What WHYHOTEL INC does

WHYHOTEL INC, now operating as Placemakr, Inc. since its March 2022 corporate rebrand, is a venture-backed apartment-hotel platform founded in 2017 and headquartered in Washington, DC. The company operates a hybrid model that licenses and operates fully furnished apartment units across 12 U.S. cities (including Washington DC metro, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Huntsville, Reno, and Arlington), combining apartment-style amenities — full kitchens, in-unit laundry, separate living spaces — with hotel-style services including digital check-in, contactless entry, weekly housekeeping for stays of 7+ nights, on-site support, and access to building amenities such as fitness centers and coworking lounges. The underlying platform is tech-enabled: a mobile-first guest experience with digital access credentials, smart-lock entry logs, identity and payment precheck verification, and integration with partner access-control systems (e.g., Scout), though no proprietary AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Distribution operates through multiple channels including the direct placemakr.com booking site, major OTAs (Airbnb, Expedia, Booking.com, Priceline, HotelTonight, Homeaway), GDS for corporate travel, and — as of January 14, 2026 — Hilton's 'Apartment Collection by Hilton' brand for select properties, enabling Hilton Honors point earning and redemption.

The business model is fundamentally an asset-light operating platform: Placemakr partners with multiple building owners and ground lessees (e.g., 205 D Owner LLC, 2500 Penn Ground Lessee LLC, Anthem House LLC) to operate furnished apartment units under flexible stay structures ranging from one night to one year or longer. Revenue streams include nightly hotel-style stays, extended stays (with a minimum 15% discount for 7+ nights and minimum 30% for 28+ nights), corporate and group bookings (5+ rooms), residential leasing where available, and ancillary fees (pet cleaning $100-$250, additional housekeeping at $119 per visit, parking, late checkout). Pricing tiers include standard nightly rates, member pricing for logged-in users, advanced purchase non-refundable rates, and corporate rates. Customer segments are diversified across business travelers and corporate clients, relocations and extended-stay customers, individual and family leisure travelers, group travel, and interns/students. Target verticals include multinational industries requiring flexible employee accommodations, relocating families, and group leisure travelers. With only ~17 corporate employees and a remote-first workforce model with optional offices in Washington DC and San Francisco, Placemakr runs a notably lean corporate overhead structure relative to its multi-city property footprint, with on-site staffing largely managed at the property level.

Name

WHYHOTEL INC

Legal name

Placemakr, Inc.

Website

https://whyhotel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Placemakr (formerly WHYHOTEL) is a tech-enabled apartment-hotel platform operating fully furnished apartments across 12 U.S. cities, serving business travelers, relocating families, and leisure guests with flexible nightly-to-monthly stays.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Apartment Hotels / Serviced Apartments

NAICS

Other Traveler Accommodation (72119), All Other Traveler Accommodation (721199)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Extended-stay serviced apartments (weekly/monthly) (THAMACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Furnished Monthly Apartments (Urban/Residential) (THAMAFAB), Corporate Extended-Stay Housing (Relocation & Project-Based) (THAMAFAA), Serviced Apartments & Aparthotels (THAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Apartment hotel
• Furnished apartments
• Extended stay lodging
• Corporate housing
• Hospitality services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Nightly Hotel-Style Stays: Primary revenue from licensing fully furnished apartment-style guest units on a nightly basis, offering the flexibility of hotel stays with apartment-style amenities. Rates vary by property, location, and season.
2. Extended Stay Accommodations: Weekly and monthly stay options with discounted rates (minimum 15% off for weekly, minimum 30% off for monthly). Revenue from longer-term transient occupancy without traditional lease commitments.
3. Corporate and Group Bookings: Revenue from business travelers, corporate housing, group travel (5+ rooms), corporate events, trainings, and retreats. Includes reserved housing for long-term rotational corporate travel.
4. Residential Leasing: Lease unfurnished or furnished apartments where available, offering an alternative to traditional apartment leasing.
5. Ancillary Fees: Additional revenue from pet fees ($100-250 non-refundable cleaning fee), parking (varies by property), additional housekeeping services ($119 per visit), late check-out fees, and damage/cleaning charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Placemakr operates furnished apartment-style accommodations on a nightly, weekly, or monthly basis across 12 U.S. cities, combining hotel services (on-site support, weekly housekeeping, digital check-in, fitness centers) with residential comforts (full kitchens, in-unit laundry, separate living areas). The platform supports stays ranging from one night to one year or longer, without traditional lease commitments. A separate real estate platform enables building owners to operate their properties under Placemakr's hybrid apartment-hotel model.

Product overview

Placemakr is a venture-backed hospitality platform that operates fully furnished apartment-hotels across multiple U.S. cities. The core Placemakr platform provides apartment-style accommodations combining hotel services with residential comforts, supporting stays from one night to one year. The platform includes distinct product lines: Nightly Stays for short hotel-style visits, Extended Stays for weekly/monthly furnished apartments at discounted rates, Corporate Group Stays for business travel and team housing, and Residential for long-term unfurnished or furnished leasing. A separate Real Estate Platform enables building owners to partner with Placemakr to operate their properties under this hybrid model. As of January 2026, select Placemakr properties are also bookable through Hilton's 'Apartment Collection by Hilton' channel, with Hilton Honors benefits available for those bookings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Placemakr: Primary brand for furnished apartment hotels offering nightly, extended, and long-term stays across U.S. markets.

Products and services

• Placemakr Apartment-Hotel Stays Core platform offering fully furnished apartment-style accommodations ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units with full kitchens, in-unit laundry, and weekly housekeeping across 12 U.S. cities, supporting stays from one night to one year or longer for individual travelers, families, and corporate guests.
• Nightly Stays Hotel-style overnight accommodations in fully furnished apartment units, bookable through placemakr.com or via Hilton channels for select properties, including contactless check-in, high-speed Wi-Fi, smart TVs, and access to on-site amenities.
• Extended Stays Weekly and monthly furnished apartment rentals with at least 15% off for 7+ nights and at least 30% off for 28+ nights, with no lease required, weekly housekeeping for stays of 7 nights or longer, full kitchens, and flexible check-in/check-out.
• Corporate Group Stays Dedicated B2B housing solution for corporate travelers, employee relocations, reserved housing for long-term rotational assignments, group travel bookings for 5+ rooms, event space for corporate trainings and retreats, and internship program housing. Accessed via direct sales team ([email protected]) and GDS codes.
• Residential Long-Term Apartments Long-term apartment leasing option at select properties, offering both furnished and unfurnished apartment units where available for residents seeking apartment-style living without traditional lease commitments.
• Placemakr Real Estate Partner Platform B2B solution enabling building owners, ground lessees, and real estate investors to operate their properties as hybrid apartment-hotel accommodations. Provides an all-in-one solution including property operations, customer acquisition, and the technology stack to operate with flexibility.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save at least 15% on weekly stays
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hilton Franchise Holding LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 January 2026Strategic partnership with Hilton to operate furnished apartment-style accommodations under Hilton's 'Apartment Collection by Hilton' brand. Select Placemakr properties are bookable through Hilton's booking channels including Hilton.com and the Hilton Honors program. Guests booking through Hilton can earn and redeem Hilton Honors points. The partnership expands Placemakr's distribution reach and provides access to Hilton's loyalty member base.
• Booking PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnerships with major online travel agencies including Airbnb, HotelTonight, Expedia, Booking.com, Priceline, and Homeaway, enabling bookings through these third-party platforms.
• Global Distribution Systems (GDS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProperties accessible through Global Distribution Systems for corporate travel bookings, with GDS access codes available for travel agents and corporate booking systems.
• Property Owners and Real Estate PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlacemakr operates in buildings owned by various real estate entities and property owners. Multiple LLC entities are listed as property owners/ground lessees for various Placemakr properties including 205 D Owner LLC, 2500 Penn Ground Lessee LLC, 400 E Houston Street LP, 710 E3 LLC, 110 Wall Street LP, Anthem House LLC, 1100 Liberty Owner LLC, and others.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Mint House: Mint House operates tech-enabled residential-style apartment-hotels in select U.S. cities targeting business and leisure travelers with apartment-style units and digital check-in, closely mirroring Placemakr's offering.
• Locale: Locale provides upscale serviced apartments and apartment-hotel suites in urban U.S. markets for short and extended stays, with similar apartment-style amenities and a focus on business and relocation travelers.

Others

• Airbnb: Airbnb is a major alternative accommodation marketplace where many of Placemakr's properties are listed; it competes indirectly for short-stay guests and serves as both a distribution partner and adjacent substitute.

Broad incumbents

• Extended Stay America: Extended Stay America is a large budget extended-stay hotel chain serving weekly and monthly guests with kitchen-equipped rooms, competing with Placemakr's value-oriented extended-stay pricing tier.
• Staybridge Suites: Staybridge Suites is IHG's upscale extended-stay hotel brand offering suite-style accommodations with kitchens, overlapping with Placemakr's extended-stay offering within a large incumbent hospitality portfolio.
• Hotel Indigo: Hotel Indigo is IHG's boutique upscale hotel brand with design-forward urban properties; it overlaps with Placemakr in the boutique urban hotel space and is bookable through IHG's broader distribution channels.
• Residence Inn by Marriott: Residence Inn is Marriott's flagship extended-stay hotel brand offering apartment-style suites with kitchens; it competes with Placemakr for extended-stay and relocation guests but is part of a broader hotel portfolio.

Direct peers

• Kasa: Kasa runs a tech-enabled apartment-hotel and extended-stay platform serving business and leisure travelers in U.S. cities, with similar flexible-stay positioning, contactless check-in, and apartment-style units comparable to Placemakr.
• Blueground: Blueground offers furnished apartments for monthly and extended stays across major U.S. cities, targeting relocations and corporate housing — overlapping directly with Placemakr's extended-stay and corporate housing segments.
• Sonder Holdings: Sonder operates tech-enabled apartment-hotels and serviced apartments across multiple U.S. and global cities, offering short and extended stays with similar hybrid hotel/apartment amenities — the closest direct competitor to Placemakr's model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whyhotel-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WHYHOTEL INC