2024-01-14 23:07:35
Last year, an exchange was finalized every two minutes (twice as many as in 2019) on the HomeExchange platform, which saw the arrival of 50,000 new members. This low-cost membership (€160, the first year) allows you to make as many exchanges as desired over the course of a year.
Inflation which is eating away at purchasing power has, logically, been a powerful incentive to exchange one’s home. According to HomeExchange, the exchange allows you to spend 35% less on the budget for a week’s vacation.
However, if the desire to save money is the primary motivation (for 44% of members), it is not the only one. Home exchange has been gaining popularity around the world for years, boosting the growth of HomeExchange.
According to the survey carried out among its members, the possibility of traveling in a more authentic way motivates 39% of them, followed by the opportunity to travel longer and/or more often (33%).
“The exchange of houses is set to grow and last,” assures Charles-Edouard Girard, proud to be, with his friend Emmanuel Arnaud, at the origin of this French adventure, while Airbnb which connects individuals wishing to temporarily rent their property to other individuals, is an American multinational founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczy.
Despite its very Anglo-Saxon sounding name, the adventure began in 2011 in France when Charles-Edouard Girard and Emmanuel Arnaud launched their first company, GuesttoGuest.
In the process, they acquired other home exchange platforms: Trampolinn, Itamos, HomeForHome, Knok, Echange de Maison then, in 2017, HomeExchange.com, their first American competitor. The name of the latter was then taken up as a flagship brand bringing together all of the “communities”.
Today, the platform is headquartered in Paris but also in Cambrige (Massachussets) and has 130 employees. Over the last four years, Emmanuel Arnaud and Charles-Edouard Girard have raised a total of 40 million euros to finance their development. At the end of 2021, HomeExchange also launched a new offer, HomeExchange Collection, for travelers keen to exchange their exceptional homes.
As for the competitors -Swichome, Homelink and Third Home-, they have been largely left behind. “We have 90% of the market,” rejoices Charles-Edouard Girard.
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