Housetrip has completed a $16.9 million funding round from an investor consortium led by Index Ventures and Balderton Capital. 

In addition, the company said Tim Bunting of Balderton Capital will join Neil Rimer of Index Ventures on the board.

Earlier this year, Index Ventures provided $2.7 million in Series A funding for the company.

Housetrip – which has grown to one million monthly web visits and 55,000 properties listed in more than 350 global destinations across 40 countries - said the new funding will be used to develop three key growth areas for the company.

Product development will be bolstered through increased website functionality and development; inventory enhancements would be implemented by growing the base of hosts and large-scale apartment rental firms; and, consumer outreach would grow through marketing and expansion of the site into even more languages to grow traffic and loyalty.

Housetrip provides a consumer-focused, one-stop-shop rental solution through an intuitive digital dashboard experience.

The site allows guests to search, select and purchase short-term stays in private villas and apartments in an easy-to-use, secure environment.

“With the investment from Index and Balderton, we now have the ability to get closer to fulfilling our vision of making Housetrip a powerful alternative to hotels around the world,” Housetrip co-founder and chief executive Arnaud Bertrand stated.

“At Housetrip, we strongly believe that apartments are a much better way to travel.

“Not only do apartments provide better value-for-money, they also enable guests to blend-in with their local environment – making their stay more authentic and memorable.”