Startup Concept: StayGreat™

This is an idea for a startup that should probably exist and then get acquired by AirBNB or the like. I’m not planning on starting this company myself. If you do end up making it or have already done so, please get in touch.

Problem

With more flexible work-from-home policies, many remote workers are setting up shop in AirBNB/VRBO digs for weeks or months with working holidays, a big change from prior patterns of a few one-week vacations a year. Owners and rental services aren’t well-positioned to sufficiently rapidly adapt to this new “productive extended stay” dynamic.

Shipping things from home or Amazon to many types of vacation homes can’t be done in advance of arrival and even during the stay there are often delivery logistics challenges. It would be valuable to this class of renter to be able to ensure their things show up in advance of their arrival.

Furthermore, many appliances like Pelotons, gym gear, mattresses, preferred towels and bedding, office chairs, and external monitors are too heavy and bulky to ship but have usable lifetimes many multiples of a typical stay, creating an opportunity for an equipment lessor.

Before a stay, many of the key components of a productive stay aren’t mapped or tracked by existing property lessors: landline Internet quality, ambient noise (day and night), and cellular coverage. A “renter’s agent” is needed to evaluate and validate these findings.

After a stay, assistance with returning equipment / reshipment homeward, and any final “broom clean” preparation to hand the unit back to the property manager could be useful for such renters.

Slogan: Turbocharge your getaway with everything you need.

Space: Vacation Renter’s Agent

Pitch: Wish your weeklong getaway had a Peloton in the garage? Wouldn’t having an external monitor and solid office chair be nice for work? Miss your favorite coffee grinder in the morning? Trouble shipping to your vacation house? We got you covered.

Services Offered:

• Selection: with owner cooperation, we will validate landline and cellular connection quality. We will showcase properties we have validated.
• Predelivery: ship via Amazon any of the things you need up to three weeks before arrival.
• Staging: send us your home access details and we will verify checkin, place your stuff where you want it, validate the home details and internet connection, configure devices, and preload the fridge with your arrival groceries. We will even make sure the pillows, mattresses, and sheets are the type you like.
• Mid-Stay: we are your concierge, here to help you orient and discover local activities, connect you with shopping and grocery options, and provide mid-stay cleanings for longer stays. You can just have stuff shipped to us and we’ll get it to you (or return / reject / forward if arriving too late).
• End of Stay: we will leave the home ship-shape and help take care of returning the home to exactly the state in which you found it. We will ship back to your house anything you want or take care of that you don’t.

Go-To-Market

Start with a few destinations popular for global tech nomads that are relatively low population density — Park City, Telluride, Maui, Big Island, Bali, Big Sky, Puerto Vallarta…pick one or two, iterate, scale to the others as demand requires.

Some fair amount of “customer vetting” probably needed here too to mitigate abuse; some interesting alignment of interest between the agency and homeowners to ensure a consistently high-end low-risk clientele. (Demanding with high expectations but with good margins.) This could help close the gap between a high-end hotel experience from a trusted brand and vacation home rental.