What Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) does

STAA is a UK-wide trade association founded in 2017 that serves as the national voice for the short-term rental (STR) tourism sector. It represents individual hosts, property management companies, major online platforms (Airbnb, Expedia Group, Vrbo, Marriott Homes & Villas), and technology vendors (Hostaway, Guesty, PriceLabs, Eviivo, Breezeway) across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The organisation's core proposition is regulatory advocacy and policy representation, with claimed relationships across Westminster, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast, and over 100 parliamentarian meetings secured in the past three years.

The association operates a tiered membership subscription model: Host Members pay £15/month (+VAT), Business Members pay from £22/month (+VAT) with pricing scaling by property count, and Affiliate Members pay £220/month (+VAT). STAA's flagship commercial product is the annual Short Stay Summit, which attracts over 1,300 delegates and is recognised as Europe's leading STR tourism event. Additional services include the online trade directory, regional policy briefings across all four UK nations, the Host Planet Roadshow partnership, and a resource library covering health, safety, insurance, and fire regulation compliance. The Global Association Network, founded in 2023, extends STAA's international reach.

STAA is a nonprofit membership organisation governed by an elected board of directors representing member companies. It employs 1-10 staff and is led by CEO Janet Uttley (appointed 2026), succeeding Andrew Fenner. Chair Graham Donoghue is CEO of Forge Holiday Group. The organisation does not develop proprietary technology products; its operational infrastructure consists of a website (ukstaa.org), online membership enrolment via Stripe, and event management for the Short Stay Summit.

Name

Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA)

Legal name

UK STAA (Short Term Accommodation Association)

Website

https://ukstaa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

STAA is a UK-wide trade association founded in 2017 that represents the short-term rental sector, including individual hosts, property managers, OTAs, and technology vendors. It delivers regulatory advocacy, policy representation, and networking services through tiered membership subscriptions and its flagship Short Stay Summit event.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association / Industry Advocacy

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Home-Sharing Marketplaces (THAMALAA)

Keywords

• Trade association
• Short-term rentals
• Industry advocacy
• Policy representation
• Tourism membership

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: STAA generates revenue primarily through tiered membership subscriptions. Host Member tier charges £15/month for individual short-term rental hosts. Business Member tier charges £22/month for property management companies and platforms, with pricing varying by property count (6-50, 51-99, 100-249, 250-499, 500-2,499, 2,500+ properties). Affiliate Member tier charges £220/month for companies selling to or providing services for the short-term accommodation sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

STAA is the UK national trade association for the short-term rental (STR) tourism sector, providing tiered membership subscriptions (Host, Business, Affiliate) and acting as the unified voice for hosts, property managers, online platforms, and suppliers. It delivers policy advocacy and representation across Westminster, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Northern Ireland, hosts the annual Short Stay Summit (1,300+ delegates), runs regional policy briefings and meetups, and operates an online member trade directory.

Product overview

The UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) operates as a trade association with a membership-based structure rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include multiple membership tiers (Host Member, Business Member, Affiliate Member) providing access to advocacy, resources, networking, and the STAA Trade Directory. The flagship product is the annual Short Stay Summit conference, which has grown to attract over 1,300 delegates. Additional offerings include the Host Planet Roadshow partnership events, regional policy briefings across the UK nations, and policy representation services engaging with government stakeholders. The association also provides educational content through webinars, newsletters, and a resource library covering health and safety, insurance, and fire regulation topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Host Member Individual short-term rental host membership tier providing access to STAA newsletters, flash updates, free access to STAA events, and use of the STAA member logo on websites. Priced at £15/month plus VAT.
• Business Member Property management company and platform membership tier with pricing that scales by property count (6-50, 51-99, 100-249, 250-499, 500-2,499, 2,500+). Includes newsletters, trade directory listing, bespoke newsflashes, voting rights for the board, meeting attendance, and newsletter featuring. Priced from £22/month plus VAT.
• Affiliate Member Membership tier for companies selling to or providing services for the short-term accommodation sector. Includes newsletters and access to member resources. Priced at £220/month plus VAT.
• Short Stay Summit UK's leading annual industry event for short-term rental professionals, featuring keynote speakers, panel discussions, networking, and exhibition. Attracts over 1,300 delegates annually including executives from Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group, and Marriott. Members receive reduced rates.
• STAA Trade Directory Online member directory listing businesses in the short-term rental sector, making services visible to potential guests, partners, and industry contacts. Included with Business Membership.
• Policy Representation Services Advocacy and representation services engaging with MPs, local councils, regulatory bodies, and government departments across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to shape policy for the short-term rental sector. STAA has secured meetings with over 100 parliamentarians in the past three years.
• Host Planet Roadshow UK-wide series of in-person events connecting hosts, property managers, and suppliers in local markets. Visits seven of the UK's most active short-term rental markets annually with curated roundtable conversations, practical learning, and peer-to-peer connections.
• Regional Policy Briefings and Meetups Events and roundtables featuring MPs, councillors, and civil servants, covering policy developments across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Includes regional meetups in each nation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 parliamentarian meetings secured in three years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Host Planet RoadshowcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026STAA is the association partner for the Host Planet Roadshow 2026, a UK-wide series of in-person events designed to connect hosts, property managers, and suppliers in local markets. The Roadshow visits seven of the UK's most active short-term rental markets for curated roundtable conversations, practical learning, and peer-to-peer connections.
• Forces Employment CharitycoreOthers · 1 January 2024Featured partnership supporting veterans and service leavers find meaningful civilian employment. The partnership connects ex-service personnel with employment opportunities in the short-term rental sector, recognising transferable skills in logistics, property management, hospitality, and customer service.
• Global STR Associations NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Founded by UK STAA in 2023 to create worldwide opportunities for members. Enables international connections and collaboration across global short-term rental associations.
• Bluelight EscapesminorOthersCharity providing well-deserved breaks for emergency service and armed forces personnel.
• Family Holiday CharityminorOthersCharity helping families access holidays they deserve.
• TimeAwayminorOthersCharity supporting families of children with long-term health diagnoses to take a break.
• Trade Association Forum (TAF)minorOthersUK association of associations established by the Department of Business and Trade, enabling development and sharing of best practice across the trade association sector.
• Confederation of British Industry (CBI)minorOthersUK's largest business association providing voice of business to policymakers.
• European Holiday Home Association (EHHA)minorOthersEuropean trade association for the holiday home sector.
• Tourism AllianceminorOthersAlliance of tourism trade associations representing the voice of tourism businesses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Confederation of British Industry (CBI): CBI is a UK cross-industry business association, of which STAA is a partner/member. Comparable as a high-level voice-to-government model, but operating across all UK sectors rather than the niche STAA serves.
• Pikl: Pikl is an insurance and risk-management provider for the short-term rental sector and is both an STAA member and the employer of STAA Treasurer Louise Birritteri. It is comparable as an ecosystem partner serving overlapping STR hosts and managers through a different commercial model.
• Trade Association Forum (TAF): TAF is the UK membership body for trade associations, established by the Department for Business and Trade. It is the source of STAA's industry recognition (Event of the Year, Leader of the Year) and is comparable as the institutional infrastructure within which STAA operates.

Broad incumbents

• UKHospitality: UKHospitality is the UK's largest broad hospitality trade body, representing hotels, pubs, restaurants and night-time economy. It overlaps with STAA in policy advocacy around tourism, regulation and visitor economy, but covers a much wider category of which STR is only one part.
• VisitEngland (VisitBritain): VisitEngland is the national tourist board and a STAA member. It is comparable in its role convening tourism stakeholders and shaping destination policy, though it is a public-sector body rather than an independent trade association.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): AHLA is the US national hotel/lodging association with national advocacy, research and member-education programmes. It is a peer at the level of broad hospitality trade-body function and government access, although it is positioned more against Airbnb/STR than as their champion.
• Tourism Alliance: Tourism Alliance is a UK umbrella association of tourism trade bodies (STAA is itself a member). It is comparable as a higher-order policy coalition operating in the same Whitehall and Whitehall-adjacent channels that STAA engages with, though it covers far more than STRs.

Direct peers

• European Holiday Home Association (EHHA): EHHA is the pan-European federation of holiday home associations and is already a partner/member of STAA. It mirrors STAA at the European level, providing advocacy and policy representation across multiple EU member states for the same short-term rental segment.
• Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA): VRMA is the principal US trade association for vacation rental managers, hosts and software providers. It is the closest international analogue to STAA in mission (industry advocacy, education, an annual conference), making it a like-for-like peer despite the geographic separation.
• ASAP (American Short-Term Accommodation Partners): ASAP is a US short-term rental industry coalition representing hosts, hosts' associations, managers and platforms. Mission, structure and government-relations playbook closely mirror STAA's, but operating in US federal and state-level regulation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uk_staa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA)