GuestReady, a Swiss short-term rental management company, is expanding into the Canary Islands with the acquisition of Lightbooking, a Spanish vacation rental management and distribution operators.
This strategic acquisition will add more than 200 units to GuestReady’s Spanish portfolio and brings the group’s overall portfolio to over 4,000 units globally, evolving its position in the European hospitality market.
“This acquisition marks an important step in GuestReady’s European journey. Expanding into the Canary Islands strengthens our position among Europe’s leading professional hospitality operators. Under Gustavo’s leadership, Lightbooking has built a truly market leading platform in the Canary Islands, with deep local expertise and a strong reputation with both owners and guests. We’re proud to welcome such a strong team and portfolio into GuestReady,” says Alexander Limpert, CEO and co-founder of GuestReady and guest writer for EU-Startups.
In the wider European short-term rental, hospitality and property management landscape, recent activity from 2025–2026 shows continued capital flowing into technology-led operators adjacent to GuestReady’s model.
In Switzerland, Azuro raised €5 million to develop a user-owned portfolio of smart vacation homes, reflecting growing interest in alternative ownership and professionally managed holiday accommodation. In Germany, Berlin-based Buena secured €49 million to digitise and automate residential property management workflows using AI. At the larger end of the market, Dutch hospitality software provider Mews raised €255 million in January 2026 to expand its automation and payments platform for hotels and serviced accommodation.
While none of these announcements relate directly to a Spanish short-term rental operator, together they indicate approximately €309 million invested into hospitality and PropTech platforms across Europe over the period.
Against this backdrop, GuestReady’s acquisition of Lightbooking appears consistent with a broader shift towards scale, consolidation and technology-driven operations in the European short-term rental ecosystem.
“What impressed us most about GuestReady was the professionalism of their operating model and the strength of their technology platform. RentalReady is truly best-in-class, and we see a strong opportunity to scale our portfolio under a unified management approach while delivering outstanding value to both owners and guests,” adds Gustavo Guevara, CEO of Lightbooking.
Founded in 2016 and 2015 respectively, GuestReady and Lightbooking operate in closely aligned markets with shared objectives, making the acquisition a natural strategic fit within the short-term rental ecosystem.
Already operating in key Spanish urban markets such as Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia, GuestReady offers a fully integrated vacation rental management solution and currently operates in seven countries across Europe and the Middle East, managing more than 4,000 properties in over 50 cities with an average occupancy rate of 78%.
Lightbooking complements this footprint with a strong presence in Southern Europe, particularly the Canary Islands and Andalucía, providing end-to-end services ranging from multi-platform listings and dynamic pricing to guest communication, check-in processes and property maintenance, all aimed at maximising returns for owners while ensuring a smooth booking experience for travellers.
This acquisition is GuestReady’s 12th since the company was founded, and the third completed over the last 12 months – it also represents a major milestone for GuestReady, nearly doubling the company’s presence in Spain. GuestReady now manages approximately 400 active apartments nationwide.
The company now operates close to:
- 170 properties in the Canary Islands
- Around 50 properties in Andalusia
In the Canary archipelago, the portfolio is spread across Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, El Hierro, and La Gomera. In Andalusia, GuestReady operates in key cities and destinations including Seville, Cádiz, Málaga, Granada, Huelva, and Córdoba.
In terms of asset mix, approximately 70% of the portfolio consists of entire buildings, while 30% is owned by individual landlords.
“In the short term, our focus is on integrating teams and building a shared culture, as both organisations come from different backgrounds. In the medium term, our goal is to optimize resources, grow sustainably, and become a leading reference for professional property management in the Canary Islands, while delivering a consistent, high-quality service to both owners and guests,” shares Lorenzo Ritella, Country Manager, GuestReady.
As many owners explore alternatives to traditional tour operator models, which often reduce flexibility and limit profitability, GuestReady looks to offer a professional and adaptable approach.
GuestReady will bring its technological platform and scalable processes, including:
- The AI driven Short Term Rental PMS , RentalReady
- Automation tools and AI-driven solutions
- Standardised operational procedures designed to optimise performance and elevate
guest experience
Looking ahead, GuestReady aims to reach 600 active apartments in Spain by 2026, combining organic growth, portfolio expansion, and strategic transactions such as the acquisition of Lightbooking.
The Canary Islands are expected to play a central role in this strategy, particularly through the management of entire buildings and bungalow-style complexes, which allow for more efficient and sustainable scaling.
EU-Startups has followed GuestReady over several years through editorial contributions, event participation and coverage of key growth milestones.
In 2025, GuestReady’s CEO and co-founder Alexander Limpert appeared as a guest writer on EU-Startups with three in-depth opinion and insight articles:
- Stoic CEO: What ancient philosophy taught me about leading through crisis
- Lessons from the buy side: How startups can use M&A to accelerate growth without losing focus
- How to build a cross-border team without losing speed.
The company has also been a recurring presence at the EU-Startups Summit, first participating in a 2020 panel discussion on the future of Airbnb management and short-term rentals (panel announcement), and later featuring again when Limpert was announced as a speaker for the 2025 edition of the Summit (speaker announcement).
From a company-building perspective, EU-Startups has also reported on GuestReady’s financing and expansion, including its €700k funding round in 2016, its $3 million raise alongside the acquisition of Easy Rental Services in 2017, and its 2018 acquisitions of Oporto City Flats and We Stay In Paris.
Beyond the EU-Startups brand, Limpert has also participated as a speaker at the 2025 FutureTravel Summit (speaker profile), the former sister brand of EU-Startups.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/guestreadys-acquisition-of-lightbooking-lifts-spanish-portfolio-by-200-units-taking-global-total-beyond-4000/
