Start up to stay awhile

The corporate travel market just got a little less…well, corporate, with the launch of Stayawhile.

The brand, founded by Janine Yorio, formerly head of acquisitions and development for Andre Balazs Properties (home of the Standard Hotel chain and the Chateau Marmont) is seeking to standardise the lodging element of the sharing economy and is gunning squarely for the massive US corporate housing sector.

Stayawhile will offer standardised studio apartments across US cities, with a distinctly funky design. Think Ace Hotel translated to an apartment – in fact head designer Shana Sigmond was head of design for WeWork and previously worked on Ace and Standard hotels.

Significantly, and in contrast with other equally interesting brands such as Roam Co-Living, Stayawhile is not targeting an emerging, new demographic, but a large and existing one: mainstream business travellers who are looking for something a little more in tune with their own design tastes than a generic corporate housing unit.

Yorio has a serious pedigree in hospitality, and is a successful serial entrepreneur and investor. If she has bet correctly, and Stayawhile can assure travel managers that it fulfils the duty of care requirements that sharing economy options currently don’t, Stayawahile could enjoy meteoric growth.