Helsinki, 20 April 2023 – We’ve made our entry into the German market with the acquisition of Charly Hospitality. 

As an alternative accommodation specialist, we have built a reputation for redefining the hospitality experience by providing guests with five-star, contactless service in locally-designed apartments within handpicked neighbourhoods. Currently, we operate 27 aparthotel and coliving properties across Europe, including in the UK, Spain, Finland, Italy, Norway, Greece, and Estonia. 

By acquiring Charly Hospitality, we add seven properties located in Germany’s Bonn, Munich, Berlin, Lübeck, and Cologne, as well as Amsterdam in the Netherlands. All of these properties will transition to the Bob W brand during 2023. We anticipate operating more than 40 properties in all territories by the end of 2023, achieved through a mix of leases (rent-to-rent) and management deals, with the potential for further M&A activity.

We acquired Charly because we share a similar tech-enabled approach and design ethos, resulting in a straightforward integration. We both also offer guests a 5-star contactless experience supported by super responsive digital customer service, ensuring you always feel taken care of. Unlike Charly, Bob W properties run on our own tech platform and suite of apps, which we’re excited to transition Charly’s properties to.

We aim to continue expanding quickly across Europe, particularly in Germany, which we expect to be our largest market by the end of 2024.

Since being founded just before the pandemic by Sebastian Emberger from Germany and Niko Karstikko from Finland, Bob W has grown rapidly. In May last year, we acquired Estonishing Stay, which, at the time, was the largest short-stay apartment operator in Estonia. The following October, we bought Finnish competitor KOTI Hotel, securing €21 million in series A funding, led by Elevator Ventures, Verve Ventures, IDC Ventures, and Flashpoint.

Bob W co-founder and CEO, Niko Karstikko, comments: “We are super excited about entering Germany with Charly and adopting their world-class team. The locations and properties are gorgeous. Once we apply our tech and brand standards, the next generation of travellers will have yet another place to call home with the most loved hospitality product on the market.

“We’re getting huge traction with our approach to tech and reinvented hospitality. Guests are responding very positively to the investment we make in their surroundings and in our customer experience, and that is translating into brand loyalty and repeat bookings. We offer travellers the best of both worlds — hotel and apartment — and our formula works. That’s what is driving our growth plans. We will continue to expand quickly but sustainably in existing and new markets where there is high demand for what we offer and the fundamentals add up.” – Bob W co-founder and CEO, Niko Karstikko

“With Bob W, we have found the perfect home for our team and our portfolio of boutique aparthotels in Germany and the Netherlands. We strongly believe in Bob W’s potential to become the market leader in alternative accommodations in Europe and are delighted that Charly will play its part in it.” – Jona Schaeffer, Charly Hospitality founder

About Bob W

Bob’s exceptionally cool accommodation caters to the 21st-century traveller who wants it all: the consistent quality of a hotel and the utility and authentic flair of a short-stay rental. We combine the best of both worlds in our sustainably operated properties in Europe’s most interesting neighbourhoods. Today, we are Europe’s fastest growing hospitality operator in Europe, managing properties in the UK, Spain, Italy, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Greece and Germany, primarily under the Bob W brand. 

Bob W is backed by Europe’s top real estate investors and venture capitalists including NREP, Elevator Ventures, Verve Ventures, IDC Ventures, Flashpoint, Tesi, and byFounders with over 31 million euros in announced funding. We're building the technology to give every guest a local, contactless five-star experience at scale. Check out our 60-second intro video for more.

We are actively expanding across European markets, so if you have relevant properties in mind, our real estate team wants to hear from you at re@bobw.co. 

For Bob W press pack, images, assets, and more visit https://bobw.co/press

For more info and interviews, please chat with Aleksi@bobw.co  

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Select Media Coverage:

• Skift – Finnish Short-Term Rental Brand Bob W Buys German Competitor
• PhocusWire – BOB W ENTERS GERMAN MARKET WITH ACQUISITION OF CHARLY HOSPITALITY
• Short Term Rentalz – Bob W enters Germany with Charly Hospitality acquisition
• Hospitality Technology – Tech-powered Hospitality Operator Bob W Enters Germany with Acquisition of Charly
• Kauppalehti - Suomalaisyritys kehitti hotellin ja Airbnb:n välimuodon ja harppasi hujauksessa kansainväliseksi majoitusketjuksi – Nyt se ostaa kilpailijansa Saksasta
• Property Magazine - Bob W Feiert mit Charly Hospitality Uebernahme Deutschen Markteintritt
• Immobilien Zeitung - Hotelbetreiber Bob W expandiert nach Deutschland