StudentRoomStay

What StudentRoomStay does

StudentRoomStay (SRS) is a two-sided marketplace platform that connects international students seeking U.S. homestay accommodations with vetted American host families. Founded in 2020 by Adam Lee (previously of AmeriStudent) and David Bycroft (previously of MyStay International) and headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, the company operates across the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, with destination-specific landing pages for major U.S. metros including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Orlando, Miami, San Diego, and Tampa. The platform serves international students aged 18 and above through direct self-serve bookings and students under 18 through CSIET-certified placements arranged with schools and agencies.

The core product is the SRS Marketplace, a self-serve web platform where students create profiles, browse verified host listings, message hosts directly, and book stays. Supporting products include StayPrep, a 3D immersive orientation that previews the homestay environment; SRS Concierge, a managed matching and support service offering 24/7 assistance and mediation; and the Host Family Program, which onboards and verifies U.S. families through background checks, home verifications, and orientation training. Host families earn an average of $1,300-$1,600 per month providing a furnished private room and two meals daily, while students pay from $37 per night with optional add-on services such as meals, school transportation, and airport pickup. Payments are processed via Stripe with weekly disbursements to hosts, and login is supported via Google and Facebook SSO. The company has housed over 5,000 students to date.

StudentRoomStay generates revenue primarily through commissions on homestay bookings transacted through the marketplace, with hosts setting their own nightly rates and SRS retaining a spread on each transaction; optional host services (meals, transportation, airport pickup) create incremental transaction-fee revenue. The company has raised a 2020 seed round at a post-money valuation exceeding $10 million followed by a 2022 round of approximately $2.5 million, and has built distribution through partnerships with schools, agencies, and support partners such as Think-X and Crisis Cover. Safety and trust positioning is anchored by CSIET certification for under-18 placements and CPA-audited compliance, targeting both consumer (international students) and B2B (schools and agencies) customer segments.

Name

StudentRoomStay

Legal name

StudentRoomStay

Website

https://studentroomstay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StudentRoomStay is a two-sided marketplace connecting international students with vetted U.S. host families for homestay accommodations, offering CSIET-certified placements, 3D pre-arrival orientation, and concierge support across major U.S. cities, Australia, and New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Homestay Marketplace

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Homestays for Students & Interns (Host Families) (THAMAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (THAMAGAJ), Private Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (Aggregators) (EDAIALAE), Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN)

Keywords

• Student homestay marketplace
• International student housing
• Homestay booking platform
• Host family network
• Study abroad accommodation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Revenue model

1. Homestay Booking Commission: SRS charges hosts for bookings made through the platform. Students pay SRS for accommodations, and SRS pays hosts on a weekly basis through Stripe. The platform takes a commission on each booking transaction.
2. Optional Host Services: Hosts can offer optional services including meals (monthly), school transportation (monthly), and airport pickup/drop-off (per trip) which can increase their earnings and provide additional revenue streams for the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

StudentRoomStay operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects international students with vetted U.S. host families for homestay accommodations. Students create profiles, browse verified listings, message hosts directly, and book stays starting from $37 per night. The company also offers CSIET-certified placement services for students under 18, 3D StayPrep orientation, and a host family onboarding program with background checks and weekly Stripe payouts to hosts.

Product overview

StudentRoomStay operates as a two-sided marketplace platform connecting international students (primarily ages 18+ for direct bookings, with CSIET-certified placements for students under 18) with vetted U.S. host families. The core SRS Marketplace enables students to browse verified listings, message hosts directly, and book homestays. Supporting the platform are the StayPrep Orientation (a 3D virtual experience that prepares students for arrival) and the SRS Concierge service (providing personalized matching, 24/7 support, and mediation). The Host Family Program recruits and certifies U.S. families to host students, with hosts earning $1,300-$1,600/month on average. The platform operates across U.S. cities including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Miami, Washington DC, and Orlando.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SRS Marketplace Online marketplace platform connecting international students with vetted U.S. host families. Students create profiles, browse verified host listings, communicate with hosts, and book homestay accommodations directly.
• SRS Concierge Full-service homestay support including personalized host matching, safety checks, 24/7 support, cultural and academic guidance, and ongoing mediation throughout the student's stay.
• Host Family Program Program enabling U.S. host families to list spare rooms on the platform. Hosts undergo background checks, home verification, and orientation training before receiving students and earn weekly payments via Stripe.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ students housed through the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Think-XminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRS partnered with Think-X to provide students with significant career advantages through the homestay program. This partnership enhances the value proposition for students by combining accommodation with career development resources.
• Crisis CoverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrisis Cover partnered with StudentRoomStay to provide enhanced safety and support services for international students. Featured in The Pie News as part of SRS's ecosystem of support partners.
• AmeriStudentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Adam Lee of US-based AmeriStudent, SRS builds on the expertise and infrastructure of AmeriStudent's homestay and student accommodation business.
• MyStay InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by David Bycroft of Australian company MyStay International, bringing international expertise in student accommodation across Australia and New Zealand markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Student.com: Global student accommodation marketplace primarily focused on PBSA and private rentals, not homestays. Directly comparable in customer (international students) and marketplace model, though it competes more in purpose-built student accommodation than homestays.
• AmeriStudent: U.S. student housing and homestay provider founded by SRS co-founder Adam Lee. Highly comparable in offering and customer base, and a sibling operation from which SRS inherits expertise.
• AmberStudent: Global student accommodation booking platform with a similar international student customer base. Comparable marketplace model, primarily serving students seeking PBSA and shared apartments rather than homestays.
• American Homestay Network (AHN): U.S.-focused homestay placement and management service for international students and au pairs, including CSIET-aligned programs. Direct competitor in the verified U.S. homestay segment SRS targets.
• University Living: International student housing marketplace aggregating PBSA, shared rooms, and homestay options across multiple countries. Comparable target customer and aggregator model, with broader supply than SRS.
• Homestay.com: Global homestay marketplace connecting students, interns, and language travelers with host families. Closely comparable to StudentRoomStay in product, target user, and transactional business model.
• MyStay International: Australian homestay provider for international students founded by SRS co-founder David Bycroft. Directly comparable business model and customer base, serving as the Oceania counterpart to SRS's U.S. operations.

Emerging players

• Educatius: International high school exchange organization that places minor students with host families in the U.S. Comparable in CSIET-style compliance, host vetting, and under-18 focus, but structured as a non-profit program rather than a marketplace.

Broad incumbents

• Airbnb: Dominant global short-term rental marketplace with significant overlap in short-stay student use cases. Does not specialize in homestay or CSIET-certified under-18 placements, but its scale and brand make it a competitive substitute for SRS's 18+ student segment.

Regional players

• Host Families Australia: Australia-focused homestay placement service for international students. Comparable in offering and target customer, but limited to the Australian market where SRS also operates through its MyStay International roots.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/studentroomstay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studentroomstay

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about StudentRoomStay