Where Evolve and Portoro Are Using Tech — And Where They’re Not
Photo Credit: From left: Portoro CEO Dustin Abney, Evolve CEO Brian Egan, and head of Skift Research Seth Borko Skift
Skift Take
The CEOs of short-term rental managers Evolve and Portoro want high-tech businesses without losing human-led hospitality.
Tech is vital to the future of successful vacation-rental businesses, but it won’t solve everything.
“It's not going to vacuum a rug,” said Brian Egan, co-founder and CEO of Evolve, a short-term rental property management company with 35,000 properties.
The key will be to leverage tech where needed and continue to focus on human-led service elsewhere, said Egan, who spoke on Wednesday at the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit in New York City.
He shared thoughts on the tech topic alongside Dustin Abney, CEO of Portoro, a similar company with roughly 300 properties in Texas, Florida, Virginia, and Oregon
Evolve and Portoro are property managers with a consumer-facing brands and a tech platform where guests can book stays. Competitors include companies like Vacasa and Sonder.&nbs
