March 10, 2022 • 14 mins
Misterb&b, like many great start-up concepts, was born out of necessity. Founder and entrepreneur Matthieu Jost sat down with me for an interview and revealed the upsetting homophobic incident that spurred the idea for his company.
In a nutshell, a few years back, Jost and his partner applied as guests at a short-term rental in Barcelona during a trip to Spain. However, they were quickly turned down after the owner realized they were gay.
They found new lodging in the Catalan capital, but the experience was still painful and disappointing. It got him thinking about what he could do to ensure LGBTQ travelers could find welcoming accommodations all around the world despite their sexual orientation.
The ordeal led him to carve out a long-overdue category in the travel industry with his brand emerging as one of the top travel resources for the LGBTQ community.
Have a listen to my discussion with Matthieu/ Read the interview at Instinct Magazine and book your next great Gaycation through Misterbandb!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
I'm joined today by Matthew Jost, CEO and founder of
Mr.
B&B, a brand committed tocreating a more safe and
accepting LGBTQ travelexperience.
What began as Matthew's littleidea now boasts over 310,000
hosts in over 135 countries.
Matthew, welcome to Core Issues.
Hi, Andrew.
Welcome.
(00:22):
Yes, thank you so much for beinghere.
Now, I want to just jump rightin because what's really
important for people to realize,with so many corporations out
there who try to get the gaydollars with Without actually
supporting the gay community,it's important to let listeners
know that Mr.
B&B is owned by you, a gay manwho is also the CEO.
And the idea for Mr.
(00:43):
B&B came about after a trip youtook to Barcelona in 2014.
So could you briefly share whathappened on that trip?
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
Yeah, sure.
So everything started from myown personal experience.
I was traveling a few years agoto Barcelona with my partner.
And upon arrival, we booked aprivate room at that time.
We love to connect with locals.
And upon arrival, it was superclear that the host didn't feel
(01:14):
uncomfortable about hosting twogay guys.
She even asked us, are you goingto sleep together in the same
bed in the room just next tomine.
And so, yeah, it was superunpleasant and very
uncomfortable.
And so we decided to leave andon our way back to the airport,
(01:36):
I told my partner that I didn'twant to live such a bad
experience for me, neither formy community.
And this is how we decided tocreate Mr.
B&B.
SPEAKER_01 (01:45):
Wow.
That's an amazing story and sofrustrating because I think many
people have experienced thatbefore and just didn't really
know what to do at the time.
So I'm glad you had an epiphanyto create a company to help the
situation.
But it's also important to callout too, all the companies that
every time there's a gay pride,like in June, they all throw the
(02:06):
rainbows up in the air.
And then by July 1st, they'reall gone.
So it's good that there's anactual company that is for the
community year round.
Now, Mr.
B&B provides an opportunity forLGBTQ travelers to earn money
from their space.
And I was curious to know, dothe hosts interact with the
(02:27):
people who rent their units?
Do hosts become tour guides orare they just sort of private
owners who leave and let thepeople rent their properties.
How does it work exactly?
SPEAKER_00 (02:37):
Yes, sure.
So, you know, currently 65% ofour guests are traveling solo.
So they are using Mr.
BNB because they would love toconnect with locals and not feel
alone when they are traveling.
And over the years, we haverealized that because hosts and
guests are sharing the samecommunity, we realized that the
(03:01):
the hosts are delivering ahigher level of hospitality to
the guests.
So they are really, um, helpingthe guests, uh, before for their
trip.
And also when they are, whenthey are at destination.
So they are taking them out.
Uh, most of them are taking themout, uh, for, for some excursion
(03:22):
or guided tours for sure.
Uh, but also we realized that,um, a lot of them, uh, became
friends after that trip.
So it's really, um, It's reallyour purpose about connecting the
LGBTQ community while traveling.
And this is what makes us superproud about the company and Mr.
(03:42):
BNB.
SPEAKER_01 (03:43):
Yes, it's important to call out that you're not just
a place to book travel.
The website has resources forthings to do in a community and
how to hook up with otherlike-minded people to do
different activities indifferent cities you go to.
So that's a really importantthing to call out.
And I know one of your keypillars also is providing a safe
(04:06):
environment in your short-termrentals for the LGBT community.
So at this point, you're thelargest gay hotelier in the
world with, as I mentioned, over310,000 hosts in over 135
countries.
So how do you find theproperties that you list?
And as you offer them as safespaces, you have a trust and
(04:26):
safety department.
So what role does that play inand making sure the places you
find are safe for the community.
SPEAKER_00 (04:34):
Yes, so everyone, every member of the LGBTQ
community can miss their place,even allies.
We have a lot of straight womenthat are using Mr.
BNB to host because they canfeel safe.
So this is safety is superimportant for us.
So we have developed a specificteam that is handling safety at
(04:57):
Mr.
BNB.
But also we have also developeda lot of different algorithms
that data science algorithmsthat help us to really detect
any fraudulent listing.
And we are doing a lot of, um,ID verification.
So, uh, if you book with us, youneed to verify your ID.
So for some people it's adding,uh, for sure, certain friction,
(05:21):
but this is really key because,um, we, we really, um, want our
community to be, uh, to be, uh,super safe while they are
traveling.
So, uh, um, we, we are doing alot, uh, around that also.
And we, We detect some badreview on some listing.
We are taking the listingimmediately off the platforms so
(05:42):
we can do some investigation.
But there's a lot of differentmeasure of trust and safety on
Mr.
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
BNB.
That's wonderful.
And I know you also rely on,well, not rely on, but you also
invite travelers to leavereviews, right?
People can leave an actualreview on the site so that
people can read theirexperience.
SPEAKER_00 (06:03):
Yes.
All same guests can leave areview.
So this is really important forus and for the community.
So when you're traveling, youcan make the right choice
reading the review from theother past guests.
SPEAKER_01 (06:17):
Now, traveling in general has taken a big hit as
an industry since the pandemic,of course.
And many CEOs I've interviewed,they've stayed afloat because of
innovation and adapting theirbusiness to accommodate this
current crazy sort of pandemicworld we're living in.
So I'm curious to know, did Mr.
B&B have to adapt to anything aswell?
(06:37):
And what are some of theadjustments you made?
SPEAKER_00 (06:39):
Yeah, definitely.
COVID has been the worst thingI've ever lived as a CEO at Mr.
BNB.
But as you know, we are amarketplace, so our expenses are
really going up or downdepending on our business.
So this was super, super key forus during the crisis.
(07:05):
We also needed to fire some...
So we need to lay off 10% of thestaff at Mr.
BNB.
And yeah, definitely wenegotiate a lot of contracts
with different companies thatwere working for Mr.
BNB.
It was super challenging, but weare still here.
(07:29):
And I think we are stronger thanbefore because of what we went
through.
SPEAKER_01 (07:33):
Yeah, I think that, you know, so many companies now
they've learned how to do thingsdifferently.
And I think once the pandemic isover, hopefully those things
will be wonderful newacclimations for you to even be
stronger as a business.
When it comes to the short-termrentals that you offer, it seems
like there's a range ofdifferent types.
So like from cozy apartments toprivate rooms, what are some of
(07:55):
the types of short-term rentalswe can find on Mr.
B&B?
SPEAKER_00 (08:00):
So our primary offering is private rooms.
So meaning that you are stayingat someone else's place.
So it's a, it's a cheap, it's akind of cheap option when you
want to travel budget andconnect with the local
community.
But also we, we have entireplace for sure.
And more recently we have addeda bunch new kind of places like
(08:22):
hotels, LGBTQ friendly hotelsand villas.
So yes, this is the main type of
SPEAKER_01 (08:28):
accommodation.
Wow.
So when it comes to the hotels,do you have anything specific as
you try to vet the hotels or isit the same thing?
You rely on the community totell you if they've had a bad or
good experience there and thenyou will list a hotel?
SPEAKER_00 (08:45):
I would say both.
So we have curated thousands andthousands of hotels that have
actively signed LGBTQ charter onLGBTQ association like IJLTA or
that are doing a lot ofmarketing effort towards the
(09:06):
LGBTQ community.
Yes.
And also we are taking somerecommendations from the
community.
So yes, the idea is really tovet offering.
So there are no bad surprises atthe
SPEAKER_01 (09:21):
reception.
Yes, that's really important.
So again, to stress theimportance of you being a
gay-owned establishment, andit's notable to say that you are
involved in giving back to thecommunity with a range of LGBTQ
issues and causes, this isimportant.
So I commend you on that.
So thank you for that.
And I'm curious to know what aresome of the ways, however, in
(09:42):
which you do that?
So you're involved in a lot ofCharity.
What are some of the, maybe acouple of your favorites you're
involved with that are for thegood of the community?
SPEAKER_00 (09:52):
Yes, so since inception, this has been really
key for the company to give backto our community.
So every year, through aninitiative we have launched,
it's called Mr.
For Good.
We are financing different kindsof NGOs.
I would say that the lastexample was an NGO that is
(10:16):
working to help LGBTQ refugees,like in Afghanistan, the last
past month.
So we finance this NGO thathelps some LGBTQ refugees to
escape Afghanistan when theTaliban take power there.
So yes, we are trying to help alot of NGOs.
(10:39):
So when you book with Mr.
BNB, you're also participatingin helping to make this
possible.
world a better world for ourcommunity.
So this is really importantalso.
SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
Wow, that's excellent.
And when it comes to peoplewanting to be a host or
traveling, I guess it's justgoing to the website to take a
look at how your website allowspeople to search for properties.
But again, if you can justshare, how does a person become
a host if they're interested inlisting their property or
becoming a host with Mr.
(11:08):
B&B?
SPEAKER_00 (11:09):
So it's super easy to become a host on Mr.
BNB.
You just have to sign up on thewebsite and enter your property
details.
So it's a super short form, liketwo to three minutes to add some
photo.
And then you are immediatelyonline and your property is
(11:29):
bookable.
SPEAKER_01 (11:31):
Wonderful.
Well, I guess lastly, I wouldjust ask you, of course, after
expanding to over 135 countries,that's a pretty big deal.
So I wonder what's next.
What's the next future visionfor Mr.
BNB?
SPEAKER_00 (11:44):
I would say that the future vision is to continue and
strengthen our DNA, which isconnection and travel.
So we are working on adding anew feature to help all
travelers to find a travelcompanion when they are
traveling.
As I said, a lot of them aretraveling alone, so you will be
(12:05):
able to share your travel debtand then to be able to be
contacted with other travelersthat are willing to share your
trip.
even share the trip cost withyou, or even to be contacted by
locals that will be happy totake you on a guided tour when
you are at destination.
So connection is really the waywe envision the future of Mr.
(12:30):
B&B.
Wow.
I
SPEAKER_01 (12:31):
love that.
And I will just end with tellingyou, I was thinking the whole
time we were talking, I waslike, I have to tell Matthew
about my idea that they shouldmake sure that like, you know,
travel guides, tour guides canbe listed maybe on the site
because I went to Brazil in 2020right before COVID or as COVID
was happening.
And, uh, Not only did I find atour guide, I searched for a gay
(12:55):
tour guide because that was veryspecific to take me to where the
gay community was throughout Rioduring Carnival.
So it made all the difference inmy trip.
So it'd be great to have thatkind of listing on your website.
So I'm glad you're working onthat.
SPEAKER_00 (13:10):
Definitely.
And also we have a lot ofinterview of hosts, local hosts
that are giving their best trip.
So if you want to stay 24 hoursor 48 hours in a specific city,
you can connect on our blog andfind all this interview with
insider tips.
So this is super interesting foryour next travel.
(13:32):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_01 (13:33):
Thank you so much, Matthew Jha, CEO of Mr.
BNB.
And I really appreciate yourtime today and giving us insight
into how your wonderful platformfor LGBTQ travel works.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you, Andrew, for havingme.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for listening to CoreIssues with me, Corey Andrew.
For future episodes, pleasesubscribe to this podcast on
(13:54):
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
You can follow me at CoreyAndrew and follow the Core
Issues Facebook page at CoreIssues Media.
I'm joined today by Matthew Jost, CEO and founder of
Mr.
B&B, a brand committed tocreating a more safe and
accepting LGBTQ travelexperience.
What began as Matthew's littleidea now boasts over 310,000
hosts in over 135 countries.
Matthew, welcome to Core Issues.
Hi, Andrew.
Welcome.
(00:22):
Yes, thank you so much for beinghere.
Now, I want to just jump rightin because what's really
important for people to realize,with so many corporations out
there who try to get the gaydollars with Without actually
supporting the gay community,it's important to let listeners
know that Mr.
B&B is owned by you, a gay manwho is also the CEO.
And the idea for Mr.
(00:43):
B&B came about after a trip youtook to Barcelona in 2014.
So could you briefly share whathappened on that trip?
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
Yeah, sure.
So everything started from myown personal experience.
I was traveling a few years agoto Barcelona with my partner.
And upon arrival, we booked aprivate room at that time.
We love to connect with locals.
And upon arrival, it was superclear that the host didn't feel
(01:14):
uncomfortable about hosting twogay guys.
She even asked us, are you goingto sleep together in the same
bed in the room just next tomine.
And so, yeah, it was superunpleasant and very
uncomfortable.
And so we decided to leave andon our way back to the airport,
(01:36):
I told my partner that I didn'twant to live such a bad
experience for me, neither formy community.
And this is how we decided tocreate Mr.
B&B.
SPEAKER_01 (01:45):
Wow.
That's an amazing story and sofrustrating because I think many
people have experienced thatbefore and just didn't really
know what to do at the time.
So I'm glad you had an epiphanyto create a company to help the
situation.
But it's also important to callout too, all the companies that
every time there's a gay pride,like in June, they all throw the
(02:06):
rainbows up in the air.
And then by July 1st, they'reall gone.
So it's good that there's anactual company that is for the
community year round.
Now, Mr.
B&B provides an opportunity forLGBTQ travelers to earn money
from their space.
And I was curious to know, dothe hosts interact with the
(02:27):
people who rent their units?
Do hosts become tour guides orare they just sort of private
owners who leave and let thepeople rent their properties.
How does it work exactly?
SPEAKER_00 (02:37):
Yes, sure.
So, you know, currently 65% ofour guests are traveling solo.
So they are using Mr.
BNB because they would love toconnect with locals and not feel
alone when they are traveling.
And over the years, we haverealized that because hosts and
guests are sharing the samecommunity, we realized that the
(03:01):
the hosts are delivering ahigher level of hospitality to
the guests.
So they are really, um, helpingthe guests, uh, before for their
trip.
And also when they are, whenthey are at destination.
So they are taking them out.
Uh, most of them are taking themout, uh, for, for some excursion
(03:22):
or guided tours for sure.
Uh, but also we realized that,um, a lot of them, uh, became
friends after that trip.
So it's really, um, It's reallyour purpose about connecting the
LGBTQ community while traveling.
And this is what makes us superproud about the company and Mr.
(03:42):
BNB.
SPEAKER_01 (03:43):
Yes, it's important to call out that you're not just
a place to book travel.
The website has resources forthings to do in a community and
how to hook up with otherlike-minded people to do
different activities indifferent cities you go to.
So that's a really importantthing to call out.
And I know one of your keypillars also is providing a safe
(04:06):
environment in your short-termrentals for the LGBT community.
So at this point, you're thelargest gay hotelier in the
world with, as I mentioned, over310,000 hosts in over 135
countries.
So how do you find theproperties that you list?
And as you offer them as safespaces, you have a trust and
(04:26):
safety department.
So what role does that play inand making sure the places you
find are safe for the community.
SPEAKER_00 (04:34):
Yes, so everyone, every member of the LGBTQ
community can miss their place,even allies.
We have a lot of straight womenthat are using Mr.
BNB to host because they canfeel safe.
So this is safety is superimportant for us.
So we have developed a specificteam that is handling safety at
(04:57):
Mr.
BNB.
But also we have also developeda lot of different algorithms
that data science algorithmsthat help us to really detect
any fraudulent listing.
And we are doing a lot of, um,ID verification.
So, uh, if you book with us, youneed to verify your ID.
So for some people it's adding,uh, for sure, certain friction,
(05:21):
but this is really key because,um, we, we really, um, want our
community to be, uh, to be, uh,super safe while they are
traveling.
So, uh, um, we, we are doing alot, uh, around that also.
And we, We detect some badreview on some listing.
We are taking the listingimmediately off the platforms so
(05:42):
we can do some investigation.
But there's a lot of differentmeasure of trust and safety on
Mr.
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
BNB.
That's wonderful.
And I know you also rely on,well, not rely on, but you also
invite travelers to leavereviews, right?
People can leave an actualreview on the site so that
people can read theirexperience.
SPEAKER_00 (06:03):
Yes.
All same guests can leave areview.
So this is really important forus and for the community.
So when you're traveling, youcan make the right choice
reading the review from theother past guests.
SPEAKER_01 (06:17):
Now, traveling in general has taken a big hit as
an industry since the pandemic,of course.
And many CEOs I've interviewed,they've stayed afloat because of
innovation and adapting theirbusiness to accommodate this
current crazy sort of pandemicworld we're living in.
So I'm curious to know, did Mr.
B&B have to adapt to anything aswell?
(06:37):
And what are some of theadjustments you made?
SPEAKER_00 (06:39):
Yeah, definitely.
COVID has been the worst thingI've ever lived as a CEO at Mr.
BNB.
But as you know, we are amarketplace, so our expenses are
really going up or downdepending on our business.
So this was super, super key forus during the crisis.
(07:05):
We also needed to fire some...
So we need to lay off 10% of thestaff at Mr.
BNB.
And yeah, definitely wenegotiate a lot of contracts
with different companies thatwere working for Mr.
BNB.
It was super challenging, but weare still here.
(07:29):
And I think we are stronger thanbefore because of what we went
through.
SPEAKER_01 (07:33):
Yeah, I think that, you know, so many companies now
they've learned how to do thingsdifferently.
And I think once the pandemic isover, hopefully those things
will be wonderful newacclimations for you to even be
stronger as a business.
When it comes to the short-termrentals that you offer, it seems
like there's a range ofdifferent types.
So like from cozy apartments toprivate rooms, what are some of
(07:55):
the types of short-term rentalswe can find on Mr.
B&B?
SPEAKER_00 (08:00):
So our primary offering is private rooms.
So meaning that you are stayingat someone else's place.
So it's a, it's a cheap, it's akind of cheap option when you
want to travel budget andconnect with the local
community.
But also we, we have entireplace for sure.
And more recently we have addeda bunch new kind of places like
(08:22):
hotels, LGBTQ friendly hotelsand villas.
So yes, this is the main type of
SPEAKER_01 (08:28):
accommodation.
Wow.
So when it comes to the hotels,do you have anything specific as
you try to vet the hotels or isit the same thing?
You rely on the community totell you if they've had a bad or
good experience there and thenyou will list a hotel?
SPEAKER_00 (08:45):
I would say both.
So we have curated thousands andthousands of hotels that have
actively signed LGBTQ charter onLGBTQ association like IJLTA or
that are doing a lot ofmarketing effort towards the
(09:06):
LGBTQ community.
Yes.
And also we are taking somerecommendations from the
community.
So yes, the idea is really tovet offering.
So there are no bad surprises atthe
SPEAKER_01 (09:21):
reception.
Yes, that's really important.
So again, to stress theimportance of you being a
gay-owned establishment, andit's notable to say that you are
involved in giving back to thecommunity with a range of LGBTQ
issues and causes, this isimportant.
So I commend you on that.
So thank you for that.
And I'm curious to know what aresome of the ways, however, in
(09:42):
which you do that?
So you're involved in a lot ofCharity.
What are some of the, maybe acouple of your favorites you're
involved with that are for thegood of the community?
SPEAKER_00 (09:52):
Yes, so since inception, this has been really
key for the company to give backto our community.
So every year, through aninitiative we have launched,
it's called Mr.
For Good.
We are financing different kindsof NGOs.
I would say that the lastexample was an NGO that is
(10:16):
working to help LGBTQ refugees,like in Afghanistan, the last
past month.
So we finance this NGO thathelps some LGBTQ refugees to
escape Afghanistan when theTaliban take power there.
So yes, we are trying to help alot of NGOs.
(10:39):
So when you book with Mr.
BNB, you're also participatingin helping to make this
possible.
world a better world for ourcommunity.
So this is really importantalso.
SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
Wow, that's excellent.
And when it comes to peoplewanting to be a host or
traveling, I guess it's justgoing to the website to take a
look at how your website allowspeople to search for properties.
But again, if you can justshare, how does a person become
a host if they're interested inlisting their property or
becoming a host with Mr.
(11:08):
B&B?
SPEAKER_00 (11:09):
So it's super easy to become a host on Mr.
BNB.
You just have to sign up on thewebsite and enter your property
details.
So it's a super short form, liketwo to three minutes to add some
photo.
And then you are immediatelyonline and your property is
(11:29):
bookable.
SPEAKER_01 (11:31):
Wonderful.
Well, I guess lastly, I wouldjust ask you, of course, after
expanding to over 135 countries,that's a pretty big deal.
So I wonder what's next.
What's the next future visionfor Mr.
BNB?
SPEAKER_00 (11:44):
I would say that the future vision is to continue and
strengthen our DNA, which isconnection and travel.
So we are working on adding anew feature to help all
travelers to find a travelcompanion when they are
traveling.
As I said, a lot of them aretraveling alone, so you will be
(12:05):
able to share your travel debtand then to be able to be
contacted with other travelersthat are willing to share your
trip.
even share the trip cost withyou, or even to be contacted by
locals that will be happy totake you on a guided tour when
you are at destination.
So connection is really the waywe envision the future of Mr.
(12:30):
B&B.
Wow.
I
SPEAKER_01 (12:31):
love that.
And I will just end with tellingyou, I was thinking the whole
time we were talking, I waslike, I have to tell Matthew
about my idea that they shouldmake sure that like, you know,
travel guides, tour guides canbe listed maybe on the site
because I went to Brazil in 2020right before COVID or as COVID
was happening.
And, uh, Not only did I find atour guide, I searched for a gay
(12:55):
tour guide because that was veryspecific to take me to where the
gay community was throughout Rioduring Carnival.
So it made all the difference inmy trip.
So it'd be great to have thatkind of listing on your website.
So I'm glad you're working onthat.
SPEAKER_00 (13:10):
Definitely.
And also we have a lot ofinterview of hosts, local hosts
that are giving their best trip.
So if you want to stay 24 hoursor 48 hours in a specific city,
you can connect on our blog andfind all this interview with
insider tips.
So this is super interesting foryour next travel.
(13:32):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_01 (13:33):
Thank you so much, Matthew Jha, CEO of Mr.
BNB.
And I really appreciate yourtime today and giving us insight
into how your wonderful platformfor LGBTQ travel works.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you, Andrew, for havingme.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for listening to CoreIssues with me, Corey Andrew.
For future episodes, pleasesubscribe to this podcast on
(13:54):
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
You can follow me at CoreyAndrew and follow the Core
Issues Facebook page at CoreIssues Media.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.