Hi Will…

Anything is possible with a dollar and a dream 🙂 I wanted to share a topic that I believe you might be interested in writing about in your capacity as a Technology Columnist at Slate Magazine. I can see that you’ve written on similar topics in the past, and assume that this topic aligns with […]

Anything is possible with a dollar and a dream 🙂

I wanted to share a topic that I believe you might be interested in writing about in your capacity as a Technology Columnist at Slate Magazine.

I can see that you’ve written on similar topics in the past, and assume that this topic aligns with your area of expertise and the interests of your readers.

The proposed topic is the burgeoning ecosystem of startups that have emerged with the rise of Airbnb and other short-term rental booking platforms.

Facts and Statistics

  • The vacation rental industry is estimated to achieve a global market value of $194B by 2021 [1]
  • Global revenue for the industry is expected to be driven by an annual growth rate of 6.4% between now and 2023 [2] (between 2011-2016 growth was 3.6%) [3]
  • The number of homeowners with a vacation home that planned to put it on the short-term rental market within the next two years has more than doubled over the last year [4]
  • The number of vacation rental users worldwide was 64M in 2015. It is currently more than 100M. By 2023, it is expected to rise to 361M [5]

There are currently an estimated 115,000 vacation rental companies worldwide [6]

Examples

Below are just a few examples of vacation rental startups that have emerged in recognition of this opportunity:

(if you wanted an introduction to any of the Founders of these companies (or any others) I would be happy to make the intro)

The Story / Angle

  • The short-term / vacation rental industry represents a phenomenally large opportunity ($194B by 2021)
  • It continues to experience rapid growth
  • Many enterprising startups as well as established companies have recognized this opportunity and have sought to tap into it
  • The industry nonetheless remains relatively "infantile". It is highly fragmented and ever-evolving, creating challenges for companies, hosts and guests.
  • Slowly however, the industry is maturing. It is shifting towards greater consolidation and professionalization:
    • Companies are increasingly adopting partnerships and integrated offerings
    • Hosts increasingly provide a consistently professional guest experience that rivals "traditional" hotel lodging options
    • Guests have gained increasingly greater certainty around standards and expectations

  • My startup, Padlifter, is the world's largest marketplace of short-term and vacation rental service providers.
  • Padlifter enables short-term rental hosts to find products and services, both locally and globally, that simplify their life, enhance their guests' experience and make them more money.
  • Padlifter represents an example of the industry's shift towards greater consolidation and professionalization
  • Here is how Padlifter helps companies, hosts and guests:

Padlifter enables a host or property manager to search for service providers across 30 short-term rental categories in their specific location

Each service provider has a listing that displays company and product information, customer reviews, contact details, social channels; and provides for directly contacting the business

Want More Info?

I would be more than happy to provide you with additional information on the short-term rental industry, the companies and industry sub-sectors that service this industry, or any other tangential elements that you believe to be of interest.

I can be contacted at evian.gutman@padlifter.com.

If you believe that this may be of greater interest or relevance to one of your colleagues, I'd kindly ask that you please forward this on to them or share an introduction so that I might be able to explain a little more myself.

Thank you for your consideration Will. I look forward to chatting further 🙂

Kind Regards,

Evian Gutman | Padlifter Founder & CEO