Properly nabs $8.5M to grow housekeeping platform for vacation rental property managers

Properly has raised $8.5 million to expand its cleaning and operations management platform for vacation rental managers.

The Series A round was led by Asset Management Ventures, with participation from AccorHotels and travel investors including Ev Williams, Simon Lehmann, Fabio Cannavale and Tom Hale.

Founded in 2014, San Francisco-based Properly is used by more than 20,000 Airbnb hosts and property managers in more than 65,000 listings worldwide. Its tools allow hospitality brands and property managers to set quality standards for their teams and manage their operations.

Through the Properly app, photo-based checklists help direct cleaners on how to tackle particular tasks, and maintenance work such as changing smoke detector batteries can be scheduled.

Properly says its partnerships with branded collections such as AccorHotels’ Onefinestay help property managers and their service providers meet strict brand standards at a global scale.

In addition to its quality management tools, Properly connects property managers with a network of service providers to offer local support for things like inspections or staffing needs.

“Home-sharing and vacation rentals have grown three times faster than traditional hotels over the last decade, but mass market travelers have been slow to embrace the category because they don’t trust what they’re getting,” says Alex Nigg, founder and CEO of Properly.

“If vacation rentals are to become a real alternative to hotels, the industry needs to set a standard. Properly helps ensure that guests arrive to a safe, clean property - every time.”

Asset Management Ventures partner Rich Simoni says: “The home-sharing and vacation rental industry is a massive, exciting market; just look at the level of investment and consumer interest in the space.

“Properly’s unique combination of quality management tools and a marketplace of service providers positions it to address the next wave of change - establishing brands and standards that attract and retain mass-market travelers.”