Onefinestay expands in Italy

Rome will be the fifth location for the high-end homestay company, after London, New York, LA and Paris.

Launched in 2010 with six homes in London, Onefinestay pitched itself as the “unhotel” for travellers who wanted to stay somewhere other than hotels. Unlike Airbnb, all properties are handpicked by Onefinestay staff and handled on behalf of the owners.

The latest selection of homes in Rome will be bookable from March and are expected to be available to stay in by June.

“Italy was actually the birthplace of my dream to create Onefinestay and I am proud to be opening in Rome as part of our European growth plans,” co-founder and chief executive Greg Marsh said.

Onefinestay recently completed $40 million in Series D funding which brought the company’s capital raised to more than $80 million to date.

Onefinestay takes care of all marketing and the vetting of each guest, as well as cleaning and preparing each home with fresh linens and toiletries.

All guests receive a personal welcome on arrival and also get an iPhone for the duration of the stay, with unlimited data and local calls, as well as neighbourhood recommendations from the homeowner and access to 24/7 guest services.

Other recent additions in existing locations include a Buff & Hensman-designed home in LA’s Hollywood Hills, an art-filled Brooklyn brownstone in New York and a former piano factory in Montmartre, Paris.