Wimdu

Wimdu GmbH
private (GmbH)
Industry Tourism
Founded March 2011 (2011-03)
Founders
  • Arne Bleckwenn
  • Hinrich Dreiling
Headquarters Berlin, Germany
Number of locations
 ~150 countries
Area served
 worldwide
Key people
  • Arne Kahlke (CEO)
  • Soren Kress (CEO)
Services peer-to-peer property rental
Revenue Increase €13.6 million (2014)
Total assets Decrease €25.2 million (2014)
Total equity Decrease €9.5 million (2014)
Owners Rocket Internet
Number of employees
 240 (2014)
Website wimdu.com
Footnotes / references
Company Register

Wimdu is a privately held peer-to-peer property rental company.[1] It operates a global online marketplace for short-term rentals and private accommodation.[2] Founded by Arne Bleckwenn and Hinrich Dreiling in March 2011 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany,[3] the company is considered to be one of the major competitors of Airbnb and a key vendor of the global vacation rental market.[4][5] Since its foundation, Kinnevik and Rocket Internet have been involved in the company.[6] In fiscal year 2014, Rocket Internet held a majority of Wimdu shares.[7]

History

Wimdu was registered as a limited company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) in March 2011.[8] Arne Bleckwenn and Hinrich Dreiling, the founders of Wimdu, founded and managed several other startups before.[9][10] Shortly after Wimdu launched, the company received $90 million in funding from Kinnevik and Rocket Internet.[11] At this time, this was the largest investment in a European startup ever.[12] WirtschaftsWoche rated Wimdu among the most important startups of 2011.[13] Online for less than 100 days, Wimdu already offered 10,000 accommodations in 150 cities. The company had 400 employees and 15 offices.[14] Because the Chinese market is different, Wimdu started a spin-off business there called Airizu.[15] Shortly after the launch of Wimdu, Airbnb publicity criticized the business model.[16] Nevertheless, Airbnb considered acquiring Wimdu,[17] but finally decided against it.[18][19]

By 2012, Wimdu claimed to be the biggest social accommodation website from Europe.[20] After the first year in business, Wimdu gained booking revenues of $6.6 million per month and expected more than $100 million for the whole year 2012.[21][22] Later that year, the company fundamentally changed its growth strategy: Activities of international offices were reduced, some employees moved back to the Berlin headquarters.[23] The media reported that the restructuring was due to rising costs incurred by rapid growth.[24] 2013, Wimdu closed its China subsidiary Airizu, now doing business there under their main brand.[25] When it comes to Germany in particular, peer-to-peer property rental companies faced new regulatory requirements beginning in 2013.[26][27] While competitors like 9flats left Berlin,[28] Wimdu continued its operations there.[29]

By June 2013, Wimdu offered 100,000 accommodations in 150 countries.[30] The same year, media reported that Rocket Internet wanted at moments to sell Wimdu.[31][32] In October 2014, the founders Arne Bleckwenn and Hinrich Dreiling left Wimdu at their own request.[33] The management was handed over to Arne Kahlke und Sören Kress,[34] Bleckwenn and Dreiling took a position in the advisory board.[35] Wimdu further expanded its activities at the Berlin headquarters.[36] From 2013 to 2014, Wimdu increased the number of bookings by 31%.[37] 2015, Mediaset and Wimdu signed a media for equity deal.[38] The Italian media conglomerate invested million euros in the Berlin company, which received advertising on the Mediaset TV channels in return.[39] In the following months, Wimdu expanded in Italy, Spain and other Southern European countries.[40] The Mediaset-deal was significant for this.[41][42]

The city of Berlin adopted a law that restricts private apartment rentals.[43][44] This was primarily due to the housing shortage.[45] In April 2016, Wimdu filed a lawsuit against the law, which received a lot of public attention.[46][47] The company argued that the law illegally restricts the fundamental rights of hosts.[48] Author of the lawsuit is Helge Sodan, former president of the constitutional court of Berlin.[49] Although the lawsuit will likely be successful,[50] the Senate of Berlin continues to uphold the law.[51] A decision is expected for mid 2016.

Operations

Wimdu is an online marketplace for private accommodation, similar to Airbnb, Jetsetter, HomeAway and others.[52] The service connects guests and hosts worldwide in order to provide an alternative to hotels.[53] The Wimdu website is available in 15 languages, including English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, for example. Wimdu lists 300,000 properties in 150 countries.[54] There are many different types of properties, including private rooms, apartments, houses, boats and cars. According to Tripping, Wimdu is the leading European portal for renting city apartments,[55] which make up the majority of all properties.[56] Wimdu has also become increasingly popular for accommodation near famous individuals.[57][58]

Users of the Wimdu website must register a personal online profile, with a valid email address. Alternatively, Wimdu users can log in with an existing Facebook account. Profiles can be used to rent properties as well as list one's own place: there are not different account types for guests and hosts.[59][60] Profiles include reviews to build reputation and trust between users of the online marketplace.[61] Any booking on Wimdu requires a fixed commission of 3% for the host and 12% for the guest.[62] Wimdu supports different payment methods, including credit card, direct debit, wire transfer and PayPal.[63] For security purposes, all payments are retained for 24 hours after check-in, so that guests can check their accommodation for problems.[64] Beside the Wimdu website, there are guest and host apps for iOS devices,[65] although Android is currently not supported.

Controversies

Rocket Internet, which is headed up by the Samwer brothers and invested heavily in Wimdu, is renowned for its aggressive entrepreneurship and leadership style.[66][67][68] Wimdu has been accused several times of being a clone of Airbnb,[69][70] as their business-model and website design is remarkably similar.[71] In response, representatives of the company stated that although the concept may seem similar, Wimdu has a unique approach,[72] treating "different countries, different cultures, in different ways".[73] Wimdu offers a "hotel light" experience in a market where Airbnb has the "first mover advantage".[74] Both Airbnb and Wimdu have been in a fierce competition, especially in German-speaking Europe.[75]

In January 2016, Wimdu was accused of leaving their hosts alone to deal with vandalism: Die Zeit, Stern reported that Wimdu refused to compensate a Berlin apartment that had been destroyed, beyond offering a dedicated "insurance" for such damages.[76][77] Wimdu denied the allegations and pointed out that the host had demanded an "excessive refund" in this case.[78] Die Zeit took on the position of Wimdu and invited experts to check their standard form contract, which was deemed to be unsatisfactory for many cases discussed before.[79]

In a TV program (Groeten van Max) on Dutch TV (aired May 30th) they showed a B&B being duped - as their images were used by someone else. As they informed Wimdu about it, Wimdu ignored the problem - allowing others to be duped by a fake room/apartment being advertised, plus damaging the reputation of the original B&B. When confronted by the TV program at their head office, they refused to comment, and pointed the reporter to the door. Use with extreme caution. To see the episode - in dutch : Source : [80]

References

  1. ↑ Jenna Wortham (July 25, 2011). "Room to Rent, via the Web". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Luftbett statt Bettenburg". Die Presse (in German). August 28, 2011. p. 20.
  3. ↑ Anne Onken (July 2, 2011). "Heute L.A., morgen Amsterdam". Die Welt (in German). p. 12.
  4. ↑ "Das Geschäft mit den Privatwohnungen". Bonner General-Anzeiger (in German). October 7, 2015. p. 17.
  5. ↑ "Global Vacation Rental Market 2015-2019". Research and Markets. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  6. ↑ Robin Wauters (June 14, 2011). "Investors Pump $90 Million Into Airbnb Clone Wimdu". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Rocket Internet. May 5, 2015. p. 134. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Wimdu GmbH". Company Register. Bundesanzeiger. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Arne Bleckwenn". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Hinrich Dreiling". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  11. ↑ Alexander Hüsing (June 15, 2011). "Zimmerdreikampf: Wimdu sammelt 90 Millionen US-Dollar ein". deutsche-startups.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ Holger Schmidt (June 15, 2011). "Rekord: Start-Up Wimdu erhält 90 Millionen Dollar Finanzspritze". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Gründer: Die wichtigsten Startups". WirtschaftsWoche (in German). Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ Oliver Voß (June 17, 2011). "Samwer-Brüder: Der nächste Angriff der Klonkrieger". WirtschaftsWoche (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  15. ↑ Thomas Ohr (May 10, 2011). "Wimdu enters the Chinese market with Airizu". eu-startups.com. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  16. ↑ Alexia Tsotsis (June 9, 2011). "Airbnb Freaks Out Over Samwer Clones". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  17. ↑ Joel Kaczmarek (2014). Die Paten des Internets (in German) (3rd ed.). Munich: FinanzBuch Verlag. p. 397. ISBN 978-3-86248-353-2.
  18. ↑ Leena Rao (October 11, 2013). "Brian Chesky Talks About Why Airbnb Didn't Acquire European Clone Wimdu, Global Growth And More". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  19. ↑ Georg Räth (October 14, 2013). "Airbnb hätte beinahe Wimdu übernommen". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  20. ↑ Linsey Fryatt (March 22, 2013). "Wimdu vs Airbnb – the battle for Europe hots up ahead of London 2012 Olympics". The Heureka. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ Robin Wauters (March 22, 2012). "After one year, Airbnb rival Wimdu is big. How big? $132 million a year big". The Next Web. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  22. ↑ Joel Kaczmarek (March 22, 2012). "Wimdu gibt erstmals Zahlen bekannt". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  23. ↑ Alex Hofmann (September 19, 2012). "Wimdu streicht internationale Büros zusammen". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  24. ↑ Alex Hofmann (September 20, 2012). "Airbnb rival Wimdu confirms cuts to international offices, refocus on Berlin". The Heureka. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  25. ↑ Josh Horwitz (July 12, 2013). "Rocket Internet has reportedly shuttered Airizu, its struggling Airbnb clone in China". The Next Web. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  26. ↑ Isabell Prophet (October 25, 2013). "Die Jagd auf die Untervermieter". Die Welt (in German). p. 30.
  27. ↑ Frida Thurm (November 27, 2013). "Auch deutsche Wohnplattformen sollen Daten herausgeben". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Nach Verbot von Ferienwohnungen gibt Vermittler 9flats in Berlin auf". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). November 27, 2013. p. 6.
  29. ↑ Magdalena Räth (November 27, 2013). "Airbnb rival 9flats shuts down office in Berlin". The Heureka. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Mit Wimdu günstig nächtigen". Kronen Zeitung (in German). June 9, 2013. p. 10.
  31. ↑ Magdalena Räth (January 29, 2013). "Wimdu findet keine Abnehmer". gruenderszene.de (in German).
  32. ↑ Stephan Dörner (January 29, 2013). "Samwer-Brüder werden Wimdu nicht los". The Wall Street Journal (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  33. ↑ Alexander Hüsing (October 30, 2014). "Bleckwenn und Dreiling verlassen Zimmervermittler Wimdu". deutsche-startups.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Wimdu-Gründer geben Geschäftsführung ab". gruenderszene.de (in German). October 30, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  35. ↑ Alexander Hüsing (October 30, 2014). "Bleckwenn und Dreiling verlassen Zimmervermittler Wimdu". deutsche-startups.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Wo Mitarbeiter von anderen Ländern träumen". deutsche-startups.de (in German). November 5, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  37. ↑ Thomas Ohr (May 6, 2015). "5 unexpected things Rocket Internet's annual report for 2014 reveals". eu-startups.com. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  38. ↑ Johannes Bockenheimer (February 6, 2015). "Mediaset steigt bei Berliner Zimmervermittler Wimdu ein". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  39. ↑ Niklas Wirminghaus (February 5, 2015). "Wimdu schließt Media-Deal mit Berlusconis Sendergruppe". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  40. ↑ Miriam Schröder (April 28, 2015). "Deutsche Urlauber wollen keine Katzen". Handelsblatt (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Berlusconi-Konzern steigt bei Zimmervermittler Wimdu ein". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  42. ↑ Lisa Hegemann (February 6, 2015). "Wimdu: Werbe-Deal mit Berlusconis Mediaset". WirtschaftsWoche (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  43. ↑ Christoph Eisenring (April 16, 2016). "Wo Berlin uncool ist". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German).
  44. ↑ Uwe Rada; Sophie Schmalz; Eva Schneider (April 24, 2016). "Jetzt wird es ernst". Die Tageszeitung (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  45. ↑ Janko Tietz (August 12, 2013). "Tourismus: Teilen verboten". Der Spiegel (in German).
  46. ↑ "Portal Wimdu.de klagt gegen Berliner Ferienwohnungsverbot". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Internetportal klagt gegen Ferienwohnungsverbot in Berlin". Handelsblatt (in German). April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Online-Portal Wimdu klagt gegen Berlin". Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). April 15, 2016. p. 9.
  49. ↑ Uwe Aulich (April 15, 2016). "Wimdu verklagt das Land Berlin". Berliner Zeitung (in German).
  50. ↑ Isabell Jürgens (March 10, 2015). "Verbot von Ferienwohnungen könnte verfassungswidrig sein". Die Welt (in German). p. 25.
  51. ↑ Uwe Aulich (April 18, 2016). "Der Senat bleibt hart". Berliner Zeitung (in German).
  52. ↑ Michelle Higgins (January 4, 2012). "19 Web Sites for Travel Savings in 2012". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  53. ↑ "About Wimdu". Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  54. ↑ Bernhard Brügger, Raphaela Kwidzinski (May 2, 2015). "Teilen ist das neue Reisen". Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung (in German). pp. 6–7.
  55. ↑ "Airbnb vs. Wimdu". Tripping. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  56. ↑ Isabel Choat (June 28, 2013). "How to find and book a holiday apartment online". The Guardian. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  57. ↑ "Neben echten Stars urlauben". Tiroler Tageszeitung (in German). August 5, 2011. p. 26.
  58. ↑ "Tür an Tür mit Fashion-Stars". B.Z. (in German). July 22, 2012. p. 38.
  59. ↑ "How it works for guests". Wimdu. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  60. ↑ "How it works for hosts". Wimdu. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  61. ↑ Emma Lunn (October 11, 2014). "Using Airbnb, Wimdu or another social travel site? How to avoid being conned". The Guardian. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  62. ↑ Marie-Astrid Langer (January 3, 2014). "In fremden Schlafzimmern". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). p. 50.
  63. ↑ "Was taugen die Zimmerportale im Internet?". Das Erste (in German). Saarländischer Rundfunk. September 13, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Wimdu to check-in with global insurance, traveller protection to follow". tnooz.com. August 24, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  65. ↑ "iTunes Preview". App Store (iOS).
  66. ↑ Matt Cowan (March 2, 2012). "Inside the clone factory: The story of Germany's Samwer brothers". Wired. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  67. ↑ Max Chafkin (May 29, 2012). "Lessons From the World's Most Ruthless Competitor". Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  68. ↑ Meike Laaff (October 1, 2014). "Die Ideenkopierer". Die Tageszeitung (in German). p. 4.
  69. ↑ Joel Kaczmarek (April 8, 2011). "Samwers starten Airbnb-Klon Wimdu". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  70. ↑ "Internet companies: Attack of the clones". The Economist. August 6, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  71. ↑ Joel Kaczmarek (June 10, 2011). "Airbnb wettert gegen Wimdu(?)" (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  72. ↑ Björn Maatz (May 26, 2012). "Wie Wimdu sich von den Samwer-Brüdern freischwimmt". Financial Times (in German).
  73. ↑ Bobbie Johnson (March 21, 2012). "With Airbnb expanding in Europe, Wimdu cranks it up". Gigaom. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  74. ↑ Alexander Hüsing (April 29, 2015). "Wimdu wirft sich vorm Konkurrenten airbnb in den Staub". deutsche-startups.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  75. ↑ "Airbnb closes Austria operation in battle with Wimdu". TechCrunch. December 20, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  76. ↑ "Wohnungsportal Wimdu lässt Vermieter mit Schäden alleine". Die Zeit (in German). January 20, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  77. ↑ "Airbnb-Konkurrent zahlt Vermietern bei Vandalismus keinen Schadensersatz". Stern (in German). January 23, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  78. ↑ Christina Kyriasoglou (January 22, 2016). "Führt Wimdu seine Kunden in die Irre?". gruenderszene.de (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  79. ↑ Felix Rohrbeck (February 11, 2016). "Wimdu wehrt sich …". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  80. ↑ http://www.omroepmax.nl/groeten-van-max/uitzending/tv/groeten-van-max-maandag-30-mei-2016/

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