Launched this month, Dtravel describes itself as a ‘decentralised’ home-sharing platform, thanks to a cryptocurrency-first payment model. Jenny Southan reports

Dtravel facilitates peer-to-peer homesharing for both short and long-term stays, and provides guests and hosts with “lower costs and more control than incumbent home-sharing platforms”.

Backed by a US$7 million in seed fundraising, Dtravel has announced the first version of its platform is now open for home rental bookings, payable with Bitcoin, Ethereum or Tether. (Support for fiat and additional cryptocurrencies will be enabled in future releases as the platform evolves.)

So far Dtravel has more than 200,000 homes listed and will be releasing additional property in phases over the coming months as the platform expands to “ensure a smooth and seamless travel experience for hosts and guests”.

Who is the platform targeted at? A spokesperson for Dtravel told Globetrender: “Dtravel’s target market is really anyone, from those with deep levels of crypto experience to those who are ‘crypto curious’, to those with no prior experience with crypto.

“Dtravel’s lower fees and decentralized structure can, and should, appeal to anyone looking for more ownership, flexibility, voice and rewards in their experience booking or listing short-term rental properties. That said, we believe the earliest adopters will likely be hosts and guests who are at least crypto curious.”DtravelIntroduced earlier this year by former executives from Airbnb and Expedia, and with support from the world’s leading crypto-friendly online travel agency, Travala.com, Dtravel aims to “repair the broken relationship between hosts and guests created by existing centralised home-sharing platforms”.

Dtravel says it has created the “world’s first true sharing economy” and is governed by its community via the Dtravel Decentralised Autonomous Organization (DAO), which gives community members a say in how the platform is governed.

Powering the network are “TRVL” tokens that can be used for making payments, participating in governance, receiving travel rewards and benefits.DtravelCynthia Huang, growth, marketing and community lead at Genesys Partners, the core team contributing to the initial development of the Dtravel platform, says: “Today marks an important point in the transition from Web 2.0 – where platforms enabled the connectivity and demand and supply sides – to Web 3.0, in which blockchain technology enables participants to own part of the platform and make decisions that directly affect them.

“The availability of live bookings on the Dtravel platform represents a massive accomplishment for the Dtravel team and redefines the home-sharing economy, shifting more control back into the right hands: those of the hosts and guests. We can think of no better avenue to facilitate the transition to Web 3.0 than the travel industry.”

Dtravel provides hosts and guests with:

  • Reduced fees – hosts pay 0% fees and guests save on every booking
  • A community voice – the Dtravel DAO enables hosts and guests to directly influence the direction, operations and governance of Dtravel
  • Expanded payment options – enables various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, to be used for payments that lower the cost of transacting compared to traditional payment methods
  • Aligned interests – because the community directly influences the Dtravel platform for the benefit of all, everyone works together to grow the platform and is rewarded for their contributions
  • Peace of mind – Dtravel’s Protection Pool offers hosts up to US$1,000,000 in property protection
  • Additional revenue streams – users can earn additional revenue by referring hosts and guests, as well as by participating in user support, community forums and troubleshooting

What’s coming next? Trend reports available to download HERE