Founded in 2015 by Marcus Rader, Saber Kordestanchi, and Mikko Nurminen, Hostaway was established to fill a technological gap in the fast-growing short-term rental market. Over the past decade, the company has evolved into a major global player, supporting property managers in more than 90 countries and employing staff across 44 countries.
Growth driven by AI and scalability
In the past year, Hostaway has made significant investments in Artificial Intelligence, launching a suite of AI-driven tools designed to simplify day-to-day operations for property managers and hosts. These include automation for guest communications, dynamic pricing, performance insights, and workflow optimization – all aimed at helping STR operators scale more efficiently.
CEO and Co-Founder Marcus Rader described the unicorn milestone as a natural next step in the company’s evolution: “Unicorn status has always been part of the trajectory we set for Hostaway. This is a huge recognition of the dedication of our team and the power of the software we’ve developed, as well as the support of our users, who are at the center of everything we do.”
He added that Hostaway’s next phase will focus on accelerating global expansion and continuing to improve solutions for professional property managers: “The first 10 years of Hostaway have been about building a product to revolutionize the vacation rental industry. Now, we want to supercharge that growth and improve the lives of even more property managers all over the world.”
Operating as a fully remote company, Hostaway’s team spans 44 countries, combining local market expertise with global product development. Its platform serves both individual hosts and large-scale enterprise operators, providing a unified system to manage listings across multiple channels such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.
The company’s rapid expansion and customer adoption were recognized with inclusion in G2’s list of the 100 fastest-growing software companies in the world for 2025.
Industry outlook
Hostaway’s valuation comes amid a period of strong growth and consolidation in the short-term rental sector, which was valued at $124.5 billion in 2024 and is forecast to more than double to $344 billion by 2034, according to industry projections. The market’s evolution toward professionalized management is driving demand for scalable, data-driven, and AI-enhanced PMS platforms.
For travel and hospitality professionals, Hostaway’s unicorn status signals the increasing technological maturity of the STR segment – and a shift toward enterprise-grade solutions designed to meet rising guest expectations, operational complexity, and global competition.
As the short-term rental industry continues to expand, Hostaway’s trajectory illustrates how innovation, automation, and global reach are reshaping the property management landscape for the decade ahead.
Tags: Marcus Rader, Hostaway