Building Airbnb from the Ground Up with Justin Hauge of Storied Collection
February 18, 2025
In this episode, Lynell Gordon sits down with Justin Hauge, one of Airbnb’s first employees and the co-founder and CEO of Storied Collection, a luxury accommodation platform for historic properties across the UK and Ireland. Justin shares his experience helping build Airbnb from a niche idea into a global travel powerhouse, insights into customer experience, and the evolving role of technology in vacation rentals. He also discusses how AI and software solutions are shaping the future of hospitality and property management.
This episode is sponsored by RevMax.
In this episode of The Vacation Rental Show: How We Grow, host Lynell Gordon sits down with Justin Hauge, one of Airbnb’s first employees and the co-founder and CEO of Storied Collection, a luxury accommodation platform for historic properties across the UK and Ireland.
In this episode, he shares:
In this episode, he shares:
- The early days at Airbnb, from cold calls to global expansion.
- How customer service insights shaped the platform into a trusted marketplace.
- The challenges and risks of relying too much on software solutions in vacation rentals.
- How AI and automation are transforming property management and the risks that come with it.
- Why property managers must stay ahead as technology enables owners to self-manage.
Justin also reflects on the evolution of vacation rentals and why direct bookings remain essential in an era of tech-driven hospitality. Whether you're an industry veteran or a newcomer, this episode is packed with lessons from one of the minds who helped shape modern short-term rentals.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to:
- Subscribe, rate, and review
- Share this episode
Episode Resources:
👉 Google - https://bit.ly/gp-how-we-grow
👉 Apple - https://apple.co/3lYc2gU
👉 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3InYanV
👉 bCast - https://bit.ly/hwg-podcast
👉 iheartradio - https://ihr.fm/3Z8qqlg
👉 RSS - https://bit.ly/how-we-grow-rss
The Vacation Rental Show: How We Grow is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Lisa Stinnett of Inhabit, and many more.
Check out the three most downloaded episodes:
Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Lisa Stinnett of Inhabit, and many more.
Check out the three most downloaded episodes:
- Vacation Rental Stories: Episode 63 - Driving Innovation and Partnership
- Homeowners Become Family with Michael Godfrey, Owner of Michael’s Vacation Rentals
- Life in Maui as a Property Manager with Scott Jordan, Owner of Maui Life Realty
Are you a vacation rental industry leader looking to share your expertise? We're seeking innovative voices to join our conversation about growing and scaling vacation rental businesses.
The Vacation Rental Show: How We Grow reaches thousands of property managers worldwide. We're particularly interested in perspectives on:
- Scaling your vacation rental portfolio
- Optimizing guest experiences
- Revenue management strategies
- Industry trends and market insights