Sean Breuner is the Founder and CEO of AvantStay, one of the most ambitious hospitality brands in the short-term rental industry. Since launching in 2017, AvantStay has raised significant capital, expanded across the United States, and set out to define what a national hospitality brand could look like in STR.

In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Sean for an open conversation on scale, brand building, operational reality, and the tough decisions required to grow during one of the most volatile periods in the industry’s history. 

Sean shares the thinking behind AvantStay’s proprietary tech platform, its “Hotel in a Home” thesis, and what it takes to deliver consistency at scale in a horizontal operating model.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why AvantStay was built around group travel and a “Hotel in a Home” experience.
• How brand, technology, and operational tooling came together to create a vertical hospitality platform.
• Why AvantStay invested in proprietary tech and what it takes to maintain quality across dispersed markets.
• How the company navigated rapid expansion, macroeconomic shifts, and multiple rounds of layoffs.
• Why alignment with homeowners matters more than ever and why asset-light models continue to win.
• How regulation, consolidation, and shifting distribution dynamics will shape the future of STR.

 Explore more:

• Connect with Sean Breuner on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanbreuner/] to learn more about AvantStay [https://www.avantstay.com].  

Resources

• AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.
• Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/]

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