Vacation rental companies have been a leading outlet for providing short-term stays for guests, but a new approach is addressing long-term accommodations.
WorkBnB, a Black-led travel startup based in Reno, Nevada, is on a mission to accelerate the proliferation of workforce rental homes to improve the lives of millions who travel for work in the United States.
The app, run by Yeves Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Daj’Anique Staples, President, is a participant of Techstars, an accelerator program in Tulsa.
“Construction workers, journeymen, linemen, in most cases they don’t book where they stay. They get their travel assignments from the company. So, if the company can’t find housing, they will put them in a motel or hotel for months,” Perez told The Black Wall Street Times.
According to the outlet, the app helps companies find long-term rental homes for their employees, differing from other apps like AirBnB which only offer short-term rentals.
“They’re not even trying. And they’re not treating their hosts very well. That’s why we’re having so much success. We want this to be a Black-led venture, and we want to own this space,” Perez said.
The wellbeing and satisfaction of workers is the top focus for Perez.
“Imagine being an office administrator or travel manager for a big construction firm, and you’re trying to look for 30 employees. You have to do one search at a time, one booking at a time,” the tech entrepreneur said.
In 2021, Perez created a Facebook group to gather data, in an attempt to discover hosts who were willing to do long-term rentals. He shared the difficulty he experienced receiving support from the Reno tech community since the company was not blockchain based.
After being turned down for an accelerator program he applied for in Reno, Perez received an encouraging phone call from an interested French International news travel platform.
“As a tech entrepreneur, you’re not building in a closet by yourself, assuming what people want,” Perez said.
Reportedly, Perez relocated the company from Las Vegas to Tulsa, Oklahoma, the home of the original Black Wall Street. The WorkBnB community has grown to around 600 participants across 39 states.