/Companies

Hotel Tonight

Acquired

San Francisco, US · Founded 2010 · Delaware corporation · 111 employees on LinkedIn · 18 known investors

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HotelTonight is an online marketplace offering discounted last-minute hotel bookings across thousands of properties in major cities and destinations worldwide. The platform serves leisure travelers seeking deals on same-day or advance reservations through its website and mobile app.

Also known as Hotel Tonight, Inc. · Hotel Tonight, LLC · HotelTonight

Founders & leadership

Hotel Tonight was founded in 2010 by Jared Simon and Sam Shank.

JSJared Simon
Jared SimonCo-Founder / Board2017–2019Senior Advisor (Co-Founder HotelTonight) at Grishin Robotics
SSSam Shank
Sam ShankCo-founder · CEO2010–2022Sam Shank founded HotelTonight in 2010, which he grew into a dominant last-minute hotel booking platform before Airbnb acquired it in 2019; he subsequently held roles at Airbnb including Head of Guest Experience and Head of Commercialization. Prior to HotelTonight, he founded DealBase.com and TravelPost.com, and he is currently co-founder of Stand, an AI-native homeowners insurer.
CB
Chris BaileyFounder
CB
Christopher BaileyFounder

Board

RLRoger Lee
Roger LeeBoard directorGeneral Partner at Battery Ventures
BO
Brian O'MalleyBoard director
HL
Howard LoveBoard director
RLRick Lewis
Rick LewisBoard Member2012–2019General Partner at US Venture Partners
AB
Amy BohutinskyBoard director

Investors · 18

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$37M disclosed across 1 of 5 rounds · 2011–2017

▶$37MraisedMar 2017 · 30 investors · Other Travel
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Roger LeeDirector
  • Brian O'MalleyDirector
  • Jared SimonDirector
  • Sam ShankExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
  • Amy BohutinskyDirector
  • Howard LoveDirector
  • Rick LewisDirector
Offering amount
$37.1M
Amount sold
$37M
First sale
Mar 2017
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Valuation · disclosed

Disclosed events
$463Mvaluation at Series EMar 2017
filing ↗

Source: SEC prospectus filings, and round valuations the company or its investors disclosed — follow each entry's link for the claim.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

HotelTonight (Hotel Tonight, Inc.) is an online travel agency and metasearch service, headquartered in San Francisco, that lets travelers book last-minute and same-day hotel rooms through its mobile apps and website. Founded in December 2010, it launched in January 2011 on the iPhone App Store and added an Android app on Google Play in July 2011. Originally same-day only, the service was extended in October 2014 to allow bookings up to seven days ahead, and now supports reservations up to 100 days in advance; eligible rooms can be booked until 2 a.m. local hotel time on the first night of a stay. In September 2018 the company added booking via its website, having previously been mobile-only.

The platform organizes inventory into categories such as Basic, Solid, Hip and Luxe, and offers search by city, attraction or map with filters for amenities such as Wi-Fi, parking and pet-friendly rooms. Product features include Daily Drop, a once-a-day personalized deal live for 15 minutes with savings advertised up to 30 percent, the HT Perks rewards program, achievement badges for travel milestones, guest ratings and reviews, and 24/7 customer support. Since the Airbnb acquisition, US and UK users earn 10 percent of hotel bookings back in Airbnb credit.

HotelTonight was acquired by Airbnb in a deal announced on March 7, 2019 and subsequently closed. The app and website continued to operate as before, with co-founder and CEO Sam Shank leading Airbnb's boutique hotel category.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Android app downloadsJan 202610M+
Google Play ratingJan 20264.4 out of 5 (70.1K reviews)
Gross hotel bookings processed (trailing year)Mar 2017$300M
Hotels listed in New York CityJan 2026207 hotels
Total funding raisedMar 2019$126M
ValuationMar 2017$463M

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

6 people who came through Hotel Tonight went on to found or lead other companies.

Related companies · 5

Companies working in the same space as Hotel Tonight.

Timeline · 7

launches, deals, and filings
Mar 2019
Airbnb agrees to acquire HotelTonight

Airbnb announced an agreement to acquire HotelTonight for approximately $450 million in cash and stock; financial terms were not disclosed by the companies.

$450M source ↗

Jan 2019
Airbnb and HotelTonight finalize acquisition

The companies announced the acquisition had closed; the HotelTonight app and website continued to operate, with co-founder and CEO Sam Shank leading the boutique hotel category at Airbnb.

source ↗

Jan 2019
Daily Drop personalized daily deal

HotelTonight added Daily Drop, a personalized daily deal offering, ahead of the acquisition close.

source ↗

Sep 2018
Expanded from mobile-only to desktop web bookings

HotelTonight began allowing bookings through its website in September 2018.

source ↗

Oct 2014
Extended bookings from same-day only to seven days in advance

source ↗

Jul 2011
Android app launched on Google Play

source ↗

Jan 2011
Launch on the iPhone App Store in the US

HotelTonight first launched in January 2011 in the United States on the iPhone App Store.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
Hotel TonightDelaware

▸Research sources · 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Hotel Tonight do?
HotelTonight is an Airbnb-owned hotel booking service for last-minute and advance stays at boutique and independent hotels.
Who founded Hotel Tonight?
Hotel Tonight was founded by Jared Simon, Sam Shank in 2010.
Who are Hotel Tonight's investors?
Hotel Tonight's investors include Accel, Acrew Capital, Arba LLC, Aspect Ventures, Battery Ventures, Coatue Management, First Round Capital, Founder Collective and 10 more.
How much funding has Hotel Tonight raised?
Hotel Tonight has disclosed $37M raised across 1 of its 5 known rounds.
Where is Hotel Tonight headquartered?
Hotel Tonight is headquartered in San Francisco, US.