Thrust Hostels, an LGBT-focused startup based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, will be among the exhibitors at this year’s Collision Tech Conference, America’s fastest growing tech conference, being hosted at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from April 26-28, 2016.
Thrust Hostels is one of many selected startups forming part of Collision’s ALPHA 2016 class that will have an opportunity to showcase their concept to venture capital firms, the media and general conference attendees. Oneil Williams, Founder and CEO, came up with the concept for the business after realizing that there were very few businesses focused on budget-conscious accommodations for LGBT travelers.
According to Williams, “This is an uncontested marketplace. We not only want to offer LGBT and pro-LGBT travelers on a budget a clean and modern place to rest their heads, but also create a secure and welcoming environment where they can forge new friendships. As part of our personalized service, guests will have a one-of-a-kind platform where they can access remarkable tours and excursions with a few clicks so they can curate the vacation of their dreams.”
Thrust Hostels revolutionizes the guest experience with its proprietary interactive platform. The platform brings the accounting and visitor experience into the new digital millennium. Unlike traditional hostels, Thrust will accept payments exclusively through the interactive Web and mobile platform. Guests will use the platform to seamlessly book a bed, pay for tours and excursions and get suggestions for local LGBT-focused or LGBT-friendly businesses they may want to visit during their stay. The aim of the platform is to eliminate exasperating lobby lines by simplifying check-in and check-out procedures.
The first location of this scalable business model will be launched in Fort Lauderdale, one of the fastest growing LGBT meccas, and will later expand to other LGBT-friendly cities across the United States and internationally. Thrust Hostels is seeking an initial round of seed funding and is in discussions with LaunchMeLabs, a startup incubator in South Florida.
“The Thrust platform is the lifeblood of our business,” said Oneil Williams, Founder and CEO. “We’ve even engineered a way for our guests to communicate prior to their trips.”
About Thrust Hostels
Founded in 2014, Thrust Hostels, LLC is an LGBT-focused startup venture that uses an interactive Web and mobile platform to offer lodging, tours, excursions and other services to its guests. The company aims to launch its first location in Fort Lauderdale in late 2017.
About Collision
Collision is “America’s fastest growing tech conference.” It was created by the team behind Web Summit, where Uber secured its first major investment round. In two years, Collision has grown to over 7,500 attendees from more than 50 countries. Attendees include CEOs of both the world’s fastest growing startups and the world’s largest companies, alongside leading investors and media.
About Launch Me Labs, LLC
Launch Me Labs, LLC is a for-profit company headquartered in Hollywood, FL that accelerates sustainable business creation and enterprise innovation. The company provides co-working spaces, acceleration services, proof of concept and commercialization programs.
