India's largest budget hotel chain Treebo Hotels on Wednesday announced raising of USD 34 million (Rs. 220 crore) in its Series C funding round led by Hong Kong-based investment firms Ward Ferry Management and Karst Peak Capital.
Existing investors, SAIF Partners, Matrix Partners India, and Bertelsmann India Investments also participated in the round.
Founded in 2015, Treebo Hotels is a technology-enabled budget hotel brand with close to 300 franchisees operating exclusively under its brand across more than 50 cities. The company offers high-quality accommodation options to travelers in the Rs. 1,000-3,000 per night price range.
"Ward Ferry and Karst Peak are both seasoned investors in the global markets including in the travel and hospitality space. Between them they have invested in hotel chains, cruise ships, OTAs, F&B chains, duty free shops, and several other sub-segments within the space. We are glad that our approach of building a sustainable, long-term business resonated with them. We feel privileged to have them onboard and look forward to leveraging their experience in driving business growth," said co-founder Treebo Hotels, Sidharth Gupta.
Treebo will invest the fresh funds into enhancing customer experience, building a stronger brand, strengthening its technology team, and expanding its footprint in existing and new cities. It is already the highest-rated hotel chain in this segment as per data from review portals like TripAdvisor and Booking.com
"We pioneered the technology-enabled franchise-based model in the budget hospitality segment in India. We have several breakthrough initiatives in the offing to further enhance the experience we offer to our guests, and the value we create for our franchise partners. This new capital will allow us to invest in these endeavours. We are thrilled to receive continued support from new and existing investors," said co-founder Treebo Hotels, Rahul Chaudhary.
Founded in 2015 by ex-Myntra/ McKinsey/ MakeMyTrip executives, Sidharth Gupta, Rahul Chaudhary, and Kadam Jeet Jain, Treebo works with new and existing hotels on a franchise model where Treebo offers its brand name, quality oversight, access to leading vendors, staff training, and sales and marketing expertise to the property, thereby enabling higher revenues for the franchise partner and a superior experience for the customers.
Prior to this round, the company had raised a total of USD 23 million over two rounds from SAIF Partners, Matrix Partners India, and Bertelsmann India Investments.