ByHours

ByHours is a Spanish travel-technology company and hotel microstay platform founded in Barcelona in March 2012 by Christian Rodríguez and Guillermo Gaspart. Its core proposition is to let customers reserve hotel rooms for a selected time block rather than committing to a conventional overnight stay. The platform has principally offered three-, six-, and twenty-four-hour booking packages, with the customer choosing an arrival time and a duration that better matches the purpose of the trip. The model is designed for situations in which a full night is unnecessary or inconvenient. Potential use cases include airport and transit stopovers, daytime rest, business travel between meetings, early arrivals, late departures, short personal stays, and access to hotel facilities during a limited window. ByHours acts as a digital distribution and booking layer connecting participating hotels with customers seeking greater flexibility than standard check-in and check-out schedules typically provide. The company expanded its hotel inventory and customer reach during the 2010s. According to the cited reference material, more than 150,000 bookings had been made through the platform by 2014 across over 1,500 hotels in Spain. In 2018, the platform passed one million hours booked. In 2019, ByHours opened an office in Mexico City and began an expansion effort focused on Latin America and the United States, complementing its Barcelona base. ByHours has also pursued international distribution across Europe, Latin America, and travel hubs in the Middle East. The cited material describes an inventory of more than 4,000 hotels in over 24 countries and approximately 600 destinations, alongside mobile applications for Android and iOS. The platform's geographic footprint and product format position it within the broader movement toward flexible, on-demand travel services and alternative hotel booking models. The company financed its growth through several investment rounds. Reported fundraising included a €600,000 seed round in 2013, a €2.6 million round in 2014, €1.5 million from European funds in 2016, and a €3 million round announced in 2017. In January 2020, ByHours announced an €8 million funding round intended to support continued growth in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as expansion into the United States. These amounts are historical fundraising figures rather than current valuation or financial-performance data. ByHours has received recognition in Spanish and international startup, ecommerce, travel, and mobile-app competitions. Its operating model and brand identity are centered on convenience, time flexibility, and the monetization of hotel-room capacity outside traditional overnight patterns.

ByHours was established in Barcelona, Catalonia, in March 2012 by Christian Rodríguez and Guillermo Gaspart. The company entered the travel market with a hotel-booking model based on short, time-defined stays. Instead of requiring customers to reserve a conventional night, ByHours allowed them to select an arrival time and purchase a package lasting three, six, or twenty-four hours. This approach addressed travel situations in which a full overnight booking was excessive, including airport stopovers, daytime breaks, early arrivals, late departures, and short business visits. The business developed as both a consumer booking service and a hotel distribution channel. For travelers, the platform emphasized control over the duration and timing of a stay. For hotels, the model created an additional way to sell room capacity during periods that might not fit ordinary overnight demand. ByHours expanded its participating inventory during the first years of operation. In 2014, the company was reported to have generated more than 150,000 bookings through a network exceeding 1,500 hotels in Spain. Funding supported the company's development. ByHours reportedly raised €600,000 in seed financing from Caixa Capital and Cabiedes Partners in July 2013. A further €2.6 million was raised from Spanish investors in April 2014. In August 2016, the company received €1.5 million from European funds, followed by a €3 million round announced in November 2017 that included new international investors and existing backers. These rounds provided capital for technology, hotel-network development, marketing, and geographic expansion, although the cited material does not provide a detailed allocation of proceeds. The platform reached a significant usage milestone in 2018, when it recorded its first one million booked hours. In 2019, ByHours opened a new office in Mexico City. The office formed part of an expansion initiative aimed at Latin America and the United States and marked a broader international direction beyond the company's Spanish base. The company continued to describe its service as a global hotel-by-the-hour marketplace, with activity spanning Europe, Latin America, and travel hubs in the Middle East. By January 2020, ByHours had announced an €8 million funding round intended to finance further growth in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, together with expansion into the United States. The cited reference material describes the company as having approximately 60 employees across its Barcelona headquarters and Mexico City office. It also describes an inventory of more than 4,000 hotels in over 24 countries and roughly 600 destinations. Customers could access the service through the company's digital platform and Android and iOS mobile applications. ByHours received recognition from startup, ecommerce, travel, and mobile-app competitions. Awards and placements mentioned in the reference material include Best Startup of the Year in Spain at the 2012 Ecommerce Awards, Best App of the Year in Spain at the 2014 eAwards, first prize in the travel and tourism web-shop category at the Ecommerce Awards, the 2017 Overall Award for Best Business & Productivity App at the Best Mobile Awards, and second place in the #Startmeapp competition associated with Huawei and El País. The company's historical development reflects the growth of flexible travel commerce: it combined hotel inventory, time-based booking, mobile distribution, and international expansion. The available material does not establish a later acquisition, public listing, change of ownership, or definitive current management structure.

• 2020

  €8 million growth round

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  ByHours closes a reported €8 million round to fund international growth and expansion into the United States.

• 2019

  Mexico City expansion

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  ByHours opens an office in Mexico City and begins a Latin American and United States expansion project.

• 2018

  One million booked hours

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  The platform reaches its first one million hours booked.

• 2017

  International investment round

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  ByHours announces a reported €3 million round involving new international investors and existing investors.

• 2016

  European funding

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  ByHours reportedly receives €1.5 million from European funds.

• 2014

  Spanish booking and funding growth

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  The company reports more than 150,000 bookings across over 1,500 Spanish hotels and raises a reported €2.6 million from Spanish investors.

• 2013

  Seed financing

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  ByHours reportedly raises €600,000 from Caixa Capital and Cabiedes Partners.

• 2012

  ByHours is founded in Barcelona

  [1]ByHoursen.wikipedia.org

  Christian Rodríguez and Guillermo Gaspart establish ByHours in Barcelona, Spain, with a hotel microstay booking model.

A flexible, on-demand hotel booking service for travelers who need a room for part of a day or for a precisely defined time period rather than a conventional overnight stay.

• Hotel booking service · 2012

  Hotel microstays

  The core ByHours service lets customers reserve participating hotel rooms for a defined period rather than a standard overnight stay. Customers choose an arrival time and a three-, six-, or twenty-four-hour duration. The format is intended for stopovers, daytime use, short business trips, early arrivals, late departures, and other occasions when travelers need temporary hotel access.

• Mobile travel application

  ByHours mobile applications

  ByHours distributes its hotel-by-the-hour inventory through mobile applications for Android and iOS. The apps provide a mobile channel for discovering participating hotels, selecting a time package, and arranging a short stay. The cited material confirms the availability of both Android and iOS applications but does not specify individual release dates or feature versions.

• 2020

  Funding-led international growthStrategy

  Background

  ByHours announced a new funding round while continuing to expand its hotel marketplace across multiple regions.

  Action taken

  The company closed a reported €8 million round earmarked for growth in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, together with expansion into the United States.

  Aftermath

  The financing provided a stated basis for continued geographic and platform expansion, although later outcomes are not established by the supplied material.

  Funding raised. €8 million (January 2020)

  Source

• 2019

  Expansion into Latin America and the United StatesStrategy

  Background

  ByHours sought to extend its hotel microstay model beyond its Spanish and European base.

  Action taken

  The company opened an office in Mexico City and launched an expansion project covering Latin America and the United States.

  Aftermath

  The move established Mexico City as a second operating location and supported the company's broader international growth strategy.

  Source

1. 1ByHoursen.wikipedia.org