Travellers' Checks | Amberlair hotel seeks investors, after crowdsourcing name and location: a villa in southern Italy

It’s an interesting idea that has been in the pipeline for several years, during which Amberlair’sfounders, Kristin Lindenberg and Marcus Orbé, visited more than 40 countries, “researching” other such hotels for inspiration. The initial target on Amberlair’s Indiegogo page is just €15,000 (HK$137,500), which is supposed to cover architectural planning. If that figure is reached, presumably the project will continue, with further input from micro-investors. If crowdsourcing doesn’t take off (and uptake did appear lukewarm at the time of writing), then there’s the €6 million being raised through other platforms such as Fundable and Angel Investment Network. (I suspect, though, that despite best intentions, the project may be bought out by a major hospitality player before anywhere near completion, now that someone has done the research and found such an idyllic and well-located property.)