• Shackle’s platform is set to revolutionise the hotel industry, reducing check in times from up to 15 minutes to just 90 seconds
• Hotel lobbies as we know them today will evolve as the hotel industry embraces digital solutions in line with global trend
• Shackle digitalises the entire guest journey for hotels by seamlessly integrating with existing systems
• Helping hotels increase revenues with reduced fraud, fewer charge backs and simplified payments
• Industry veteran Gerard Lawlessex – president of Jumeirah Group joins the Shackle Board

London, UK – Shackle Group (Shackle), a leading guest centred platform for hotels and hospitality firms has announced a £12m Series A funding round led by Silverstripe Investment Management Limited (‘Silverstripe’). Other investors include Frontline Ventures, Guillaume Pousaz, Founder of Checkout.com (Zinal Growth) and Brad Bao who founded mobility company Lime.

The hotel industry has lagged behind other similar industries for far too long when it comes to tech adoption, but Shackle is now leading the charge to change this. Increased tech adoption is what hoteliers and customers alike have been crying out for and this is why Shackle was founded. Thanks to Shackle the traditional hotel lobby queue will be a thing of the past as the hotel industry embraces digital solutions that see guests check in to each hotel quickly and efficiently, leading to higher customer satisfaction levels.

Founded by Irishman Mark Abraham in February 2020, just as countries around the world went into lockdown due to Covid 19, Shackle is a platform that digitalises the entire guest journey for hotels. From pre arrival, to check in, to opening the room door and ordering room service, the guest can download the Shackle app and access the platform with a few clicks on their phone to operate their stay their way. This includes paying for their room and any associated costs such as room service via the platform.

When a guest downloads the Shackle app they only need to input their information once and their data will be held securely and easily accessible for any future stay at a hotel which uses the Shackle app.

For hotel owners, all guest interactions will be held in one centralized solution, and a dashboard is provided to the hotel in order to track guest activity. This will help hotels increase revenues, with reduced fraud and simplified payments while staff can engage with their customers in a much more meaningful manner.

In the space of three years Shackle has grown exponentially employing 23 people working across five countries. The platform is used by hotels in the United States, the UK, and the UAE.

Mark Abraham, Shackle CEO & Founder said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Silverstripe to the Shackle story. It has been great to build a really strong relationship with the team, and their experience and track record in the finance and tech sector will supercharge our mission to revolutionise the hotel industry.

“Travel is siloed and broken. Nowhere is this more apparent than the hotel booking and check in process. When you arrive at a hotel despite filling in online forms, the hotel still requires the same details physically from you. This can take 10-20 minutes which is so out of step with the world we live in. If you think about it, you can get groceries delivered to your house in less time than it takes to check in to a hotel. This is what we want and are revolutionising. With the Shackle platform from the moment you book your hotel you bypass this archaic hotel check-in process. You simply wait for the day and time of arrival where your digital key will be sent to you.

“Having spent my entire career working within the hotel industry in a variety of roles, I was acutely aware of how our industry has lagged when it comes to tech adoption. I was always ambitious to enhance the customer experience, and this is why I founded Shackle. This really is only the beginning of Shackle’s journey and I am confident that with the partners and team we have in place we have the ability to create the world’s largest book, stay and explore travel platform.”

Alex Cuppage, Partnerat Silverstripe, said:

“We are excited to partner with Shackle, and believe that the platform that Mark and his team have developed will genuinely revolutionise the hotel industry. Shackle has developed a powerful platform that offers unparalleled flexibility, security, and reliability. We believe that Shackle is well placed to support hotel chains around the world as they look to make things more effective for their customers. We look forward to working closely with the company’s talented team to help them achieve their goals.”

Silverstripe, London headquartered, has been active in Europe since 2013. Backed by IAG Capital, a major US single family office with a 25+ year track record of investing in highly successful fintech and financial services businesses. Silverstripe has deployed over £500m into the UK in recent years.

Gerald Lawless, ex President and group CEO of Jumeirah Group will also join the Board of Shackle following this fund raise.

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About Shackle

Shackle is a platform that digitalises the entire guest journey for hotels. With direct integration into existing hotel systems, Shackle offers a completely contactless solution from check-in right the way through to check-out, with everything in between.

Shackle reduces repetitive admin tasks and brings all of your hotel systems together with full visibility and peace of mind through one seamless integrated solution.

About Silverstripe Investment Management Limited

Silverstripe, London headquartered, has been active in Europe since 2013. Backed by IAG Capital, a major US single family office with a 25+ year track record of investing in highly successful financial services businesses, Silverstripe has deployed over £500m into the UK in recent years.

Silverstripe seeks to partner with exceptional management teams who have built businesses with a clear competitive advantage and strong underlying unit economics. It provides experience and specialist practitioner-based support in the development, operations and governance of portfolio companies, choosing to lead investment rounds with significant minority/majority stakes. Our investment thesis focuses on building exceptional scalable businesses for the long term that make a difference to their chosen market.

About Gerald Lawless

Gerald Lawless is Ex President and Group CEO of Jumeirah Group, he was responsible for launching Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel. He is the Ex Chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and continues to serve as one of their Ambassador.

About Frontline Ventures

Frontline Ventures (http://www.frontline.vc) is the venture firm for globally ambitious B2B businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Frontline Seed strengthens and speeds up ideas at inception across Europe. FrontlineX is a go-to-market first capital second fund for fast and frictionless US–EMEA expansion.

Today, Frontline has €225 ($275) million funds under management and has had numerous successful exits, including Pointy (acquired by Google), Logentries (acquired by Rapid7), and Orchestrate (acquired by CenturyLink).

About Brad Bao

Brad Bao is the Founder and Chairman of the billion-dollar micro mobility company Lime. He also currently serves as the founding Managing Director of Kinzon Capital, a cross-border fund that investing in early-stage technology companies in both US and China, focusing on mobile and internet-related investments.