Plum Guide
“Can a curated, vetted-only marketplace win the premium share of short-term rentals from Airbnb?”
Founded2016
HQLondon, United Kingdom
Latest roundGrowth round, March 2026 (~£13.5m)
Valuation£942.2m post-money (2026)
IndustryMarketplace / Travel
The story
Plum Guide is a curated short-term rental marketplace positioned as a quality-vetted alternative to Airbnb. Embedded finance is operational rather than strategic: guest payments are accepted in multiple currencies, host payouts are processed via PayPal's Hyperwallet, and treasury/FX is managed through Airwallex to support international expansion. The company is not building its own banking products — it is buying best-of-breed infrastructure to power a global travel marketplace.
Product timeline
2015
Plu&m Limited incorporated in London.· founding
2016
Plum Guide launches curated luxury vacation-rental marketplace.· launch
2024
Expansion to 60 new destinations supported by Airwallex multi-currency infrastructure.· expansion
2026
Raised ~£13.5m at £942.2m post-money valuation.· funding
The stack
Lending
Pay in instalments (50% or 10% deposit, interest-free)Pay by bank transfer with 10% deposit plan
FX & payouts
Accounting gap: minor