Ephatta
Ephatta is a Paris-based peer-to-peer hospitality marketplace that connects Christian travelers with faith-aligned hosts across 112 countries, monetizing via 12% traveler and 4% host commissions on bookings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBoulogne-billancourt, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Ephatta does
Ephatta SAS is a French-based peer-to-peer hospitality marketplace positioned as the first global Christian hospitality platform. The company connects travelers seeking faith-aligned lodging (pilgrims, families, professional travelers, event attendees) with individual hosts willing to provide accommodation, differentiating from mainstream platforms such as Airbnb through values-based positioning and a Christian community framing. The web platform spans 112 countries and 3,615 cities with 8,565 active listings and 43,310 registered members, and is available in French, English, Italian, and Spanish.
The core technology is a conventional web-based two-sided marketplace with Facebook social login, Google Maps integration for listing location and search, and Lemon Way (a French payment institution licensed by the Banque de France) handling all payment processing for traveler collections and host payouts. Notable feature layers include the Accueil Caritatif program that lets hosts donate a share of booking earnings to 26+ partner Christian charitable associations and receive a 66% tax deduction certificate, the Monasterio option that allows hosts to offer the first night of any stay free (inspired by medieval monastic hospitality), an optional €20 one-time identity verification service, Event Pages for group bookings, and an Ambassador Program for volunteer community development. The platform holds a CNIL data protection declaration (dossier 1856017).
Ephatta operates a transaction-based revenue model, charging travelers a 12% commission at booking confirmation (minimum €9) and deducting a 4% commission from host earnings upon fund transfer, with supplemental revenue from the €20 verification fee. Customer segments are exclusively consumer: Christian travelers on the demand side and Christian hosts (individuals offering spare rooms or full properties) on the supply side. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on organic social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), a company blog, an Ambassador volunteer program, referral/word-of-mouth, and earned media coverage in French Catholic press outlets (RCF, La Croix, Le Figaro, Famille Chrétienne, Pèlerin, Challenges, Maddyness, Radio Notre Dame). The company is led by President Thibaud de Bernis, is headquartered in Paris (10 rue de Penthièvre, 75008), and operates as a privately held SAS with registered share capital of €1,267 and no disclosed external investors.
Ephatta firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ephatta
- Legal name
- Ephatta SAS
- Website
- https://ephatta.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ephatta is a Paris-based peer-to-peer hospitality marketplace that connects Christian travelers with faith-aligned hosts across 112 countries, monetizing via 12% traveler and 4% host commissions on bookings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ephatta industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Marketplace
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Religious & Pilgrimage Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAL)
Keywords
Where Ephatta is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulogne-billancourt
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ephatta business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transaction Commission - Traveler Fee: Travelers pay a 12% commission on the stay fees at the time of booking confirmation, with a minimum fee of 9€.
- Transaction Commission - Host Fee: Hosts pay a 4% commission automatically deducted from their stay fees when funds are transferred.
- Profile Verification Service: Optional one-time fee of 20€ for identity verification service providing a verified badge.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Platform Access - Free |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Traveler Commission - 12% |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Host Commission - 4% |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Profile Verification - 20€ one-time |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ephatta product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ephatta is a peer-to-peer online marketplace that connects individual Christian hosts offering lodging with travelers seeking accommodation in faith-based destinations worldwide. The platform books stays for pilgrimages, family vacations, professional travel, and events, and includes complementary features such as charitable hosting (Accueil Caritatif), the Monasterio free first-night option, and profile verification.
Product overview
Ephatta operates as a unified peer-to-peer accommodation marketplace built around Christian hospitality values. The core product is the Ephatta Platform, which enables hosts to list properties and travelers to book stays. Key complementary features include: Accueil Caritatif for charitable donations (linked to 26 partner associations), the Monasterio option for free first-night stays, and profile verification services. Additional community features include Event Pages for group bookings and an Ambassador Program for volunteer promotion. The platform charges a 12% commission from travelers (minimum €9) and 4% from hosts, with payment processing handled through Lemon Way.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ephatta Platform (Christian Hospitality Marketplace) Online peer-to-peer marketplace that connects individual Christian hosts offering lodging with travelers seeking accommodation in Christian destinations worldwide for pilgrimages, family vacations, professional travel, and events.
- Accueil Caritatif (Charitable Hosting) Program enabling hosts to donate a percentage of their rental earnings (up to 100%) to one of 24-26 partner charitable associations, with hosts receiving a 66% tax deduction certificate at year-end.
- Monasterio Optional feature where hosts can offer the first night of any stay for free to travelers, inspired by medieval monastery hospitality traditions, with the platform automatically deducting one night's cost from the total booking fee.
- Profile Verification Service Optional paid verification service (20€ one-time, lifetime validity) where members submit a government-issued ID for identity confirmation; verified members receive a verified badge and can restrict their listings to verified travelers only.
Companies that use Ephatta
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ephatta technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
Ephatta partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lemon WaycoreLemon Way is the payment processing partner for Ephatta. As a licensed Payment Institution (ACP Banque de France), Lemon Way handles all payment collection from travelers and fund transfers to hosts' electronic wallets, ensuring secure transaction processing for the platform.
- SOS Chrétiens d'OrientcoreSOS Chrétiens d'Orient is a charitable partner in Ephatta's Accueil Caritatif program. Founded in 2013, the association supports Eastern Christians in the Middle East with material and human aid. They have 126 listings, 116 cities, and 15 countries represented on the platform.
- Mouvement Chrétien des Cadres et Dirigeants (MCC)minorChristian movement for executives and managers engaged in the economic world, helping them live the Gospel in their professional lives.
- FondaciominorChristian movement born in 1974 present in 20 countries. Over 7,000 people participate annually in France in camps, training sessions, and educational programs.
- Société Saint Vincent de PaulminorCharity network providing proximity services to lonely or disadvantaged people.
- La Délégation Catholique pour la Coopération (DCC)minorFirst international solidarity volunteering organization in France and the international volunteering service of the Church in France.
- HozanaminorAssociation whose mission is to help each person help their brothers and sisters draw closer to Jesus through a vast online prayer community.
- Enfants du MékongminorSince 1958, helps 60,000 children in Southeast Asia through school sponsorship.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ephatta competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Airbnb: Global peer-to-peer accommodation marketplace; directly competes with Ephatta on the core lodging transaction, with vastly larger inventory but no faith-based community positioning or charitable giving features.
- Vrbo: Vacation rental marketplace focused on whole-home stays; competes for short-term rental demand but lacks Ephatta's community and faith-based hospitality angle.
- Couchsurfing: Peer-to-peer hospitality exchange platform connecting travelers with hosts offering free accommodation; directly comparable community-driven, values-based accommodation model to Ephatta.
Emerging players
- HomeExchange: Home exchange platform enabling reciprocal non-simultaneous stays; operates a similar P2P accommodation model with a values/community orientation, though without the explicit Christian focus.
- Fairbnb.coop: Ethical cooperative alternative to Airbnb focused on local community impact; comparable values-based P2P accommodation model with social mission orientation that overlaps with Ephatta's charitable positioning.
- TrustedHousesitters: P2P platform connecting homeowners with house sitters for accommodation exchange; shares the trust-based community hospitality model but focuses on pet/house sitting use cases.
- BeWelcome: Non-profit hospitality exchange network rooted in the open-source Couchsurfing tradition; directly comparable community-driven P2P accommodation model with values-based positioning.
- Wimdu: European-focused vacation rental marketplace; competes in similar short-term rental category with strong presence in pilgrimage-relevant destinations like Italy and Spain.
Broad incumbents
- Booking.com: Global online travel agency dominant in European accommodation; broad incumbent offering overlapping accommodation inventory but no faith-based community specialization or charitable giving features.
Regional players
- Tujia: Asia-focused vacation rental platform dominant in China; comparable P2P accommodation marketplace model, serving as a regional comparison for global expansion strategy outside Europe.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ephatta social profiles
Digital presenceEphatta compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Ephatta financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ephatta leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ephatta funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ephatta 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 Ephatta
What does Ephatta do?
Ephatta is a peer-to-peer online marketplace that connects individual Christian hosts offering lodging with travelers seeking accommodation in faith-based destinations worldwide. The platform books stays for pilgrimages, family vacations, professional travel, and events, and includes complementary features such as charitable hosting (Accueil Caritatif), the Monasterio free first-night option, and profile verification.
Is Ephatta a public or private company?
Ephatta is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ephatta founded?
Ephatta was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ephatta based?
Ephatta is headquartered in Boulogne-billancourt, France, in the Europe region.
How does Ephatta make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Transaction Commission - Traveler Fee is the primary driver. The others are transaction Commission - Host Fee and profile Verification Service.
Who are Ephatta's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Airbnb, Vrbo and Couchsurfing. Emerging players are HomeExchange, Fairbnb.coop, TrustedHousesitters, BeWelcome and Wimdu. Booking.com is listed as a broad incumbent. Tujia is listed as a regional player.
Does Ephatta have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ephatta.
What industry is Ephatta in?
Ephatta's product category is Online Travel Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKABAL, Religious & Pilgrimage Retail Travel Agencies. Its SIC code is 7900.