Born from a Better Stay

Hostary started from a familiar frustration. Every time I stayed at a short-term rental, the same problems came up: hunting for the WiFi password, finding previous guests' accounts still logged into Netflix and Hulu, and having no easy way to know the house rules or what to do in the area.

Meanwhile, hotels had figured this out. You check in, the TV welcomes you, everything you need is right there. It's seamless. I kept thinking: why doesn't this exist for vacation rentals?

When I started talking to hosts, I realized they were feeling the other side of the same problem. They were fielding the same questions over and over — WiFi passwords, check-out instructions, local recommendations — and spending hours on printed guides that guests never read. They wanted to deliver a great experience but didn't have the right tools.

Combining my experience as a guest with what hosts were struggling with, the solution became clear. The TV is already in the rental — it just needs to work smarter. It can greet guests by name, connect them to WiFi with a single scan, show them the best local spots, and give them everything they need to enjoy their stay.

That's how Hostary was born — built to bring hotel-level convenience to the short-term rental market, solving the problem for both sides of the stay.