Press. 28 September 2018.
  58. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid. "Wimdu, Rocket Internet's Airbnb clone, to shut down this year 'facing significant business challenges'". TechCrunch.
  59. ↑ Fox, Linda (8 October 2018). "Shifts in European vacation rental as HomeToGo acquires Casamundo and Wimdu closes". Phocuswire.
  60. ↑ Schlenk, Caspar; Penke, Michel; Scherkamp, Hannah (28 September 2018). "Wimdu macht dicht – und entlässt mehr als 100 Mitarbeiter" [Wimdu shuts down - and fires more than 100 employees]. Die Welt.
  61. ↑ O'Neill, Sean; Schaal, Dennis (5 December 2018). "HomeToGo Buys a Near-Death Tripping in Vacation Rental Rollup". Skift.
  62. ↑ Cowan, Matt (2 March 2012). "Inside the clone factory: The story of Germany's Samwer brothers". Wired.
  63. ↑ Chafkin, Max (29 May 2012). "Lessons From the World's Most Ruthless Competitor". Inc.
  64. ↑ Kaczmarek, Joel (8 April 2011). "Samwers starten Airbnb-Klon Wimdu" [Samwers launch Airbnb clone Wimdu]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  65. ↑ "Internet companies: Attack of the clones". The Economist. 6 August 2011.
  66. ↑ Kaczmarek, Joel (10 June 2011). "Airbnb wettert gegen Wimdu(?)" [Airbnb weathered against Wimdu (?)]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  67. ↑ Hüsing, Alexander (29 April 2015). "Wimdu wirft sich vorm Konkurrenten airbnb in den Staub". deutsche-startups.de (in German).
  68. ↑ "Airbnb closes Austria operation in battle with Wimdu". TechCrunch. 20 December 2011.
  69. ↑ "Wohnungsportal Wimdu lässt Vermieter mit Schäden alleine" [Wimdu housing portal leaves landlords alone with damage]. Die Zeit (in German). 20 January 2016.
  70. ↑ "Airbnb-Konkurrent zahlt Vermietern bei Vandalismus keinen Schadensersatz" [Airbnb competitor's company does not pay landlords compensation for vandalism]. Stern (in German). 23 January 2016.
  71. ↑ Kyriasoglou, Christina (22 January 2016). "Führt Wimdu seine Kunden in die Irre?" [Is Wimdu misleading his customers?]. gruenderszene.de (in German).
  72. ↑ Rohrbeck, Felix (11 February 2016). "Wimdu wehrt sich …" [broker Wimdu defends itself]. Die Zeit (in German).
  73. ↑ "Wimdu & waarschuwingsbrief" [Wimdu & warning letter]. Groeten van MAX (in Dutch). 30 May 2016.
  74. ↑ Sage, Adam (13 April 2018). "Paris council sues Airbnb for €43m a day". The Times.
[edit]
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