
December 21 2023
Six years ago, the idea of premium Airbnb management didn’t exist in East Africa’s largest economy. In fact, finding top-quality, superbly managed but affordable short-stay accommodation in Kenya was extremely difficult.
Enter YourHost, led by dynamic entrepreneur and talented hostess, Eleni Georgopoulou; a group formed in London that decided to take a chance on the Kenyan market in 2017, and has since grown impressively while refining its world-class offering. This exciting accommodation company has flipped the script by bringing its revered product with the kind of service you’d receive at a popular Greek hotel to all of Kenya’s major cities and recreational areas. Currently, the group manages 150 high-end units, with 50 more in its short-term pipeline for January. These are one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units. Developers who are looking to sell or property investors who are looking to maximise their income use YourHost’s digital platform and management solution to attract and retain tenants.
Its growth has been nothing short of impressive and the ambitious Georgopoulou expects YourHost to manage some 1000 apartments by the end of 2026. “A mission very possible,” says Georgopoulou.
A KIND OF MAGIC
YourHost’s story, like many of the best tales, begins with good luck.
Georgopoulou, who previously worked in the governance sector in Greece as a financial specialist in monetary integration, moved to Kenya by chance.

Exquisite rooms
“I gradually started to becoming tired of the bureaucracy of those big institutions. I felt trapped, like I was not able to create any impact. My then partner got a posting in Nairobi, so I took a sabbatical in order to join him. A few years later, YourHost was born. I registered our head offices in London, and was looking for a market to start operations in. Kenya stood out as a great place to launch in.
While short-term rental digital platforms like Airbnb and booking.com were thriving in Europe at the time, there was no real presence in Kenya. I just thought there was a huge opportunity,” Georgopoulou says.
“At the same time, the quality of Kenyan rental accommodation aimed at business people or leisure travellers, was not that great 10 years ago. People would rent out their homes with old, dark furniture.
The spaces online would look cluttered, pictures grainy and overall it seemed like the market was saturated with either low quality or out of date product. Online reviews were limited and doubtful. Therefore, if someone was aiming to book a high-end accommodation, the only option was either expensive hotels or lodges without online reviews and instantly bookable. YourHost wanted to deliver a service that included well-designed, verified and instantly bookable places for guests to stay in prime locations,” she says.
“An aesthetically designed unit, doesn’t have to be overpriced,” she says.
But why was she drawn to hospitality at all?
“Greeks grow up with the notion of being a great host. It’s just in our DNA,” she says.
“I think we suffer from a ‘hosting disease’. My grandma used to bake homemade pies and cakes, which none of us was allowed to eat in case a stranger – a “xeno” was to arrive impromptu. If anyone was to visit, you needed to have a cake for them. You see, in ancient mythology, Zeus was the protector of strangers and guests. Since those times Greeks almost have almost been feeling obligated to make any guest feel welcome and I believe we follow that tradition as a nation till today. Tourism and hospitality are thriving in the Greek economy,” she says.
It was not easy to open YourHost in Kenya, but identifying local talent has helped her to build a strong team.
“It was tough at first. I decided to set up a business in East Africa, so far away from where I was born. My two boys were little at the time, and I think that had I known back then all of the challenges I would be facing, I might have not gone ahead with the decision to start the entrepreneurial journey and leave my comfortable career back home. But today, I can’t be thankful enough for choosing this path in my life. It has been an unparalleled experience, learning how to work with the team in Kenya, and not only, as Nairobi is a multicultural Hub. YourHost has adopted right from the get-go recruiting processes that empower not only females but also young, talented people from every culture. Through that process, I feel that I have grown not only as a Leader, but have learned so much more along the way. I just feel like a different person than who I used to be, a better version of myself mostly because of this journey.”

Gorgeous views
PIPELINE PROMISES SUCCESS
Today, YourHost offers top-end high quality and sustainable accommodation that competitors can only dream of, but at an affordable price. Guests from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, India, South Africa, and other parts of the continent are excited about any new YourHost Stay and the recurrent guests that directly book through the app are almost 35% of the company’s revenue. Often, staffers and officials from large non-governmental organisations, embassies and international businesses also choose to stay with YourHost.
Georgopoulou is confident that her company’s success will continue:
“In the next three to five years, we want to be a leader in east Africa, operating in Zanzibar, Uganda, and Mauritius. South Africa is also a possibility for us,” Georgopoulou says.
A key facet to understanding YourHost’s world-class services is that it is so much more than a residential booking platform.
“Airbnb is a platform, as are booking.com and Marriott Homes and Villas. But what’s different is that YourHost is an end-to-end management company. We connect both marketplaces, the traveller on one side with the property investor on the other and our services include cleaning, maintenance, and yield management in order to maximise the home owners income,” Georgopoulou says.
As the company evolves, YourHost has been partnering more and more with developers and property investors, especially in Nairobi. The group already showed an impressive track record over the past few years, achieving a return on investment of between 12% and 17% for property owners.

The Your Host team
On the digital side YourHost was the first short term rental company which adopted tech-integrated communication tools to ensure guests book instantly and enjoy their experience during their stay. From the housekeepers, maintenance team, to front desk and reservations the use of integration with the latest automation tools, is happening. What’s more impressive is that AI has extensively used to secure the most competitive pricing, Georgopoulou explains.
But how is YourHost able to conceptualise and furnish all those units?
“I just love Interior design and architecture,” Georgopoulou says.
“I am still the head designer for YourHost’s end product, however there is a very capable design and procurement team in place to make all this possible. Imagine, that our main focus is to use sustainable materials and locally made products and artistry. Each of our properties is uniquely designed and executed. Many units are also adorned by local art, which promotes authenticity and talented African artists.”

Paradise
A BRIGHT FUTURE

In 2024, YourHost will focus more on showcasing local art on the walls of its apartments. The concept is about creating a floating art gallery that features Kenyan and other African artists, where guests can buy art, thereby providing the artists with further income streams to support their work.
“We believe that we will achieve exponential growth if we continue to get our operations and reputation right. We understand our mission and have streamlined our design. YourHost is having a positive impact on local Kenyan societies in numerous ways including job creation, helping secondary service providers, and improving business confidence in the country,” says Georgopoulou.
In its short history, the company has managed to thrive even through various adversities like political instability in the past and COVID, which made numerous hospitality brands redundant.
“Reputation is key. I am humbled by my journey in Kenya. I am blessed to work with a team of people, with a huge mix of skills and a passion for providing an amazing product to thousands of people across the globe,” Georgopoulou says.
As YourHost helps real estate to thrive and trains its team in Hospitality practices, it is becoming a champion of empowerment in Kenya and an exciting long-term prospect for property investors.
This is a paid editorial for Your Host.
