News Room: Follow Our Story.
June 6, 2023
Milwaukee Travel Startup Frontdesk Buys Chicago Firm, Plans for More Acquisitions
The deal kicks off a string of multiple planned Frontdesk acquisitions and grows the company’s short-term rental portfolio by more than 200 apartment units in three of Frontdesk’s existing markets, Frontdesk CEO Jesse DePinto said.
June 6, 2023
Frontdesk Buys Rival Property Manager Zencity
Frontdesk is excited to announce the acquisition of Zencity, a Chicago-based short-term rental operator.
The Zencity purchase marks Frontdesk’s first corporate acquisition and provides additional high-quality hospitality inventory for Frontdesk in key business travel markets, including Chicago and Kansas City.
June 1, 2023
Skift Short-Term Rental 250: Mapping the Rental Vendor EcoSystem
Frontdesk is one of the industry’s Top 250 Short-Term Rental Companies and Top 10 Urban Rental Managers! 🏆
We are incredibly honored to be recognized by Skift as one of the most influential companies shaping the short-term rental industry.
January 2, 2023
Frontdesk Celebrates Six Years
Six years ago, Frontdesk was just a single unit in #Milwaukee. Today, we have over 1,000 short-term stays in 30+ markets across the United States. We could not have gotten here without the support of our guests, partners, and supporters 🤝
September 13, 2022
JetBlue Technology Ventures Joins Property Manager Frontdesk’s $13 Million Financing Round
JetBlue Technology Ventures, the airline’s corporate venture arm, deepened its foothold in the short-term rental sector with its participation in a $13 million financing round for Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based property manager Frontdesk.
August 19, 2022
Frontdesk Named “Short Term Rental Platform of the Year” by PropTech Breakthrough
We’re thrilled to recognize Frontdesk as “Short Term Rental Platform of the Year”. Frontdesk offers securely managed, comfortable and unique stays in the best neighborhoods with 24/7 support!
August 18, 2022
Frontdesk Picks Up Short-Term Rental Units From Shuttered WanderJaunt
Frontdesk, a PhocusWire Hot25 Startup of 2022, has acquired 33 units from WanderJaunt with “potentially hundreds more in the pipeline,” according to Jesse DePinto, Frontdesk co-founder and chief product officer.
August 16, 2022
Frontdesk made Inc 5000’s List for the Second Year in a Row
Short-Term Rental startup Frontdesk Inc. is among America’s fastest-growing and most-successful private companies, according to the annual Inc. 5000 list published today. See all the companies that made the list by clicking the “read more” button below.
July 13, 2022
“Every Startup Founder I ever Talked to has Meaningfully Struggled with Selling the Company — I Didn’t”
In this Q&A, Frontdesk CEO Kyle Weatherly recounts his journey from nonprofit worker to entrepreneur who may just be Milwaukee’s biggest startup success.
June 13, 2022
Explore Frontdesk’s Vibrant, Home-like Spaces on HomeToGo
Frontdesk is committed to providing guests with comfortable stays in the best neighborhoods and we are thrilled that our stays will now be available on HomeToGo. HomeToGo’s mission of making incredible accommodations easily accessible to everyone is why we are so excited to partner with them!
“Onboarding with HomeToGo was as fast and easy as it gets! Their dedicated team walked us through the steps and handled all of the listings curation flawlessly. Once they were done, all we had to do was “flip the switch” on our side and we were ready for our first booking” -Ben Hill, Distribution Manager
June 1, 2022
Stay Where You Want, With Frontdesk Hopper
The Hopper ethos of spending less and traveling better is also what we strive to bring our Frontdesk guests every day. This is why it was a no-brainer for us to list our properties on the top travel app, Hopper. At Frontdesk, we’re focused on providing guests with comfortable stays in the best neighborhoods, and now with Hopper, even more people will have access to Frontdesk.
May 2, 2022
A Third Hospitality Model That Big Brands Have Essentially Ignored
For the last 5 years, Frontdesk has been at the forefront of a hospitality model that’s slowly getting more and more attention. As mentioned in a recent Skift article, Sean O’Neill dives into the details of a third hospitality model for urban property owners and managers.
November 15, 2021
Hot 25 Startups 2022: Frontdesk
Frontdesk is excited to be featured on Phocuswire’s Hot 25 Startups 2022. 2022 will see the expansion of our proprietary technology SaaS product, Levr, and also a new chapter of Frontdesk history as we continue to expand our footprint by adding ten new markets.
October 25, 2021
No more dreamin’; Make your small business dreams real as ‘Milwaukee Tech Week’ begins
We’re happy to be featured by Michael Schlesinger at WDJT CBS 58 kicking off #MKETechWeek.
Frontdesk grew out of the Milwaukee tech start-up community and we’re excited to to see it’s evolution.
October 21, 2021
Culture first, tech second: Doing multifamily short-term rentals the right way with Frontdesk
“If we aren’t loved by our neighbors and seen as an asset to the apartment communities that we serve, then it is not going to be a long road for us in this industry in the urban apartment space. Trust and safety tech, for us, is just far more important than the average vacation home tech platform.”
Co-founder, Jesse DePinto, sat down with Paris Achen at Rent Responsibly to talk about how Frontdesk’s core values have fostered a culture that allows us to succeed.
September 9, 2021
2022 Best Tech Startups in Milwaukee
The Tech Tribune has released their list of the best tech startups in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Frontdesk is honored to be #1 on the list! We look forward to our continued growth in the Tech Startup space.
August 19, 2021
Travel’s Fastest Growing U.S. Small Businesses Offer a Glimpse Into These Emerging Trends
Frontdesk is leading the way as travelers seek alternative accommodations!
“The pandemic catapulted a few niche innovations into widespread use, benefiting a few fast-moving travel businesses. Lists come and go, but pay attention to the underlying trends that will last after the crisis passes.” Says Sean O’Neill at Skift
August 17, 2021
Milwaukee’s Frontdesk among fastest-growing U.S. firms: See local businesses on Inc. 5000
Vacation rental startup Frontdesk Inc. is among America’s fastest-growing private companies, according to the annual Inc. 5000 list published Tuesday.
Milwaukee-based Frontdesk ranked 136 on the list, representing 3,012% revenue growth between 2017 and 2020. The company was founded in 2017 and has raised $18 million to date, including a recent $7 million raise.
August 5, 2021
Urban Short-term Rental Company Frontdesk Raises $7M
Today, Frontdesk is excited to announce our most recent $7 million venture funding round, led by Stormbreaker Ventures!
“Ultimately, we decided to ‘fuel the fire’ and emerge from the pandemic as leaders in the booming short-term rental space. The influx of capital will drive further growth to both our management and our technology businesses, fulfilling the demand that is in our lap with short-term stays now exceeding pre-pandemic numbers” shared Kyle Weatherly, Co-Founder and CEO of Frontdesk.
Thank you for the write-up, Mitra Sorrells and PhocusWire!
July 15, 2021
Frontdesk wants to reinvent short term rentals
Check out the No Vacancy News Podcast With Glenn Haussman, featuring Frontdesk’s own Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Jesse! Thank you Glenn for inviting us to share our story on reinventing short term rentals!
June 14, 2021
The short-term rental industry is booming – but will it last?
Check out the latest PhocusWire article from Jill Menze on the outlook of the booming short-term rental industry, featuring Frontdesk! 🚀
“Looking ahead, DePinto says consumers are increasingly going to favor professional operators who are at scale. ‘Consumers can book knowing that they will get all the benefits of great short-term rentals – more space, authentic experience, seamless booking/check-in/check-out, etc. – without all the costs and risks such as unclean units, poor communication, and unrepresentative photos.’”
May 12, 2021
Frontdesk Now Offers Luxury and Premium Rental Properties on Homes & Villas by Marriott International
We couldn’t be more excited to finally share the news: Frontdesk apartment suites can now be booked via Homes & Villas by Marriott International, bringing new and unique options to more than 147 million Marriott Bonvoy members!
Thank you to Sarah Privitar and her team for making this a reality, and thank you Business Insider for the coverage!
If you’re a property owner, looking to list your apartments with us on Marriott, reach out to us here! https://frontdeskflex.com/
April 21, 2021
NoiseAware Eclipses 1 Million Protected Short-Term Rental Stays
Frontdesk and Jesse DePinto are featured in the news again. Thanks for the mention NoiseAware!
“We are seeing more bookings than ever, even exceeding pre-pandemic demand despite our inventory being based in urban markets that were hit heavily by pandemic lockdowns,” said Frontdesk Co-Founder Jesse DePinto.
“The pent-up travel demand has impacted our business so much that we are adding five new cities to our supply portfolio this spring – New Orleans, Savannah, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Austin.”
April 5, 2021
Short-Term Rentals Here for the Long Haul
Find Frontdesk in the news this week, in the recent article from Multi-Housing News “Short-Term Rentals Here for the Long Haul” where IvyLee Rosario discusses the flexible living sector living on as travel reemerges and the world moves beyond COVID-19 and the challenges that came with it.
Frontdesk co-founder & chief product officer, Jesse DePinto was included in the story noting:
“Being able to work from anywhere has drastically shifted how we think about travel and living,” added Jesse DePinto, co-founder & chief product officer at Frontdesk, who was also a panelist at the conference. “People are excited about the future of working from home in a post-COVID-19 and vaccine world.”
March 9, 2021
Urban Property Management Company Frontdesk is Doubling Their Inventory – Here’s How
Jesse DePinto is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Frontdesk, a leading urban short-term rental solutions provider for the real estate industry. Founded in 2017 and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company prides itself on their in-house tech solutions.
With over 600 properties under management, Frontdesk is number 47 on our list of the world’s largest property managers. And, they’re looking to scale to 1500 properties this year.
December 7, 2020
Frontdesk Sprints Ahead by Taking on Short-Term Rental Castoffs from Stay Alfred
Frontdesk, a property management service and tech vendor, has become the new operator of 55 urban short-term rental units in New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh formerly managed by Stay Alfred, which ceased operations in May.
An asset-light strategy is working for Frontdesk, based in Milwaukee and founded in 2016. This year it saw record revenues and a 20 percent increase of units managed to 580, said Jesse DePinto, co-founder and chief product officer. It has hosted 80,000 stays since May.
October 29, 2020
The World’s Top 50 Vacation Rental Property Management Companies
Despite what has been a difficult year for the vacation rental industry, there’s cause for celebration.
Property management companies around the world have shown incredible resilience and proven that their business models are more than prepared to survive a crisis of unprecedented magnitude.
June 15, 2020
Preparing for the Return of Travel
For several countries, the road to recovery from coronavirus has already begun. That’s why we invited global thought leaders from the short-term rental industry to join us at a virtual event and share projections for the future of travel, as well as provide tips on how property managers can optimize their business post-pandemic.
During this event, Guesty’s own President & COO Vered Schwarz — along with industry professionals Jesse DePinto, Co-Founder of Frontdesk; Scott Shatford, CEO of AirDNA; Amy Hinote, Founder & Editor of VRM Intel — shared best practices on navigating COVID-19 along with industry-wide data, recovery strategies and forecasts on what’s to come next for the short-term rental ecosystem.
June 2, 2020
Frontdesk CEO Weatherly among new UW Board of Regents appointees
The co-founder and chief executive officer of short-term apartment rentals firm Frontdesk was named to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.
Kyle Weatherly graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a master of public administration degree in public management. He was one of three individuals Gov. Tony Evers appointed to the board this week.
Short-term rental market faces consolidation as start-ups and small landlords offload properties
Consolidation is hitting the market for short-term home rentals as the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed travel dramatically this year. Small landlords and venture-backed companies that collected properties to rent out as short-term vacation rentals are offloading them in an effort to cut their losses. Meanwhile, large property owners and managers are seeing opportunities to expand as desperate sellers and landlords seek new business. Read more…Travel startup hopes to be industry leader
While the travel industry has been effectively shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, one Milwaukee-based lodging company is planning how to grow. Frontdesk, which offers short-term rentals in 28 different cities, has raised an additional $3 million in debt and equity. Founded in Milwaukee in 2017 by Kyle Weatherly and Jesse DePinto, the company offers fully furnished apartments for lease through its own website and others such as Airbnb. It has over 500 units and has completed over 60,000 stays to date. Read more… May 1, 2020
Frontdesk raises about $6 million for short-term rentals: travel startup funding this week
Frontdesk, a short-term apartment rental manager, has closed a $6.8 million Series A round.
This financing involves a mix of debt and equity, and it comes on the heels of the Milwaukee-based company’s $2.75 million bridge round, raised in the summer of 2019.
April 30, 2020
Frontdesk secures $6.8m series a, targets longer stays due to covid-19
Milwaukee-based serviced apartment rental company Frontdesk has landed a $6.8 million Series A round in a combination of debt and equity.
The company is not naming the participating investors but says they are existing investors and that they increased the funding by almost $3 million after the coronavirus crisis developed. In announcing its $2.75 million bridge round last August, Frontdesk named investors including La Macchia Holdings, Sand Hill Angels and Motivate Ventures.
April 29, 2020
Frontdesk secures $6.8 million in funding
Milwaukee-based corporate homesharing startup Frontdesk, Inc. continues to attract the attention of investors despite the travel industry’s unprecedented shakeup.
The startup just completed a $6.8 million Series A funding round in an equity and debt combination. In August of 2019, Frontdesk completed a bridge round for $2.75 million.
April 29, 2020
Frontdesk secures $6.8 million series a funding round
Tech-enabled short-term apartment rental startup Frontdesk, which aims to transform the way people experience travel, has announced it has completed a $6.8 million Series A raise in a combination of debt and equity.
The financing comes on the heels of the company’s $2.75 million bridge round, raised in summer 2019.
April 28, 2020
Leading short-term apartment rental startup Frontdesk secures $6.8 million series a financing round
Founded in 2017, Frontdesk, the tech-enabled short-term apartment rental startup transforming the way people experience travel, announced it has completed a $6.8 million Series A raise in a combination of debt and equity. This financing comes on the heels of the company’s $2.75 million bridge round, raised in summer 2019.
April 28, 2020
Apartment-style rental startup Frontdesk secures $6.8m series a funding
Short-term apartment-style accommodation company Frontdesk has secured $6.8 million in Series A funding, which is a combination of debt and equity, the company announced. Founded in 2017, Frontdesk currently operates in 28 cities and has more than 500 fully serviced apartment suites. About a third of its guests are business travelers, according to a company spokesperson, and the company plans to focus on expanding that share this year.
April 22, 2020
New partner announcement: Frontdesk
We’re excited to announce our newest partner — Frontdesk! We now have amazing properties in Columbus, Albuquerque, and Fort Worth. Here are a few of the new destinations we’ve opened up with this partnership, with more cities and properties on the way.
October 30, 2019
Meet Wisconsin Inno’s 2019 50 on fire
Today, we’re officially announcing the 50 people, companies and organizations that are heating up Wisconsin tech. You may be wondering, what exactly makes a company or individual on fire? Basically, it’s people and businesses that have had a banner year—whether that’s new funding, product launches, big hires or innovative approaches to solving problems.
September 3, 2019
Frontdesk co-founder: in online travel booking biz, technology is everything
“We’re a tech-enabled service system, so we use this to serve our hospitality guests and our real estate partners and technology is the way we operate,” DePinto said. “In this kind of business of apartment-style rentals, technology is a requirement. It isn’t nice to have. it’s a requirement to be able to operate.”
August 21, 2019
Milwaukee startup Frontdesk raises $2.75 million bridge round
Milwaukee-based corporate home-sharing startup Frontdesk LLC announced it has completed a $2.75 million bridge funding round. The funding will allow Frontdesk to expand its technology platform and geographical footprint more quickly, the company said. Since the beginning of 2019, Frontdesk has grown from managing 135 units in six cities to now managing 270 units in 13 cities.
August 20, 2019
La macchia part of $2.75m round for Milwaukee short-term lodging startup Frontdesk
Frontdesk, the Milwaukee-based startup that offers short-term rental housing for business and vacation travelers, has raised another $2.75 million to expand the business.
May 31, 2019
Stepping into 21st century hospitality with apartments and technology
[Frontdesk] saw the need for the best of both worlds and, to tackle this challenge, it is “evolving into a 21st-century tech-enabled hospitality brand,” DePinto told PYMNTS in an interview. As a result, the company can architect all the elements of its operation from technology to process and its people from the ground up with insight from the current day.
May 14, 2019
Frontdesk manages short-term rentals in urban apartment communities
Founded in 2017, Frontdesk develops and manages short-term rental suites around the United States for both business and leisure guests. Frontdesk ensures units provide hotel-style amenities and technology-driven security and services such as noise-monitoring sensors.
May 13, 2019
Frontdesk expanding to 15 cities with corporate rental model
Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, Booking.com, Expedia… there is no shortage of competition in the world of private home rentals. But those are just online booking intermediaries. Milwaukee startup Frontdesk aims to corner the market on professional home rental management.
April 16, 2019
How frontdesk creates sense of home for business travelers
It’s a good place to be for Milwaukee-based Frontdesk. As more and more Americans turn to homesharing platforms to book their travel accommodations, the hospitality and real estate company is poised for rapid growth in the coming year as it focuses on corporate housing for business travelers.
March 28, 2019
Milwaukee corporate homesharing startup expects dnc windfall
Fast-growing Milwaukee startup Frontdesk, which rents apartments to corporate travelers, expects it will receive “a financial windfall” for its 22 Milwaukee rentals when the 2020 Democratic National Convention comes to town.
September 27, 2018
Frontdesk gets investment from bucks’ lasry
Milwaukee corporate housing management startup Frontdesk has received a $250,000 investment from Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry. The investment will go toward the $1.09 million seed-plus funding round Frontdesk is currently raising.
July 1, 2018
Milwaukee startup frontdesk provides corporate housing for business travelers
By making it easy for travelers to stay in homes and apartments outside of typical hotel locations, Airbnb changed the game for the hospitality industry.
March 9, 2021
Urban Property Management Company Frontdesk is Doubling Their Inventory – Here’s How
Jesse DePinto is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Frontdesk, a leading urban short-term rental solutions provider for the real estate industry. Founded in 2017 and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company prides itself on their in-house tech solutions.
With over 600 properties under management, Frontdesk is number 47 on our list of the world’s largest property managers. And, they’re looking to scale to 1500 properties this year.
