2023 has been a whirlwind for team Minut and we can’t believe we’re only a few days away from the New Year! This December, we’d like to express our gratitude to all our wonderful customers and partners, without whom none of our accomplishments would have been possible. In this blog post, we’ll let you in on some of the amazing milestones we celebrated in 2023, from the extension of our Series B round to an exciting new office in the heart of London, and the launch of our new exclusive STR platform Host Happy.
In 2023, we welcomed Smedvig Capital as one of our new investors, extending our Series B round to $20M. We will channel this investment to develop new exciting features, grow our team, and help make the hospitality industry a better place for everyone. Having recently expanded our offering to the hotel industry, we look forward to helping more hotel professionals protect their premises and improve guest experience thanks to the Minut sensor.
Here’s what our CEO and Co-Founder Nils Mattisson had to say about this exciting new investment:
“We’re excited to welcome Smedvig as new investors extending our Series B round to a total of $20 million. Having known the Smedvig team for many years, we felt it was the perfect time for them to join at the stage we are in, bringing an impressive portfolio and expertise in Nordic and UK tech investments. With this new capital, we can redouble product development efforts and leverage our STR leadership into new verticals with a more aggressive hiring plan in both our European base and our international markets.”
You asked, we delivered! Cigarette detection was one of our most requested features over the years, which is why we made it a priority to develop it and make it as intuitive and accurate as possible.
Powered by AI, the Minut sensor can now detect cigarette smoke specifically and alert you instantly. And do not worry about false positives – Cigarette detection was built to only alert you when cigarette smoke particles are detected in the air. This means you won’t ever be notified because one of your guests accidentally burnt a piece of toast! We promised we’d help you double down on home security this year, didn’t we?
At Minut, our mission is to make the hospitality industry a better place for everyone – hosts, guests, and neighbors alike. With our new Outdoor mode, hosts can now easily monitor excessive outdoor noise via their Minut app, putting an end to neighbor complaints and unnecessary fines, and helping their communities thrive. All you need to do to get started is install your Minut sensor on your patio, terrace, or in your garden and let its magic operate.
Coupled with Cigarette detection, this new feature makes us the first all-in-one solution monitoring indoor and outdoor noise, occupancy, temperature, motion, and cigarette smoke in vacation rental properties and hotels. By providing all these data points through one sensor and one app, we help you optimize operations, save a great deal of time, and do what you do best: provide your guests with a 5-star experience.
At Minut, we’re not simply passionate about vacation rentals and hotels, we also deeply care for the people who run them. This desire to connect is what drove us to create Host Happy, a community-powered hub of vacation rental news and tips for and from hospitality professionals and enthusiasts. Host Happy is easy to access, free, and all about allowing you to learn more about the industry and share your experiences with others.
As the end of the year approaches, we’d like to thank all the wonderful partners who joined the Host Happy initiative, helping us produce impactful content for the STR community worldwide.
At Minut, we know that most guests are good people. But this doesn’t mean we never bump into the occasional bad apple. With Call Assist, you can now get trained operators to phone your guests in case of prolonged excessive noise. And the best part is, the service is available worldwide, 24/7, and in both English and French.
The recent launch of Call Assist has already helped numerous hosts gain extra peace of mind by allowing them to truly log off on their time off, knowing that we’ll handle all excessive noise issues for them. Ready to join the club? You can easily sign up for Call Assist via your Minut web app.
When designing our sensor and the features that come with it, we have one goal in mind: making user experience as intuitive and effortless as possible. This is why the Minut sensor can be installed in under 15 minutes and without the need for any technical assistance. This year, we decided to provide you with a new tool allowing you to make the best use of your sensors and of your time: Sensor Swap.
With Sensor Swap, you can now easily replace your Minut sensor with a fully charged one if it’s out of power. All you need to do is turn on your new sensor, remove your depleted sensor from its mounting plate, and replace it with the new one – and voilà! No need to wait for your sensor to charge, you’re already ready to go!
The hospitality industry is all about connection and collaboration. This is why we work to integrate with as many leading vacation rental softwares as possible, to guarantee hosts a seamless user experience. In 2023, we integrated with seven new software providers, from property management systems to guest experience platforms: Streamline, Avantio, Enso Connect, Hospitable, Lodgify, Icnea, and Elina. Thanks to these integrations, you will be able to automate guest communication and noise alerts, optimize operations, and take your guest experience even further.
We always look forward to launching new integrations and helping more hosts protect their properties and communities while saving time and money. If you’d like to learn more about how we work with hosts, check out some of our case studies!
In true Swedish fashion, we believe that a positive environment is key to delivering your best work. Our London team recently moved offices and we’re pleased to announce we are now based in bustling Bloomsbury. So if you’re ever around, come and meet us for a quick fika! We’d love to meet you and discuss how we can help you protect your vacation rental properties or hotels. We’ve finished unpacking and we’re ready to take on the new year at full speed!
Looking back at all these accomplishments makes us a bit emotional… but we can’t wait to surprise you with even more exciting news, features, and integrations in 2024!
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