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Inhaven Research

Case studies for the people who run hospitality.

Original research from the Inhaven team on how vacation rental and hospitality management businesses actually create value. Free to download, written for operators.

Reasonable Hospitality: How Tiered Standards Create Predictability and Scalable Value
New · August 2026 · 22 pages

Case Study 02

Reasonable Hospitality: How Tiered Standards Create Predictability and Scalable Value

Hotels, restaurants and airlines each solved the problem of unpredictable quality by codifying standards and tiers. Vacation rentals remain one of the last major lodging categories without them. This paper lays out a four-level framework — Standards, Tiers, the Predictability Dividend, and Scale — and applies it to homes rather than hotel rooms.

  • Why service intensity — not price or product — sets a hospitality tier
  • The Luxury Fallacy, and why review scores need tier context
  • The Care Coverage Ratio™: a staffing measure built for distributed homes
  • Service and Comfort Standards for the bed, bathroom and kitchen

PDF: full case study

A 25-Year History of Hospitality Management: Why Local Wins and National Scale Fails
2025 · 12-page executive summary

Case Study 01

A 25-Year History of Hospitality Management: Why Local Wins and National Scale Fails

On December 30, 2024, Vacasa announced its distressed sale at 97% below its IPO price. Seventeen days later, Aimbridge Hospitality announced an out-of-court restructuring. Coincidence? We researched 25 years of hospitality management history and reached one conclusion: local wins and national scale fails.

  • Histories of national management companies and their route to distress
  • Five pillars of successful hospitality management
  • Why management companies hit diseconomies of scale
  • Three operating frameworks for building your own management company

PDF: 12-page executive summary

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