Beekeeper Raises $45 Million for Online Chat for Non-Desk Hotel Workers
Skift Take
To understand the startup Beekeeper, think of workplace communications tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. The service helps hourly workers without desktop computers, such as housekeepers, stay up-to-date. The fresh funding underscores a recent boom in hotel tech investment.
Beekeeper, an operational communications platform for hourly workers, has raised another $45 million in funding. The Zurich-based startup has clients in 26 industries but hotel groups like Hyatt are its largest early adopters.
Thayer, a travel-focused venture capital firm, and Swisscanto, an asset manager via its growth equity fund, co-led the Series B round. The startup has raised $71 million to date.
A classic use of Beekeeper is for posting shift schedules. The company itself isn't in the business of managing schedules. But Beekeeper's staff-to-staff chat system — think Slack — works with task management services, such as Expedia's majority-owned Alice and Amadeus's Service Optimization Software (formerly called HotSOS), which let hotel companies track assignments or chat with guests. The system can also integrate with online training programs, payroll services from companies like ADP and SAP, a
