How Hospitable became known as the go-to PMS for short-term rental self-managers

Targeted messaging

Built a messaging strategy that allowed Hospitable to highlight its strengths, stand out in a competitive market, and resonate with its target audience.

Trust and credibility

Built trust and credibility by positioning Hospitable as a thought leader in the short-term rental industry and the go-to software for self-managers who want to save time.

Brand awareness

Drove brand awareness by securing media placements from PhocusWire and ShortTermRentalz to Forbes, Business Insider, and the New York Times.

Company Overview

Hospitable was founded in 2016 by Pierre-Camille Hamana with a vision of helping short-term rental hosts—like Pierre himself—save time. Since then, it’s become the highest-rated property management system in the industry serving owners and managers of 300,000+ properties in 140+ countries.

Using Hospitable’s automation features, hosts, property managers, and co-hosts can run their short-term rental business on autopilot. They can provide their guests with 24-hour support using AI-powered automated messaging and sync their listings across multiple online travel agencies (OTAs) to avoid double bookings. They can also provide contactless check-in by automatically sending unique smart lock codes to guests, and build direct booking websites with built-in fraudulent chargeback prevention and damage protection.

The Challenge

Hospitable approached Abode Worldwide in November 2023 with a problem that was making its management team increasingly frustrated. As a fast-paced company with ambitious growth goals, they needed to build brand awareness and put rocket fuel under their customer acquisition efforts. However, they were having trouble defining their brand’s messaging. Concisely describing all their product had to offer while targeting multiple audience segments seemed like an impossible task. They had tried various angles and slogans, but none seemed to stick.

At the same time, they knew they had a unique opportunity to distinguish themselves from their competitors: unlike most other property management software companies, they were building products specifically for individual hosts who manage rentals themselves (either as their nine-to-five job or as a side hustle), without the teams and resources of professional property managers

“We knew we had a good story and needed someone who could help us get it out there,” said Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing at Hospitable.

Our Solution

Once we learned about Hospitable’s challenges, we rolled up our sleeves and devised a three-step plan:

Messaging workshop

First, we ran a messaging workshop to help Hospitable uncover what they wanted to be known for. We performed a deep analysis of the company’s current messaging, audience, and competitors, and had discussions with the Hospitable team to get their perspective. Then, we created a new slogan and came up with messaging recommendations that Hospitable implemented across their entire online and offline presence.

PR strategy

Next, we built a PR strategy. We identified potential story ideas—based on the Hospitable team’s knowledge, the product’s strengths, and industry trends—as well as the publications that would be interested in them.

As specialists in short-term rentals and hospitality, we keep our finger on the pulse of the industry and cultivate a big-picture perspective. This allowed us to advise Hospitable on which product features to highlight and how to craft a compelling narrative around them.

For example, we suggested highlighting Hospitable’s AI-driven automated messaging capabilities, as this was a unique strength that made the company stand out in a crowded market.

“We had talked to some other agencies, but Abode Worldwide was the only one to offer strategic counsel from the get-go,” Miles said.

Strategy execution

Over this year, we helped Hospitable execute the new PR strategy, making sure their new messaging was reflected in all their media appearances.

Hospitable hadn’t done any thought leadership or secured any media coverage before. So our number one focus was to drive brand awareness by getting Hospitable’s name out there, then build trust and credibility by positioning the brand as an industry thought leader.

We issued press releases in industry media like ShortTermRentalz, Travel Daily Media, and Hospitality Technology, and earned Hospitable relevant mentions in publications like Forbes and The New York Times through expert commentary.

We submitted Hospitable for awards like the Shortyz Awards and Skift STR Awards, secured speaking opportunities on podcasts like the Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast and the VRMA Arrival Podcast, and published thought leadership articles in PhocusWire, Travolution, and VRMA Arrival.

We also implemented a brand ambassador strategy, interviewing thriving short-term rental hosts who owe their success, in part, to Hospitable, and landing their stories in publications like Business Insider, as well as market-focused titles like Australian Property Investor Magazine and Real Estate Magazine.

As the year progressed, we expanded Hospitable’s target audience to include other segments like real estate investors and hosts aiming to scale their short-term rental business.

“Abode has been a fantastic partner—reliable, autonomous, and fully aligned with our brand. They feel like an extension of our marketing team, always pulling in the same direction, which eases the burden on us. They proactively bring ideas that align with our goals and execute them flawlessly. It’s been so easy to work with them. Overall, a very positive experience.”

Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing, Hospitable

The results

Hospitable’s new messaging and PR strategy created a halo effect, enhancing the impact of all their marketing efforts.

The exposure gained through media placements allowed them to lead industry conversations, get their brand in front of the right audiences, and drive their customer acquisition efforts.

The results were so staggering that in October, after less than a year of working with Abode Worldwide, Hospitable decided to double its investment in PR.

“Abode had done a great job at hitting our quarterly objectives. We were at 110%. And we wanted to do more. We had more to say, more stories to tell, and we wanted to shout from the rooftops,” Miles said.

“Working with Abode has had a massive impact on our brand awareness in the industry. We’re being recognized more and more as leaders in AI-powered guest communication and frontrunners of the book direct movement. It’s made attracting customers and having conversations with potential partners much easier. They’ve helped us introduce our brand to people, make them aware of what we’re building, and get them engaged with us.”

Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing, Hospitable

Conclusion

As a top-rated management software, Hospitable needed to fine-tune its messaging and find a way to showcase its powerful solutions in front of new audiences.

Through their partnership with Abode Worldwide, they honed in on their strengths, gained exposure in popular trade and non-trade publications, and built brand awareness and thought leadership, which earned them industry recognition, trust, and credibility.

Today, they’re known as pioneers in AI-driven guest communication, trailblazers of the book direct movement, and the leading software for self-managers and property managers who want to save time and stay competitive.

Interested in working with us?

To discover how Abode Worldwide can raise the profile, credibility and influence of your brand, contact us to start a discussion and set up a discovery call.

Contact the Abode team →