HipHost Launches Peer-to-Peer Marketplace for Customized Tours Worldwide

Tours Hosted by Locals Connect Travelers to a Friend in Every City. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) July 11, 2012 - Salem, MA - Founder/CEO Mario Ricciardelli today announced the launch of HipHost (http://www.hiphost.com), a peer-to-peer marketplace for customized tours hosted by locals. Aimed at helping travelers connect with a friend in every city, HipHost's growing community consists of nearly 1,000 local hosts in more than 100 cities worldwide. Travelers can browse and select from hundreds of existing options, or post requests for tours and receive customized offers from local hosts, resulting in one-of-a-kind, local experiences for both tourists and guides. From a NYC Wine and Cupcake tour to a historical journey in Egypt to seeing the highlights of London, HipHost offers a wide range of tours, all of which can be customized by the traveler.

Ricciardelli created HipHost to empower anyone to share their local knowlege and expertise while earning extra money, and to allow travelers to experience any destination like a native. He explains, "Travelers currently have three options for exploring new places: follow the herd in a lame group tour, hire an expensive private guide, or take the time-consuming risk of planning a tour themselves. My vision for HipHost is to create a simple way for travelers to connect with local hosts who can provide authentic, affordable and fun local experiences."

Before founding HipHost, Ricciardelli founded StudentCity out of his Babson College dorm room and grew it to be the leading provider of leisure travel to college and high school students in the US. After selling StudentCity in 2004 to TUI Travel Plc, he stayed on to create the TUI Student Travel group and led the acquisition of 14 student travel companies in North America, transforming it into one of the world's largest student travel organizations. He left TUI in 2010 and quickly saw how collaborative consumption and the emerging sharing economy could play an important role in delivering more meaningful travel experiences by connecting travelers with local hosts.

The HipHost community is built around trust, offering secure payments and private messaging between travelers and hosts. HipHost is currently offering $10 referral and sign up bonuses for future tours, and with the HipFactor Guarantee, travelers leave satisfied or their tour is free. Because safety is of the utmost importance, hosts need a minimum of three personal recommendations in order to list a tour. As a result, travelers' expectations are most often met if not surpassed.

Kartik Isvarmurti, Managing Director of VMG based in India, enjoyed the ultimate HipHost experience during a recent visit to the US: "I wanted to check out some of the big Internet companies in San Francisco but couldn't find a way to do it. After I posted my tour request on HipHost, a host named Dan contacted me and arranged the Silicon Valley Tech Titan Tour. Together we visited some of the top tech companies in the Bay area, giving me a customized tour that was tailored to exactly what I had requested at a great price. With HipHost, I now feel like I have a friend in every city I plan to visit."

About HipHost
HipHost is a trusted community marketplace for customized tours hosted by locals. Aimed at connecting travelers directly to a local host in every city, HipHost sets out to democratize tourism by enabling anyone to book an authentic and customized travel experience at an affordable cost. Travelers can browse and select from existing options, or post a tour request to receive customized offers from nearly 1000 local hosts in more than 100 cities around the world. Local Hosts are able to earn extra money for themselves by sharing their local knowledge and expertise. With every tour covered by a HipFactor guarantee, travelers are assured of a high quality experience or their tour is free. For more information, please visit http://www.hiphost.com/.

Contact Information:
HipHost
121 Loring Avenue
Salem, MA 01970
617-520-4922
http://www.hiphost.com/

Media Contact:
Michelle Higginson
Tel: 781-640-8812
Email: michelle ( @ ) hiphost dot com

Sandra Rand
Tel: 603-315-8160
Email: sandra ( @ ) hiphost dot com

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