StayinLondon’s secret to growing their business with passion, excellence, and success

StayinLondon is a boutique property management agency with 20 standout properties across central London. Founded in 2016 by industry veteran Dainius Podolinskis, the company was built on a different vision: to offer exceptional guest experiences while maintaining a healthy work-life balance for the team. Today, its portfolio includes everything from elegant Paddington villas to striking City penthouses.

As an industry veteran, Dainius Podolinskis had worked with several property management platforms, including some built by major short-term rental companies. But even those systems failed to meet his needs. By 2023, his business was growing, but his tech wasn’t keeping up. He needed a platform that could support his core objectives and solve persistent pain points:

• Accounting limitations made it difficult to customize owner statements. Dainius prioritized a flexible, comprehensive accounting stack to streamline financial reporting and owner communication.
• Weak or missing mobile functionality meant his team couldn’t manage operations on the go. A reliable mobile app, one that worked like a full desktop dashboard, was essential.
• Unstable integrations created daily inefficiencies, especially around housekeeping. He needed a platform with dependable, one-click integrations for trusted third-party tools.
• Lack of automation forced the team to spend time on repetitive tasks. Automation was key to running routine workflows in the background and freeing up time for growth.

After evaluating several platforms, Dainius had a demo with Guesty. He immediately found a solution that would promote his business goals. Not only did Guesty include capabilities he had prioritized, but in contrast to other solutions, the features were robust, offered a lot more business scenarios, and were intuitive and easy to use.

• Powerful accounting and reporting tools built specifically for short-term rentals
• Mobile app and unified inbox for smooth, on-the-go communication
• Powerful API integrations which seamlessly incorporated tools they were already using for housekeeping, dynamic pricing and identity verification
• A customizable Owner Portal offering much-needed transparency and autonomy

Switching platforms is always daunting, but the transition to Guesty was smooth. StayinLondon made a strategic move by switching during the end-of-year high season, when properties were fully booked and booking activity was low. Listings were imported automatically, the data checked out, and the team was up and running with minimal manual effort.

Right after the switch, the team began seeing tangible improvements:

• Operational accuracy skyrocketed: Errors due to actions that did not transfer across the tech stack dropped to zero
• Owner inquiries were way down: Automated reports and invoices reduced back-and-forth, saving valuable time
• More time for high-impact work: Instead of spending around eight hours per week fixing data discrepancies, the team could now focus on value-creating tasks

And the numbers reflected the change:

• 10% increase in occupancy
• 20% increase in ADR
• 50% decrease in time spent across tasks

StayInLondon continues to grow on their own terms, staying true to the thoughtful, high-touch service that defines their brand. They recently declined an offer to manage a large block of one-bedroom flats—recognizing it wasn’t the right fit for their curated approach.

From just three handpicked homes to a portfolio of 20, and with more to come, they’re showing that with the right tech partner, growth doesn’t have to come at the expense of quality.

With Guesty supporting their day-to-day operations, StayInLondon can focus on what matters most: delivering standout stays, growing mindfully, and building a business that supports the life they want to lead.