JLL launches Airbnb rival amid staycation boom
JLL has unveiled a new short-term urban rental platform, as it vies against major online travel agents such as Airbnb and Booking.com for a slice of the fast-growing staycation market.
The offer, called JLL Short Stays, will launch with 1,000 locations across the UK on the platform. These will be operated by institutional residential clients and partners including Greystar, Blackstone and CA Ventures.
JLL said there is scope to expand its offer to more than 35,000 locations globally after the first phase. A broader roll-out beyond the UK is expected for 2022.
JLL has unveiled a new short-term urban rental platform, as it vies against major online travel agents such as Airbnb and Booking.com for a slice of the fast-growing staycation market.
The offer, called JLL Short Stays, will launch with 1,000 locations across the UK on the platform. These will be operated by institutional residential clients and partners including Greystar, Blackstone and CA Ventures.
JLL said there is scope to expand its offer to more than 35,000 locations globally after the first phase. A broader roll-out beyond the UK is expected for 2022.
The agency has teamed up with existing proptech partner Lavanda on the platform.
Business and leisure travellers will be able to book fully serviced accommodation for flexible stays, ranging from three nights to more than 12 months.
The platform forms a unique selling point for JLL as it seeks to aggressively expand its residential business.
JLL said the launch allows its clients and partners to “capitalise on the booming staycation market and soaring demand for flexible urban accommodation fuelled by continuing travel restrictions and uncertainty linked to the pandemic”.
Sam Winnard, director at JLL, said: “JLL Short Stays offers guests a better-value alternative to a hotel or serviced apartment, while at the same time providing exclusive access to premium urban accommodation professionally managed by the world’s most trusted blue-chip operators, including Greystar, Blackstone and CA Ventures.
“This is all wrapped up in a best-in-class online booking experience, to deliver a seamless digital guest experience end-to-end. We have big ambitions for our Short Stays platform, and I’m hugely excited to develop it alongside our network of corporate travel bookers into a primary channel of corporate rental demand.”
Frederik Lerche-Lerchenborg, chief executive of Lavanda, said the offer will “deliver new value for JLL’s residential partners”.
He added: “As demand for greater flexibility and digital-first customer experiences continues to sweep the industry and shape its future, so does Lavanda’s technology become increasingly critical to the effective management of institutional real estate.”
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