Plum Guide
Plum Guide is a London-based curated vacation rental marketplace that vets and accepts only the top 3% of applicant homes for discerning travelers. The platform combines AI with in-house Home Critics to evaluate 30,000+ properties across 500+ destinations, charging service fees up to 22% on both guest and host sides.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Plum Guide does
Plum Guide (legal entity: Plu&m Limited) is a London-headquartered, curated vacation rental marketplace founded in January 2016 by Doron Meyassed. The platform connects discerning travelers with private vacation homes that have passed a proprietary vetting process accepting only the top 3% of applicant properties. Plum Guide lists over 30,000 vetted stays across 500+ destinations in 30+ countries spanning Europe, North America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
The company's core technology is the "Plum Test," a hybrid AI-plus-human vetting methodology that combines machine learning evaluation of structured property attributes with on-site inspections by in-house "Home Critics" who score homes across hundreds of criteria including design, cleanliness, location, amenities, wifi speed, and shower pressure. The marketplace supports both guest bookings and host onboarding through web and mobile applications, with identity verification via Onfido. Complementary offerings include the Plum Guide Promise (cancellation protection with relocation guarantees), Plum Guide for Business (corporate housing), a host listing program, an affiliate program, and an arbitration scheme operated with The Barrister Group.
Plum Guide operates a two-sided transactional revenue model, charging service fees of up to 22% of accommodation charges to both guests and hosts, plus ancillary payment processing fees up to 3.5%. Distribution is primarily self-serve through plumguide.com and mobile apps, supplemented by a strategic partnership with KEY.co (announced December 2025) combining luxury portfolios across the Americas and Europe, and marketing partnerships with Financial Times and GHA Discovery. The company has raised approximately £44 million across Series A (£6M, November 2017) and Series B (£38M total, March 2019 and October 2021) rounds, with a smaller Crowdcube raise in August 2022, and operates with a team of 100+ employees on a hybrid remote model.
Plum Guide firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Plum Guide
- Legal name
- Plu&m Limited
- Website
- https://plumguide.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Plum Guide is a London-based curated vacation rental marketplace that vets and accepts only the top 3% of applicant homes for discerning travelers. The platform combines AI with in-house Home Critics to evaluate 30,000+ properties across 500+ destinations, charging service fees up to 22% on both guest and host sides.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Plum Guide industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vacation Rental Marketplace
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Vacation Rental Marketplaces (Curated/Verified Villas) (THAMALAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Luxury Chalets & Ski-In/Ski-Out Homes (THAMAEAD)
Keywords
Where Plum Guide is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Plum Guide business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Guest Service Fees: Plum Guide charges guests a service fee of up to 22% of the total Accommodation Charges plus applicable sales taxes. This fee is non-refundable once booking is confirmed except in limited circumstances.
- Host Service Fees: Plum Guide charges hosts a service fee of up to 22% of total Accommodation Charges plus applicable sales taxes. Additional on-boarding fee covers cost of testing the home and creating the listing.
- Payment Processing: Plum Guide acts as collection agent for hosts, processing payments and collecting accommodation charges. Additional fees up to 3.5% may be charged for ancillary payments like damage claims.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Award-winning homes starting from £98 |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Plum Guide product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Plum Guide operates a curated vacation rental marketplace connecting discerning travelers with vetted private holiday homes across 40+ destinations globally. The platform vets properties through a proprietary 'Plum Test' that combines AI/machine learning with in-house human Home Critics, accepting only the top 3% of applicants. Booking is enabled through a website and mobile applications, with guest and host service fees of up to 22% applied per transaction.
Product overview
Plum Guide operates as a curated vacation rental marketplace and platform with a single core offering: a web and mobile marketplace connecting discerning travelers with meticulously vetted private vacation homes. The platform's main differentiator is its proprietary Plum Test vetting system, which combines Machine Learning/AI with expert human Home Critics to evaluate properties against hundreds of criteria, accepting only the top 3% of applicants. The platform is complemented by supporting modules including the Plum Guide Promise (guarantee program), Plum Guide for Business (corporate travel), Become a Host (property listing program), Affiliate Program, and the Plum Guide Arbitration Scheme for dispute resolution. The company operates across 500+ destinations in 30,000+ vetted properties globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plum Guide Platform Core web marketplace connecting guests with private vacation rental homes that have passed the Plum Test vetting process. Only the top 3% of assessed properties are listed, targeting discerning individual travelers seeking high-quality, verified holiday rentals.
- Plum Guide for Business
Quantifiable outcome
- 30,000+ meticulously vetted properties globally
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Plum Guide
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Plum Guide technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Plum Guide partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KEY.cocoreStrategic partnership to combine luxury vacation rental offerings across the Americas and Europe, creating a comprehensive global portfolio. Partnership starting December 2025 aims to expand each company's reach and improve luxury travel experiences through combined quality standards and curated properties.
- Financial TimesminorOngoing partnership offering Plum Guide guests an exclusive 33% discount on Financial Times subscriptions, enabling travelers to stay informed while on vacation. Exclusive offer for Plum Guide customers to access award-winning journalism.
- GHA DiscoveryminorPartnership with Global Hotel Alliance providing loyalty benefits and discovery program access for Plum Guide customers.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Plum Guide competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Airbnb: Global short-term rental marketplace with massive host supply and guest traffic. Directly comparable in core vacation rental marketplace mechanics, and increasingly competitive in the curated/luxury tier via Airbnb Luxe and Airbnb Plus, which overlap with Plum Guide's top-3% value proposition.
- Vrbo: Major vacation rental marketplace owned by Expedia Group, focused on whole-home rentals. Comparable as a self-serve short-term rental platform serving families and groups; its Premier and luxury tiers overlap with Plum Guide's high-end positioning.
- Booking.com: Largest online travel agency globally, with a growing vacation rental and luxury villa offering. Comparable as a self-serve short-term rental booking platform, with a substantial luxury segment that competes for the same discerning traveler budget.
Direct peers
- Sonder: Curated short-term rental and serviced apartment operator with consistent design and quality standards across urban properties. Directly comparable in the 'vetted, design-forward stays' positioning targeting discerning travelers and business clients, though Sonder operates its own inventory rather than a host marketplace.
- Onefinestay: Luxury vacation rental brand owned by Accor, offering high-end curated homes with hotel-style service. Direct peer in the luxury curated rental category with similar in-person quality vetting, and comparable to Plum Guide's premium positioning and concierge-led guest experience.
- Oliver's Travels: UK-based curated luxury vacation rental marketplace focused on high-end villas and unique homes in Europe. Closely comparable in curated-luxury vacation rental marketplace mechanics, target customer (discerning luxury travelers), and geographic concentration in European destinations.
- Mr & Mrs Smith: Curated luxury accommodation booking platform with hotel and villa inventory, owned by Hyatt. Comparable as a curated, vetted luxury stay platform emphasizing quality, design, and editor-led reviews, with overlapping customer base in the luxury travel segment.
- Vacasa: Largest US vacation rental management company with full-service property management and a marketplace booking platform. Comparable in professionally managed, quality-controlled vacation rental supply and direct booking platform, though Vacasa leans more mass-market than luxury.
Regional players
- Sykes Holiday Cottages: UK-focused vacation rental marketplace with a curated portfolio of cottages and holiday homes. Comparable as a regional vacation rental marketplace with quality-vetted inventory, overlapping with Plum Guide's UK/European footprint though skewing more mid-market and family-oriented.
Emerging players
- Lottie: Luxury villa and vacation rental booking platform with curated design-led inventory. Comparable as a curated luxury short-term rental marketplace targeting affluent travelers, though at smaller scale than Plum Guide, and focused more narrowly on design-led luxury villas.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Plum Guide social profiles
Digital presencePlum Guide financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Plum Guide leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Plum Guide funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Plum Guide M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Plum Guide
What does Plum Guide do?
Plum Guide operates a curated vacation rental marketplace connecting discerning travelers with vetted private holiday homes across 40+ destinations globally. The platform vets properties through a proprietary 'Plum Test' that combines AI/machine learning with in-house human Home Critics, accepting only the top 3% of applicants. Booking is enabled through a website and mobile applications, with guest and host service fees of up to 22% applied per transaction.
Is Plum Guide a public or private company?
Plum Guide is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Plum Guide founded?
Plum Guide was founded in 2016. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Plum Guide based?
Plum Guide is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Plum Guide make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Guest Service Fees are the primary driver. The others are host Service Fees and payment Processing.
Who are Plum Guide's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com. Direct peers are Sonder, Onefinestay, Oliver's Travels, Mr & Mrs Smith and Vacasa. Sykes Holiday Cottages is listed as a regional player. Lottie is listed as an emerging player.
Does Plum Guide have an API?
No public API is recorded for Plum Guide.
What industry is Plum Guide in?
Plum Guide's product category is Vacation Rental Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMALAH, Luxury Vacation Rental Marketplaces (Curated/Verified Villas), with a secondary code of THAMAEAD, Luxury Chalets & Ski-In/Ski-Out Homes.