Short-term rental platform Lavanda founds new global body to professionalise sector

Short-term rental platform Lavanda founds new global body to professionalise sector

Professional Host Alliance is an ‘industry first’ and aims to build trust in homesharing economy

Short-term rental platform Lavanda has launched a new global body aimed at professionalising the sector.

The Professional Host Alliance is an industry first, according to Lavanda, that has a mission to “accelerate the professionalisation of a sustainable, global short-term rental sector and build trust in the homesharing economy”.

Guy Westlake, founder of Lavanda and chairman of the Professional Host Alliance, said: “The Professional Host Alliance is the missing catalyst that is necessary to professionalise the short-term rental industry and unlock a step-change in the experiences of guests and hosts globally.

“With better support, partnerships, tools and access to information, professional hosts will be able to innovate faster and realise the hugely exciting potential in this sector.”

Richard Lyttle, chief executive and co-founder of Your AirHost, a founding member of the Professional Host Alliance, added: “As a short-term rental manager, all too often you feel excluded from the important conversations and decision-making processes that are driving our sector forward.

“This is a tough and often threatening industry that is moving very fast. The Professional Host Alliance will work to empower and benefit property managers directly through proactively interfacing with key industry stakeholders to address our greatest pain points. It will bring a healthy balance to the ecosystem.”

Joe Davies, chief executive of Host So Simple another founding member of the Alliance said: “Short-term rentals and homesharing are now shaping the future of global real estate, hospitality and travel.

“This is a timely initiative led by Lavanda, and one which I expect will play a pivotal role in driving the industry forward, and shaping a genuinely sustainable global ecosystem with maximum social and economic impact.”

The Professional Host Alliance will seek to recognise short-term rental operators and property managers as key stakeholders in the global ecosystem who are both platform-agnostic and independent of the major OTAs including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, HomeAway.

It is now aiming to build a global community around its founding mission:

  1. To advocate and accelerate the professionalisation of the global short-term rental industry;
  2. To enable a better quality, more uniform experience for guests and hosts within the alternative accommodation sector;
  3. To build a sustainable and futureproof short-term rental ecosystem.

The Professional Host Alliance is free to join and says it will provide members with the following benefits:

  • It will represent the views of its members, establishing a single voice to communicate and promote a shared vision for the global industry.
  • It will facilitate collaboration – both internally across its membership, as well as externally with OTAs, technology providers and local regulators – to address the key challenges facing professional hosts, both today and as the industry evolves.
  • It will actively educate and inform travel, real estate, hospitality and regulatory stakeholders as to the social and economic benefits of a thriving, professional and sustainable short-term rental ecosystem.
  • It will provide its membership with access to exclusive business growth opportunities, industry trends and insights.
  • It will recognise, reward and promote industry best practice and innovation in short-term rental management.

Short-term rental operators and property managers of any size and type from around the world can register and apply for membership of the Alliance. At launch, there are already more than 40 members across America, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific.