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Airbnb paid $200M for Canadian rival: report

$30B company agreed to buy listing site Luxury Retreats

From left: Airbnb's Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky and Luxury Rentals' Joe Poulin (Credit: Getty Images)
From left: Airbnb's Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky and Luxury Rentals' Joe Poulin (Credit: Getty Images)

Airbnb bought the Canadian short-term luxury rental site Luxury Retreats International for a rumored $200 million, removing a competitor and expanding its offerings at the high end.

Montreal-based Luxury Retreats, founded in 1999, is an online marketplace for short-term home rentals with prices often exceeding $1,000 per night. Last year the company raised $11 million from venture investors, bringing its total funding to $16 million.

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The firm’s founder Joe Poulin will head Airbnb’s luxury rental business.

Airbnb, valued at $30 billion in its latest funding round, is reportedly looking to expand its offerings to care rentals and plane tickets ahead of a rumored IPO. The firm has faced opposition from New York lawmakers who accuse the firm of exacerbating housing shortages by turning rental units into de-facto hotels.

On Monday Bloomberg reported that Airbnb has $3 billion in cash sitting around and planned to acquire firms across the hospitality/travel sector. [WSJ] — Konrad Putzier

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