Investor Overview
FRONTHOUSE is a commission-only booking platform that routes hotel guest spending to local vendors through a hotel-branded portal. Hotels earn 12–18% on guest activity they previously sent to third-party platforms that paid them nothing.
Market opportunity
The ancillary revenue platform market is forecast to grow from $2.73B to $7.96B by 2033 at a 13.2% CAGR — driven by hotels building owned commerce channels after years of OTA dependency.
$2.73B
Market today
Ancillary revenue platform market, 2024
$7.96B
Market by 2033
13.2% CAGR — fastest-growing segment in hotel tech
25,000+
Addressable US hotels
Independent properties with zero local commerce infrastructure
$252B
Experiences market
Global guest spend that flows past hotels with $0 back to the property
The problem
Hotels generate 100% of the guest context — they know who is staying, when, and for how long — but capture almost none of the off-property spending those guests do.
25,000+ independent US hotels have zero local commerce infrastructure. Guests open Google or Viator. Spend leaves the hotel ecosystem with no record, no relationship, and no commission.
The hotel has done all the hard work of acquiring the guest. A third-party platform earns the transaction — and pays the hotel only 8% back if it acknowledges them at all.
25,000+ independent US hotels have zero local commerce infrastructure. The $252B global experiences market flows around them — not through them.
Why now
OTA dependency has reached a 63.4% all-time high — hotels are actively looking for owned revenue channels.
RevPAR fell 5.4% in 2025. Every GM is being asked to find ancillary revenue that doesn't require headcount.
Oaky's acquisition by Plusgrade and Duve's $60M raise validated the category — and displaced the boutique segment both were built for.
The experiences market ($252B globally) has no hotel-native booking layer. Viator and GetYourGuide capture the transaction but pay hotels only 8% back. FRONTHOUSE routes that commission to the property.
Competitive landscape
Duve validates the category. Oaky moved upmarket. Viator doesn't serve hotels — it monetizes their guests. FRONTHOUSE owns the white space.
| Platform | Pricing | Setup cost | Hotel commission cut | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRONTHOUSE | Commission-only (12–18%) | $0 | 12–18% | Independent + boutique |
| Duve | $120/mo + upsell cut | Low | Partial | Mid-market, tech-heavy |
| Bowo | €960 setup + monthly | €960 | Partial | European boutique |
| Oaky | Enterprise / Plusgrade tier | High | Limited | Large chains |
| Viator | OTA — not hotel-native | None | ~8% | Consumer-facing only |
Business model
Commerce revenue funds growth. Platform fees fund infrastructure. Data intelligence contracts fund defensibility and expansion.
01 · Commerce
12–18% commission
On every hotel-routed booking. No upfront cost, no PMS integration. Revenue is generated at the point of transaction.
02 · Platform
$500/mo flat
Covers up to 5 properties in a management group. Shared vendor pool, consolidated reporting. First two bookings of the month typically cover it.
03 · Data Intelligence
$75K–$250K/yr
DMO and tourism board contracts for destination-level spend intelligence. Every booking generates data unavailable from any other source.
Rates are fixed per hotel at onboarding. Multi-property and high-volume groups operate on reduced commission with monthly retainer.
The solution
FRONTHOUSE sits between the hotel and the local economy — giving guests a trusted, branded place to book local experiences, and giving hotels a revenue stream they've never had access to.
Branded portal
A hotel-branded storefront embedded in the guest journey — curated experiences, not a search engine.
Vetted vendor network
Local operators onboarded by FRONTHOUSE — structured, insured, and briefed to serve premium guests.
Automated booking and payment
Guest books, pays via Stripe, vendor fulfills. Hotel earns commission with no operational overhead.
Live reporting
Operator console shows bookings, vendor performance, and revenue in real time. Board-ready pilot report at week six.
PMF milestones
We're not chasing vanity metrics. These five signals confirm repeatable product-market fit — and unlock the next funding conversation.
Active properties
20
Avg monthly revenue per property
$1,500
Monthly churn
<10%
Peer referrals per cohort
3+
Management company signed
1
Markets
FRONTHOUSE is built for markets where hotel density, tourism volume, and local vendor ecosystems intersect. The Caribbean was the proving ground. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are the next stage.
Kingston, Jamaica
Pilot model built around Kingston. 5 vendor categories, 8 experience categories in demo.
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Natural expansion from Kingston. Strong resort corridor, established vendor ecosystem.
Nassau, Bahamas
High-value tourism market. Aligned guest profile with Caribbean luxury tier.
Miami & Fort Lauderdale
US market entry. Dense hotel and resort concentration with year-round guest volume.
Why FRONTHOUSE wins
Commission-only model
No setup fees, no SaaS subscription, no PMS integration. Revenue is generated when guests book — zero hotel risk.
Pilot-first distribution
Six-week pilots remove procurement friction. Hotels see results before committing. Short sales cycle, low CAC.
Defensible vendor layer
Curated vendor relationships are the product moat. Competitors can't replicate local trust and fulfillment quality without the same ground-level work.
Data flywheel
Every booking generates destination-level spend data unavailable anywhere else. Tourism boards, hotel groups, and government partners all need this.
Multi-tenant from day one
One operating model supports unlimited hotel properties with no additional infrastructure per property.
The team
FRONTHOUSE is a product of HOUSESONHILLS — a holding brand focused on hospitality software and high-conviction destination products. HOUSELABS is the build-and-operate arm: pilot onboarding, vendor activation, operator reporting, and platform iteration are all run in-house.
HOUSESONHILLS
Parent company
Holding brand. Capital allocation, strategic direction, and partnership development.
HOUSELABS
Product studio
Builds and operates FRONTHOUSE. Pilot onboarding, vendor activation, reporting layer.
GATEHOUSE
Infrastructure
Shared backbone — property data, permissions, and multi-hotel configuration.
Get in touch
If you're a hotel operator, tourism board, or investor who wants to understand the opportunity in more depth, request the deck, book a call, or reach out directly.
hello@fronthouse.io · HOUSESONHILLS / FRONTHOUSE