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GT Ferreira backs LekkeSlaap as founders sell up. LekkeSlaap co-founders Jonathan Womersley and Marcel van de Ghinste have sold the popular accommodation booking platform. LekkeSlaap, the South African accommodation booking platform and rival to Airbnb, has been sold to a consortium of local investors that includes the Dippenaar and Ferreira family offices and Investec. Co-founders Jonathan Womersley and Marcel van de Ghinste have exited the business. The transaction value was not disclosed. The consortium is co-led by Bellair Road Investment Partners and Janic Capital, the Dippenaar family's investment vehicle, led by Adriaan Dippenaar. It also includes the Ferreira Family Office - the family office of Rand Merchant Bank and FirstRand co-founder GT Ferreira, LekkeSlaap confirmed to TechCentral - the Moolman Family Office and Investec. LekkeSlaap's executive management team, led by CEO Frans Joubert, has invested alongside the consortium and will continue to run the business. The deal marks the exit of Womersley, Van de Ghinste and other longstanding shareholders from a business that began as a garage-based travel tech start-up in 2009. LekkeSlaap itself launched in 2013 and now lists more than 40 000 properties across Southern Africa. It says it has served more than nine million guests since it was founded. The deal covers all of Tripco, LekkeSlaap's parent company, of which LekkeSlaap is the main consumer-facing brand, LekkeSlaap told TechCentral. "To see LekkeSlaap grow from a small start-up into a brand used and loved by millions of South Africans has been incredibly rewarding," said Womersley in a statement on Thursday. "After so many years, finding new owners who share our culture, values and vision for the business matters enormously to us." The new owners have brought in two well-known South African business leaders as directors, both of whom have also invested. New board members. Herman Bosman, chairman of the Outsurance Group and Fortress Real Estate and a former CEO of RMB Holdings and RMI Holdings, has been appointed chairman of LekkeSlaap. He has invested through Atelier Partners. He is joined on the board by Rob Paddock, co-founder of online education company GetSmarter, which was sold to US-listed 2U for about R1.4-billion in 2017, and of Valenture Institute. "LekkeSlaap is a great example of what South African entrepreneurs can build when they combine a strong customer proposition with persistence and ambition," said Bosman in Thursday's statement. Bellair Road Investment Partners focuses on long-term growth investments, and its portfolio includes Montego Pet Nutrition, Econofoods and Freedom of Movement. LekkeSlaap competes with global platforms including Booking.com and Airbnb for South African travellers. Joubert said the company would use the new backing to expand further across Southern Africa and invest more in technology and localisation. "LekkeSlaap remains proudly local and independent in spirit, but with the right partners behind us, we can now dream even bigger," said Joubert. - (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media

Airbnb launches $250 million housing accelerator, partners with Florida Housing Coalition. UPDATED 8:39 AM ET Sep. 28, 2026 PUBLISHED 7:25 AM ET Sep. 28, 2026 TAMPA, Fla. - Airbnb is committing an initial $250 million to help move stalled housing developments forward nationwide, while partnering with the Florida Housing Coalition to support affordable housing initiatives and policy reforms across the state. The company's new Housing Accelerator aims to unlock more than $5 billion in housing development over the next decade by addressing financing gaps and regulatory barriers that can delay construction. In West Tampa, the Rome Yards redevelopment offers a glimpse of the type of mixed-income housing Florida leaders say is needed to address the state's housing shortage. The project is transforming a former 18-acre city maintenance yard along the Hillsborough River into a mixed-income community. Its first phase, Gallery at Rome Yards, will include 234 affordable and workforce housing units. The full master plan calls for approximately 954 homes, with nearly three-quarters designated as affordable or workforce housing. "This really represents what the future of affordable housing is, both for our state, region. We need more projects like this happening," said Ashon Nesbitt, CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition. Nesbitt said developments of this size face numerous challenges, including securing financing, navigating zoning requirements and obtaining necessary approvals. "Development is complicated, especially at this scale," he said. Closing the financing gap. Airbnb's Housing Accelerator is designed to help approved housing developments that are nearly fully financed but still lack the final capital needed to begin construction. The company calls its approach "last-dollar" financing, targeting projects that might otherwise remain stalled despite having secured most of their funding. "What we're saying with this investment is we're not going to be bystanders," said Airbnb spokesperson Kevin Munoz. "We're going to actually be a part of the housing solution alongside those that are really fighting for long, long term reform." Florida partnership targets housing barriers. Alongside its nationwide financing commitment, Airbnb is making a separate donation to the Florida Housing Coalition to support its policy research, advocacy, training and technical assistance. Nesbitt said the partnership will help the coalition address obstacles that prevent affordable housing projects from moving forward. "A big part of that is our land use and our regulatory environment really setting the stage for more production of housing," he said. The coalition helped advance Florida's "Yes in God's Backyard" legislation, which allows qualifying religious institutions to develop affordable housing on their property. The organization is now working to put the law into practice through workshops, technical assistance and resources for faith-based organizations interested in developing housing. Airbnb also plans to support efforts such as the proposed Florida Starter Homes Act, aimed at reducing certain zoning restrictions and making it easier to build smaller, more affordable homes. "We know that this is a time when costs continue to rise, and housing continues to be out of reach for a lot of everyday Floridians and everyday Americans across the country," Munoz said. The Florida Housing Coalition says Airbnb's support will allow it to expand its work with local governments, housing developers and community organizations to translate housing legislation into new homes. Developers interested in the nationwide financing initiative can submit proposals through Airbnb's Housing Accelerator website.

New York cider campaign pairs rural travel guide with Airbnb. * September 26, 2026 6:34 AM * Staff Report New York has launched a statewide cider-tourism campaign that will connect travelers with orchards, cideries, restaurants and nearby lodging through a new partnership between the New York Cider Association and Airbnb. The "NY State of Cider" campaign includes an online guide covering five cider-producing regions, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul's announcement. The launch carries out an agritourism commitment in her 2026 State of the State address. The initiative is intended to bring visitors to rural businesses and farms, rather than promote cider as a stand-alone product. The guide will link accommodations with cideries, orchards, restaurants, liquor stores, attractions and outdoor activities that travelers can combine in a trip. Discover more Regional Information Hub Hochul said the partnership is meant to create opportunities for farms, small businesses, restaurants and tourism destinations. The announcement does not put a dollar amount on campaign funding or project the number of visitors it will attract. Digital guide connects lodging and local businesses. The New York landing page on Airbnb's website will feature five distinct cider regions across the state. The announcement describes the guide's types of destinations but does not list the five regions or individual businesses in its text. The broader campaign will include integrated marketing, digital storytelling, culinary partnerships, tourism promotion and public-engagement activities. Those elements are intended to make cider part of the state's agricultural heritage and visitor experience. Airbnb says 86% of travelers are interested in visiting rural communities and nearly two-thirds of its guests travel within about 480 kilometers of home. Those figures are attributed to the company; the state announcement does not provide a sample size, field dates or methodology for them. Michael Blaustein, Airbnb's policy lead for the Northeast Atlantic region, said the guide is intended to help visitors discover cider country and direct more of their spending to hosts and small businesses. Discover more Local News Aggregator Lakes & Rivers Finger Lakes Map New York Cider Association Executive Director Scott Ramsey described the campaign as a way to support agriculture, local businesses and agritourism. He said the industry connects orchards and growers with makers, restaurants and their surrounding communities. State highlights cider industry's agricultural role. New York has more active cideries than any other state and ranks second nationally in apple production, according to the governor's office. The announcement describes New York as the country's leading hard-cider producer and puts the industry's total annual economic impact above $1.8 billion. The state says orchards and cideries preserve productive farmland, support thousands of jobs and contribute to local economies. Those are the administration's descriptions of the industry, not measured results of the newly launched campaign. Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said visits to cideries can support growers and local food systems while helping maintain farm landscapes. State Liquor Authority Chair Lily Fan said the agency supports the effort to promote producers and local businesses. Empire State Development President and CEO Hope Knight said the campaign would encourage residents and visitors to explore the state's agricultural offerings. State Sen. Michelle Hinchey emphasized family-run orchards, cideries and restaurants as destinations the partnership could help visitors find. Discover more Sports News Updates Event Promotion Service Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo said she supported including the initiative in this year's state budget. A co-sponsor of the original Farm Cidery law, she linked the campaign to the industry's growth and its place in agritourism. The campaign begins with the digital-guide partnership and statewide promotional work. Its stated purpose is to help travelers build trips around existing cider businesses, with lodging, food and outdoor destinations nearby. FingerLakes1.com is the region's leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].