Technology Spotlight: An Interview with Lavanda
By Emma Callahan

As part of Beaumont Bailey’s mission to connect founders, innovators and key players that make up the fabric of our industry, our latest Technology Spotlight series highlights the successes of our incredible members and wider network. In this instalment, we speak with Guy Westlake, Founder and Chairman of Lavanda.
Tell me a little bit about your organisation, your career path, and the idea to start Lavanda.
I’m the Founder and Chairman of Lavanda, a company I started back in 2014. My background before Lavanda was in B2B software, specifically in product marketing, and I had experience in entrepreneurial tech. Prior to founding Lavanda, I was Head of Marketing at a company called Shutl, where I was the first employee. Shutl is a delivery solution for online retailers, and we built and exited the business to eBay back in 2013.
After departing Shutl shortly after the exit, I started researching new startup opportunities which eventually led me to launching Lavanda in 2015. At that time demand for short-term rentals was growing across Europe, and accelerating due to the meteoric rise of Airbnb. I saw an exciting opportunity to unlock this market for institutional real estate portfolios, offering them easy access to a new type of higher-yielding renter. This meant building a property management system (SaaS) with the tools to engage and delight a new breed of tenant.
Go into the technology in a bit more detail, what main problem is the technology solving?
Lavanda’s technology bridges the gap between long-term rentals and short-term rentals for large property portfolios. While platforms like Airbnb have positively transformed the experience for consumers, the reality for institutional landlords is that there is the constant daily grind of operational property management and regulatory compliance. Lavanda’s Open PMS platform enables the owners of apartment buildings—specifically student accommodation and multifamily assets—to integrate short-term rentals alongside their core long-term leasing strategies, increasing the flexibility they are able to offer renters whilst optimising revenue and reducing vacancy.
Headquartered in London, we operate globally, offering our full suite of solutions across Europe and the UK. In the U.S., the company focuses more specifically on short-stay operational support that works seamlessly alongside existing property management systems and operations, providing a smart solution to unlocking short-term rental revenue without any disruption to existing operations.
How is your technology disrupting the industry? How does is differentiate?
Lavanda’s technology disrupts the property management industry by equipping residential operators with a next-generation toolkit that unlocks new revenue streams whilst powering a step change in the experience they’re able to offer renters. Through Lavanda Labs, we are researching and developing AI-first property management tools designed to transform existing operations. We work closely with our partners to help them understand, assess and implement AI strategies whilst leveraging the full potential of our Open PMS platform to power smarter, more efficient, more profitable operations.
Lavanda’s unique approach is demonstrated through partnerships with major players like Unite Students, one of the largest student accommodation providers in Europe, which uses Open PMS as their property management system. Other notable partnerships include Greystar, Blackstone and Starwood Capital. We often start with our clients by initially enabling their short-term rental operations, allowing them to generate incremental revenue from day one, and then that engagement typically evolves into a deeper, more strategic partnership leveraging our full Open PMS platform to power their core operations portfolio-wide.
Can you share an example of a key partnership or case study that highlights your organisations capabilities?
One partnership that we’re particularly excited about is with Utopi, a company that specialises in sustainability technology. We’ve teamed up with Utopi to drive new efficiencies for operators by further augmenting their solutions for improving energy efficiency and enhancing the overall sustainability of buildings with key features of our property management platform. The result is happier residents, significantly reduced operating costs, and more revenue.
Utopi focuses on optimising aspects like lighting and energy use, making buildings more efficient and reducing operational costs, while Lavanda provides the tools for managing rental operations and optimising short-term and long-term rental strategies. When combined, these two technologies have a truly transformational impact on buildings, improving both their operational efficiency and the resident experience.
We’re also excited to announce a major partnership with Unite Students, one of the largest student accommodation providers in Europe, with a portfolio of about 70,000 beds. Unite has chosen Lavanda’s Open PMS as their property management system, which is a significant milestone for us. This partnership not only strengthens our presence in the student accommodation sector but also provides a valuable case study for how our platform is able optimise operations at real scale.
Highlight global expansion plans. What is the main focus for the next year?
For next year, our focus remains on organic growth across Europe and US. As awareness of our platform grows, we expect to see accelerating demand across our full suite of solutions. We will continue to invest in these core markets, and are fully committed to building Lavanda into the leading property management technology globally for institutional real estate portfolios.
If you would like to discuss any of the topics raised in this piece or if you need support with your leadership resourcing strategy, please get in touch with Emma Callahan on: emma.callahan@beaumontbailey.com.
Interview conducted by Emma Callahan, written by Euan Bryson.