Corporate consolidation in the home-swapping market this week as GuesttoGuest acquires rival brand HomeExchange.
Terms of the buy-out have not been disclosed but the move follows a $35 million capital-raise by GuesttoGuest.
The investment from MAIF, Alyan Group and a group of unnamed business angels was given in part to fund the acquisition and then also support the pair's respective growth strategies.
Both consumer-facing brands will remain as HomeExchange holds a strong role in the North American market - a position it has achieved after 25 years in business.
HomeExchange has 135,000 home-swaps available in 150 countries, while the younger GuesttoGuest has been on a growth tear since 2014 when it had 38,000 properties to the 280,000 in 187 countries it has in 2017.
The union of the two brands is being positioned as a "game-changing alternative to platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway", with the attraction being that no money changes hands between guest and host, with just a credit system in place for future stays.
In a statement, GuesttoGuest says:
"GuesttoGuest will remain free for users and target a younger audience while HomeExchange, which charges an annual membership fee depending on level of access, will continue pursuing a more established type of traveler in search of premium experiences."
GuestoGuest's stronghold is in Europe, born out of its formation in 2011 in France.
Founders Emmanuel Arnaud and Charles-Edouard Girard say:
"We are convinced that the practice of home exchange is reaching a turning point and will soon become the next big thing in tourism.
"The acquisition of HomeExchange will create the largest and most active community of home exchangers in the world."
The company aims to have more than one million travellers regularly organising trips on the home exchange model in two years.
GuesttoGuest raised $4.5 million in 2015, again from French insurance firm MAIF.