He Led Corporate Communications for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar — Now He’s Building a Platform for the STR Community

2023-10-13

Meet James Varley — Founder of the Holiday Cottage Handbook and Varley Media. James has had an impressive career in media — taking jobs around the world to work in print, TV, radio, digital advertising and social media organizations large and small. For the last ten years, James was living in Qatar leading corporate communications for last year’s FIFA World Cup organizing committee — how cool is that? James first got into short-term rentals as he’d rent out his flat in London when traveling abroad for lengthy work assign...

Meet James Varley — Founder of the Holiday Cottage Handbook and Varley Media.

James has had an impressive career in media — taking jobs around the world to work in print, TV, radio, digital advertising and social media organizations large and small.

For the last ten years, James was living in Qatar leading corporate communications for last year’s FIFA World Cup organizing committee — how cool is that?

James first got into short-term rentals as he’d rent out his flat in London when traveling abroad for lengthy work assignments. He was amazed by how much he loved the experience of hosting and by how lucrative this asset class could be.

After the World Cup finished in Qatar, he saw a gap in the STR media space for practical, helpful content that would help property managers grow their businesses.

And, while he couldn’t have known it at the time, this observation would lead to the founding of a new platform for STR owners, operators, and media partners to connect, learn and grow.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at OptimizeMyBnB

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Recent episodes you might enjoy:

How British Airways and an Airbnb in Istanbul Inspired Him to Build a Glamping Destination in the Catskills
Forget Vacation Destinations — He Builds Collections of Branded Airbnbs Near College Campuses
He Was Airbnb’s 13th Employee — And Here’s What He Thinks the Future of the Hospitality Industry Will Look Like

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About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

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