35. The Plum Guide

Founders: Doron Meyassed, Imran Arshed, Alex Lee and Arif Meherali
Founded: December 2015 (Launched February 2016)
Website: www.plumguide.com

Booking a last-minute Airbnb trip to Tel Aviv, the founders of The Plum Guide were bracing themselves for a raw deal. Cheap, and holding a suspiciously low number of reviews, the team were convinced their chosen apartment would be an experience they’d probably never forget – for all the wrong reasons.

Upon arrival and during their stay however, the team were met with an immaculate apartment boasting a beautiful outdoor terrace facing the sea, and a loving host who presented them with fresh hummus and local produce every morning.

Truly in awe of their experience, the founding team of Doron Meyassed, Imran Arshed, Alex Lee and Arif Meherali began wondering how many more hidden treasures were lost in millions of online listings of holiday homes and apartments.

Founding The Plum Guide in late 2015, the start-up seeks to radically change the sharing economy by testing each and every one of London’s best holiday homes.

Using a proprietary algorithm, Plum finds the highest rated homes in London and personally tests them with strict criteria.

A meticulous process, of the 62,327 homes tested thus far, just 622 have been deemed worthy enough of making it into The Plum Guide.

Targeting affluent, cosmopolitan, urban-dwelling ‘creative appreciators’, The Plum Guide charges a 3% booking fee for hosts and a 12% fee for the guest.

Laudably ambitious, Plum says its goal is to “revolutionise the sharing economy” and that its mission “won’t be over until we’ve vetted every single holiday home on the planet and created the ultimate collection of the world’s best homes”.