STAA grows membership with four new members

UK: The UK Short Term Accommodation Association [STAA], the trade body representing the short-term rental sector, has announced that four new organisations have joined its membership, bringing the total number of members to more than 50.

As the industry begins to recover, the STAA is continuing to grow its membership and it represents the vast majority of the industry across the UK.

The new members are:

• Veeve, a specialist short let management company operating in London and Paris
• Altido, one of Europe’s leading property management and guest hospitality operators
• Seven Living, a boutique property rental company offering luxury short-term living spaces across the UK
• LoveHomeSwap, a global house swap management company

Veeve CEO David Hosking said: “We are fully committed to working alongside our peers in promoting the benefits the short-term rental market offers to both hosts and guests. Having taken out the free two-month trial membership and been witness to the hard work the association does on behalf of the industry, it was a no-brainer to convert that into full membership.

“All of us at Veeve are looking forward to working with the STAA and its other members over the coming months,” he added.

Altido regional general manager Jeremy Slater said: “We have really appreciated the leadership received from the STAA and the opportunity our trial membership gave us to share information and concerns with the other members and to get insights and learnings from them.

“Our regular Zoom calls became an integral part of our reopening planning. I am so glad we made the decision to join as I believe we are stronger when we work together as an industry,” he added.

Seven Living director Charlie London said: “It’s been great to see first-hand the work that the STAA does on behalf of and with its membership. I have been particularly impressed by the speed at which things are addressed and actioned.

“Undoubtedly, there is a lot on our sector’s plate at the moment but I believe that all of us working together will make the STAA a respected and listened to association that will help create a sustainable for future for all,” he added.

LoveHomeSwap managing director Célia Pronto said: “Since joining the STAA on a two-month trial, we have been impressed by the collective benefits gained from our industry working together under the umbrella of the organisation. As we start to see the market recover, we are looking forward to collaborating further with the other companies in the sharing economy space to promote it as a credible alternative to traditional holiday accommodation options.

“We are confident of a bright future for the industry if we all pull together to address the challenges we’ll face in the months and years to come,” she added.

Merilee Karr, CEO of UnderTheDoormat and chair of the STAA, said: “It’s fantastic that four companies who took advantage of the free two-month trial membership saw the immediate benefits it brought and decided to join up permanently. Having them all on board brings even more power to the association’s voice as we tackle the important issues we face as we work towards a full recovery.

“The last two to three months have seen our industry pull together so that come 4 July we were in a very strong position to reopen safely with new industry-wide cleaning protocols and clarity on what we needed to do to keep guests safe. Without doubt, it’s been a very challenging period but I am confident that we are now a stronger industry and we can look forward to working together and with government to grow this fantastic sector responsibly over the coming years,” she added.