Part of our mission at VRTECH is to support female founders in the vacation rentals industry and help close the gender gap in leadership. 

Our industry may be dominated by men in terms of numbers, but there are lots of brilliant women in leadership positions that are changing the landscape.

So in celebration of this ever-growing powerful tribe of women who are moving the vacation rental tech forwards, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top female CEOs in the industry. 

This collection of innovators and entrepreneurs runs some of the world’s biggest vacation rental tech companies and most promising startups, but most importantly, they’re propelling the kind of future we want to be a part of.

If you think we have missed out any other female vacation rental tech CEO and could have included them on this list, please let us know. We are committed to supporting initiatives that highlight the role of women and would love to know of more female leaders in the vacation rental tech sphere. 

Without further adieu, here is the list of the Top 20 Female CEOs (in no particular order) that are redefining the future of the vacation rental tech industry: 

“When our staff feels respected, valued, and receives recognition for their hard work, they happily go the extra mile. This has been our secret sauce to deliver a consistent and quality service.“

Rocio Lane is the founder and CEO of Cleancio, an on-demand vacation rental cleaning and schedule automation software company. Cleancio was awarded the Women’s Business Enterprise certification and included on The Skift’s Travel Startup Watch List.

Lane founded Cleancio to provide easy to use technology and quality cleaning services. However, that wasn’t her only goal—she also wanted to recognize and empower the workers in the cleaning industry. Now, four years later since its founding, Cleancio operates in various markets in the US, a huge accomplishment that Lane credits to her dedicated and passionate employees.

Originally from Bolivia, Lane has always had a passion for entrepreneurship. Being raised by a single mom and her grandmother made her understand the value of money and hard work. 

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

The core of your business should be based around providing value for your customers. In the pursuit of providing value for our customers we’ve refined our business and become stronger as a result. Focus on how you can help others first and your customers will value working with you. 

The journey is not always easy, your perseverance and dedication will be the key to success.

“Building a company culture at Hostfully where innovative products are built, where people feel valued for their unique perspective, and where employees can balance between work and other parts of their lives.“

Margot is CEO and Co-Founder of  Hostfully. She has spent her career working on community-driven products that help businesses and entrepreneurs get closer to their customers. Prior to Hostfully, Margot worked at Apple, leading marketing initiatives for the first iPhone Developer Program before taking the reins at ServiceSource (NASDAQ: SREV) as VP of Marketing and Strategy. In her free time, Margot is an avid traveller, having visited Yunnan (China), Vinales (Cuba) and Paris.

Margot holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a BA in economics from Vassar College. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and three young children.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

Decide early on what you’re going to do well, and what you’re not going to do well. There are so many interesting problems and players in this industry, so it is easy to get de-focused. To be successful, being laser focused is key.

“As Fülhaus began, I quickly realized, delivering Homegoods at the scale that I was envisioning was going to require extensive innovation in the furniture industry, especially alongside the uptake in this e-commerce market. With a very limited technological background, but a very big vision, it has been most astounding seeing it come to fruition.“

Andria is CEO and Founder at Fülhaus, a design and furnishing service for hotels, apart-hotels and short-term rentals worldwide. The company functions as the Amazon of home goods for hospitality, where property managers can order a “haus-in-a-box”: everything they need for their short-term rentals, delivered, installed and photographed at an affordable monthly fee. Before the launch of Fülhaus, Andria worked in the legal industry.

The Fülhaus team have been building a supply chain network of over 600 partners across North America and Europe with a backend that manages inventory and delivery systems in each market.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

This industry has ballooned in such a short time with a rush of innovators trying to address every problem in every market. The best advice I can give, is to think beyond today’s growth, and imagine what the world will look like in the future. I think everyone in this industry believes that vacation rentals are the way of travel in the future (more so than hotels), and will become the norm. However, everything evolves, so how will it change? Addressing those problems is probably what will make the difference in who will outlast the rush. 

“This is my 3rd successful startup, and with all three I have had strong components of profit sharing and giving back.  One year, with my last company, we were the highest monetary donor to the Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots non-profit dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean.  I’m especially proud of that.“

Jill is CEO and Founder at VRScheduler, a software platform for managing vacation rental staff and operations. Before VrScheduler, she co-founded the digital marketing agency Locus Interactive and the online jewellery retailer ZeeBerry. She is also behind CleaningCertification.com, a website that offers cleaning certification courses to help property managers, housekeepers and maintenance staff comply with new cleaning and disinfection protocols.

Throughout her career, she has always been good at taking complex business operations and distilling them down into process and automation. She truly enjoys the satisfaction of helping people and their businesses thrive by allowing them to focus on strategy and human elements, knowing that the routine tasks are taken care of.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

Start with local trade shows, like NWVRP (or VRTECH meetups @Jill!).  They are smaller, more intimate shows, cost less and you may get some good evangelical customers. Then get connected in the industry.  This is a tight-knit group, and having others talking about your new company will be invaluable. 

“I am proud of the community-model at the heart of Prontopia. This has given the company a strong sense of identity and corporate culture that is reinforced through our relationships with all stakeholders on the platform – our team, customers, local assistants, partners, and cities.“

Shannon is Founder and CEO at Prontopia, a platform that makes travel and city life stress-free by providing access to trusted local help on demand. Before Prontopia, Shannon worked as Founder and CEO of the digital media company Via Papera, founded the boutique travel concierge company Elaia Travel and worked as a marketing and strategy consultant in various specialised industries.

She’s passionate about Prontopia’s mission: cultivating human rights awareness through global connectedness and human understanding.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

Never lose sight of your vision, and listen and learn across all channels of the market as you build your company. You never know where breakthrough ideas will emerge from, so keep an open heart and open mind and enjoy the leadership journey.

“I feel so blessed to have met my amazing co-founder, Karolina.  Together, we have built an incredible team who share the same vision and tenacity to make AltoVita a success.  I am certainly most proud of the team culture that we have created together at AltoVita.“

Vivi is CEO at AltoVita, a company that provides a global corporate housing platform and innovative distribution technology to enhance the talent mobility experience of multinational companies.  As CEO, she’s responsible for the overall strategy, product development and B2B sales.  Before AltoVita, Vivi worked in corporate finance and real estate fund management. 

She’s lived and worked in 11 cities around the world.  As an angel investor, she’s always on the lookout for new investment opportunities, particularly in proptech and female-founded startups. 

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

1. In addition to your clients, your employees are your biggest fans.  Design a compensation structure to attract top talent who believe in your vision.  
2. Build a business model flexibility & agility
3. Find the right co-founder 
4. Articulate problem & market size (you cannot create problem & market but you can iterate & refine product)
5. Demonstrate transparency & accountability to investors 
6. Discipline product development (never build a product that no one will use) 

“I have two Why’s: a pure passion for creating value combined with a “never giving up attitude” and my team, who drive me everyday and stand by me sharing the same passion and values. ”

Silvia is CEO and Founder at Dormoa.com, an online booking platform that offers selected short-term rental accommodation to the Italian market. She is also Founder and Managing Director at Charmstay.com, a company that provides curated vacation rental and corporate apartments in London and Tenerife with over 5000 guests welcomed every year.

Before founding her companies, at 22 years old Silvia achieved the position of Leadership at Source Marketing Direct, a sales Marketing company based in London, and worked as a Travel digital marketing consultant for several years.

During the pandemic Silvia and her team pivoted to develop and successfully launch the first Italian Tourist App which helped close the round they needed.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

“Little details take care of the big things” and “No one cares how much you know till you don’t show how much you care”. Focus on details and on the customer, deliver the best without never asking anything back, if you add value to the life of people , success comes by itself.

“I am most proud of a few things. The first is I believed in my vision and also invested in my future to bring Sebiya to life and secondly, I was able to accomplish this as a self-taught and self-funded female founder. ”

Samella is Founder and CEO at Sebiya, an all-in-one guest experience system designed to help hotels and short-term rental property managers provide full-service travel experiences digitally, from before arrival until after departure. It allows property managers to offer on-demand and contactless services, manage all their operations from a single platform, and facilitate communication between staff and guests.

Before founding Sebiya, Samella worked in the hotel industry and witnessed first hand how key pieces of information during the guest journey fell through the cracks due to human error. She also believed the lodging industry lacked innovation to help enhance the overall guest experience.

“But after several months as an entrepreneur I quickly realized I am here for a greater purpose which is to help with the lack of representation within our industry. As a Double Minority CEO features like “Top Female CEOs in Vacation Rental Tech” is like a badge of honor to ensure our voices are amplified, and our expertise is valued within both the Tech and Vacation Rental sector.” – the badge is well deserved Samella!

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

“Always remember her why (ie the big picture) because the challenges sometimes make you forget how important your work truly is. Also remember to be kind to yourself, stay focused on your vision and know her domain expertise & love for the industry can also be used as your unique competitive advantage.“

“I believe every human being should be made to feel safe inside a vacation rental property. I would like to think I inspire, empower and educate people everywhere to take the necessary action to make this happen.”

Natasha is Co-Founder and CEO at My Home Services Group, an Australian home service franchising network that offers cleaning and home watch services, among others. She’s also Co-Founder at SafeStay, a leading quality assurance certification company for short-term rental cleanliness, safety and security. Natasha is featured home security and safety advocate with experience in diverse areas, from franchise development to brand development and operations. She is a vacation rental industry speaker and educator.

Natasha is most proud of creating a paperless home service technology that’s unique to our brands and services. “By becoming paperless our companies are helping to reduce carbon footprint. I’m passionate about ensuring we are doing our best to provide a systemic seamless service, through the power of modern technology. With the ability to adapt our tech into different spaces, there’s no limitations for us and that’s really exciting!“

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

Technology is playing a more important role now within companies and it’s helped us to become more efficient, whilst playing our part in helping the planet. My advice would be to place yourself in the shoes of the end user, think about what problem needs to be solved, think big, look for gaps in the market place, be unique!

“My why is to maximise safety and peace of mind, empower women economically and encourage them to explore the world on their own terms, fearlessly.”

Yaa is Co-Founder and CEO at Femmebnb Inc, a vacation rental platform and social network helping women rent spaces from other women to maximise safety, along with AI- Powered Travel Companion to help women plan their trip from start to end.

Yaa is also the Co-Founder and President of Hands of a Hero Foundation (HOHF), a non-profit organization that provides  mentorship, leadership, and career development programs for youth and children in Canada. Yaa was a recipient of Global Impact Award and Women’s Courage International Award. She was named as a Black Canadian Role Model and Top 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada. In addition, She was also selected as Top30 under30 Pioneers by FOG and in March 2020, she was recognized as WOCStar Woman to Watch.

Yaa is passionate and enthusiastic about youth development, travel technology, women travel safety, sustainable travel, and improving women’s travel experiences across the globe.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

1. Although the vacation rental space is crowded, don’t be discouraged. Create a product with a clear value proposition that sets you apart from others. 
2. Proactively seek feedback at every stage. Reach out to users once the product or service has launched in the market. Feedback from users will offer the best direction on how to improve your product.
3. Make diversity and inclusion a priority when building a team from the start.

“The ups and downs of the growth path and the speed at which I thought it should grow vs the speed it actually grew was a good lesson in agility, grit and grace.”

Kate is CEO and Co-Founder at Property Protect, an automated insurtech platform providing digital insurance for short and long-term stays. She’s also CEO and Co-Founder HeyAlpaca, offering gig insurance for gig and on-demand workers, and CMO at Bigfoot Insurance, a managing general insurance agency based out of Colorado Springs, CO. 

She is a seasoned marketer with over 15 years of experience in startups and growth hacking. Kate has been working remotely with fully distributed teams for over 8 years and is a short-term rental host herself and owns properties all over the world.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

The industry is filled with brilliant, lovely people who are working hard to provide the operators with the best tools, the best knowledge and the best way to help you run your business. Don’t be afraid to join us!

“I’m very proud of our agility during the pandemic, triplicating the number of cities where our services are available, and growing the number of properties in 6 months as much as we did during the first four years of Doinn.”

Noelia is CEO and Co-Founder at DOINN, an end-to-end operations automation platform that’s bridging the gap between short-term rental properties and hotel service vendors. DOINN selects certified cleaning and laundry services in each city and connects them with property managers to cut operational costs, protect guests and improve efficiency.

Before DOINN, Noelia founded the recruitment startup Curricúlate. She is also Business Developer and Investor at Loft you, a company specialised in renovating homes in Lisbon.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

Having the right team at each stage of the startup is key for me, People with unique skills and talents that make them the right person to be in charge of that part of the business and that is complementary to the others. It also helps in terms of psychological safety as they feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other.

“I am now most excited about the symbiotic relationship that a community like this holds where we can be supporting our members — both hosts and travellers — as much as they support us.”

Victoria is the co-founder and CEO of Golightly, an invite-only home-sharing and vacation rental club for women, with an aim to help women travel safely and go lightly. Victoria is a tech entrepreneur with over 19 years of experience managing e-commerce and real estate companies. She also invests in a female-owned real estate portfolio with both long and short term rental properties in London, Dubai and Miami.

“When I had a horrible experience in one of my short term rentals it made me feel vulnerable and unsafe, that made me think about whether I would feel comfortable renting my space again.” Golightly was built to create a connected network of women, providing the needed accountability and safety element for booking within a trusted community.

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

Keep going and keep trying, ensuring to use your communities and networks as support. One advantage the vacation rental community has is everyone is super helpful, extremely friendly and even more so very generous with their time and advice.  Always ask, and if there is ever anyone who makes you feel you can’t do something, use that criticism to drive you harder.

“I’m most proud of my team. We’re a small team and we all wear a lot of hats on a daily basis but we really have been able to keep up and hold our own in this industry despite that, I’ve been blessed with getting to work with some really talented and dedicated people that share the same vision as me for the company. ”

Erica is Founder and CEO at Vrolio, a global marketplace that offers a suite of investment tools for owners and investors looking to buy and sell short-term rental properties. Before Vrolio, Erica co-founded a number of other vacation rental and real estate businesses, including The Flamingo Group and EBI Properties. She also created the first certification course designed to train real estate agents in working with vacation rental properties. She’s passionate about bridging the gap between real estate and vacation rentals.

“The why behind Vrolio is create a simple way for investors to create more generational wealth with a lifestyle asset. When I started the company my mindset was to make this complicated process more streamlined so investors could take more of a DIY approach instead of going on a wild goose chase to find the right investment property.“

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

The best advice I can give is to always be ready to pivot and be ready for change because it happens so quickly in this industry. You can’t get too comfortable because the moment you do a new competitor will pop up and shake things up for you. Stay on your toes, don’t ever give up and see it all the way through no matter how difficult that might seem at times. 

Resha is CEO and Co-Founder at Lynx (formerly known as VirtualKEY), a home automation platform for contactless check-in, smart thermostats, noise control, and guest communication that connects with over 300 smart devices. Lynx currently powers properties in 200 cities across five countries. Resha is also a Founding Partner at ASG Realty Ventures, a real estate investment and property management company. Before Lynx, she held high-level business development positions at various companies.

Lynell is CEO of LSI tools, a platform that offers many tools, such as renal insight, workorder tools and much more. Lynell Eaddy holds degrees in Computer Engineering and Political Science and is a licensed NC Real Estate Broker. She has a Fortune 500 background in software development, testing, and management, and has been involved in a family-run vacation rental management company for more than 20 years.

“I prize how we have crafted and continue to nurture a whole thriving community of property managers and team members, creating and protecting livelihoods and a strong sense of belonging. As our team can see the purpose in their work, we can all go about it wholeheartedly.“

Melinda is CEO and Co-Founder of SuperControl, a Property Management System and Channel Manager specialising in the UK and Ireland. Melinda is focused on strategic alignment, blended with her operational area of responsibility to lead SuperControl’s sales, marketing and communications strategy.

“To be worth it; I have received amazing support and have been extremely lucky in my life so far. I want to live for today every day, spread the luck around and bring people along on this adventure.“

What advice would you give to aspiring vacation rental tech CEOs?

“Believe; be curious; listen to learn with an open mind. Communicate your vision with clarity and passion, building trust and hope. Couple this with a strong framework for executing strategy and your motivated team will do the rest … and love Mondays.”

Lisa is CEO of Inhabit IQ, a unique collective of tech-forward products serving the residential, commercial and vacation rental management industries. The Company’s products provide both standalone and end-to-end software solutions and integrations that empower property managers and transform resident and renter experiences. With over 11 years of experience, Lisa is a driving force and tactical thinker, recently proven with Inhabit IQ’s announcement of its investments from Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division.

Silvana is CEO, Founder and Owner at BeeRent, the first free omnichannel property management software designed for efficiently managing every aspect of a rental business. Previously Silvia and her husband ran a travel agency Travel Horizot, before deciding to start up their current company BeeRent in 2014. 

Merilee is Founder and CEO of UnderTheDoormat and the recently launched Hospiria PMS. Merilee is also a Chairperson of the Short Term Accommodation Association and works closely with Government. She’s a terrific public speaker, making regular appearances on the BBC and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences both in the UK and globally. 

Since 2015, we have been connecting the industry’s various tiers, through global events, startup competitions and content. We’ve created a worldwide network of engaged members who share our technology-forward and human-centric approach.