Updated on:12/01/2025 05:07 PM 
CryptoSlate had the privilege of speaking with Cynthia Huang, the Growth Lead for Dtravel, a pioneering decentralized marketplace for vacation rentals.
Cynthia Huang serves as the Growth Lead for Dtravel. She is also the co-founder of Altcoin Vision, a crypto trading simulation game with over 300,000 users globally, and Airhosts Forum, the world's #1 Airbnb host community. Cynthia's innovative projects have earned her numerous awards, exceeding $100,000 USD in prizes and grants. Her expertise spans growth, product, and marketing, with her work featured on prominent platforms like TechCrunch, The Block, and CoinMarketCap, and interviews in publications such as Global Coin Report and Authority Magazine.
Can you elaborate on the background of the Dtravel founding team and their prior experience in the cryptocurrency space?
The team behind Dtravel is Genesys Partners, a collective of over 40 contributors from across the globe. Their backgrounds are incredibly diverse, covering critical areas like crypto/blockchain, travel, security, property development, software engineering, traffic management, design, legal, social media, and marketing. The team includes deep experts in blockchain, DeFi, and token economics, alongside veterans from the travel and rental industries with experience at giants like Airbnb, Expedia, and various host communities.
Some of our key contributors include:
Martin Currah – Head of Business – With over a decade of experience in building and scaling online businesses, Martin excels in business strategy, market analysis, and guiding ventures from concept to execution. In the corporate world at De Beers Group, he shaped the company's future by developing transformative business strategies. As an entrepreneur, his personal services startup amassed thousands of users in Canada before being acquired. He also spent nearly three years as the CFO of the world's leading blockchain-based travel agency, Travala.com.
Cynthia Huang – Growth Lead – Cynthia Huang is the Growth Lead for Dtravel. She is also the co-founder of Altcoin Vision, a crypto trading simulation game with over 300,000 users worldwide and Airhosts Forum, the #1 Airbnb host community globally. Cynthia has won numerous awards for her projects, totaling over $100K USD in prizes and grants. She's proficient in growth, product, and marketing. Her published works appear on sites like TechCrunch, The Block, and CoinMarketCap and she’s been featured in interviews for publications such as Global Coin Report and Authority Magazine.
Nigel Da Costa – Business Development Lead – Based in Toronto, Canada, Nigel began his career at digital marketing agencies before launching several entrepreneurial ventures. In 2010, he co-founded a digital services agency, growing it into one of Canada's most-trafficked websites before selling it in 2014. He then joined Airbnb as one of its first Canadian employees. During his seven-year tenure, he helped build the Canadian market and led global teams for Airbnb for Work, Airbnb's social impact travel initiative, and critically, Airbnb's nine-year partnership with the Olympic Games.
Ben Hunter – Design Lead – Ben is a multidisciplinary designer and creative fascinated by the intersection of offline experiences and technology. He has led design teams at two startups—Acknowledgment and Commence—and was an early member of Airbnb’s design team. There, he worked for over 4 years on Experiences, Design Systems, and experimental projects that leveraged AI to enhance the design process.
What core problem does Dtravel solve, and why is a community-owned approach to vacation rentals so critical?
Current centralized platforms, built on Web2 technology, treat their users (e.g., hosts, guests, drivers) as cogs in a machine. While users contribute to the network's growth, they don't share in its value or have a say in its governance. Similarly, ancillary service providers—like property management companies and travel bloggers—and community builders who cultivate the ecosystem are neither rewarded nor recognized for their vital contributions.
This is largely a limitation of Web2, which lacks mechanisms to fairly distribute value to all network participants. This is precisely what we aim to solve with the TRVL token and the Dtravel DAO at the center of our value-sharing network.
By building incentive mechanisms directly into the protocol, Dtravel empowers hosts, guests, and all ecosystem participants. By holding TRVL, community members and service providers are incentivized, supported, and rewarded for contributing to Dtravel's growth. This creates a virtuous cycle—a flywheel effect—where growth begets more growth, attracting more users and services, and fostering an ecosystem that transcends what a traditional company can achieve.
Through our Grants DAO, we envision a host of new services being built to support Dtravel, all using the TRVL token as a medium of exchange and utility. This will expand its use cases across travel, property sharing, and self-employment.
What are the tangible benefits for hosts and guests who choose to use the Dtravel platform?
Hosts enjoy 0% commission fees, while guests save significantly compared to other vacation rental platforms (up to 50%). Guests also receive 1% back in TRVL rewards on every booking (VIP members receive 3%).
All community members who hold TRVL gain a voice and a vote in the network's governance through the Dtravel DAO, giving them a real stake in the platform's future.
Members can also earn additional rewards by contributing their time and expertise to support and grow the community through our Work-to-Earn program.
How many people are contributing to Dtravel, and where is the team based?
We have over 40 contributors to Dtravel worldwide, located in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
What technologies were utilized to build the Dtravel platform?
We leverage cryptocurrency payment processing to eliminate price volatility risks when booking travel and digital wallets to allow members to hold various cryptocurrencies in-platform.
The TRVL token, which serves several core functions within the Dtravel network, is built on the Ethereum network. We will also integrate DeFi protocols to grow the Treasury.
VIP memberships are represented by NFTs, which provide enhanced rewards for frequent travelers. We are also conducting R&D on future roadmap items, such as Layer 2 solutions and on-chain interactions throughout the booking process.
We are also implementing solutions for Dtravel community members to have a voice and a vote in the governance of the platform.
Where do you see the Dtravel ecosystem in the next few years? What will be the key milestones?
Our goal is to become the largest DAO in the world, appealing to both crypto natives and traditional travel enthusiasts. Our focus over the coming years is on developing a hosting and travel experience shaped by what our community truly wants and needs, implemented through community proposals and feature voting. The launch of our Work-to-Earn program will set a new standard for how DAOs can leverage their members to help support and grow the ecosystem.
Additionally, our DAO grants and Host DAO will empower members to submit proposals and receive funding that will expand the Dtravel ecosystem.
What is the utility of the TRVL token?
There are four primary use cases for TRVL, with more planned for the future:
1) Payments:
2) Staking:
3) Governance:
4) Rewards:
What is the best way for those interested to learn more about Dtravel?
Join our community below:
Cynthia Huang is the Growth Lead for Dtravel.
