The travel and hospitality industry is going through a period of adjustment post the 2020 havoc by the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic travel demand is increasing everywhere as overseas travels still pose difficulties. In South Korea, as domestic travel revives, startups in travel & hospitality are seeing business booming. Newer trends are introduced like ‘staycations’ – where individuals or families spend leisure time in their home country and usually at short distances.
Jienem, one of the largest B2B accommodation distributors in Korea, is looking forward to a sustained growth with its new service UNBOUNDI. It is a brand & contents franchise platform for hotels to customers, providing reliable services and staycation packages. Jienem has partnered with more than 1,700 mid-size accommodations across Korea for its service. UNBOUNDI invests directly in vacant rooms based on four key elements – cleanliness, safety, hygiene and security. It provides services through facility upcycling.
Expansion plan to South Asian countries
After the slowdown in 2020, the startup wants to grow its business in 2021 with staycation packages domestically in Korea through UNBOUNDI. Its target is to get more than 5000 rooms or 6% share in 3-start hotels across Korea in 2022. The company currently operates B2B sales. Yanolja, the travel & hospitality unicorn of Korea, is the biggest client and investor in Jienem.
Established in 2014, Jienem specializes in guesthouse travel. It has been innovating the accommodation suppliers’ ecosystem including reservation systems, e-commerce, operation consulting, facility development, etc. Jienem provides travellers with various and unique accommodation facilities across the country, such as guesthouses, B&Bs, glamping, rather than hotels and motels. Jienem has got pre-Series A funding from Singaporean Venture Capital and has built a network in the country. With UNBOUNDI, it plans to add various themes like K-beauty, K-Art and promote staycations in more southeast Asian countries.
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