There short-term concierge service has exploded in recent years to such an extent that the American giant Airbnb created a network of co-hosts in October 2024. This platform allows you to find a host who will take care of the management and rental of your property for you. This trend Thomas Porretta And Cynthia Launder felt it coming and that’s why they created in October 2024 ZENLO concierge which comes from zen location for zen and hassle-free property management. Today they take care of a dozen properties in theOise and the Val d’Oise.
Support from A to Z
Thomas Porretta, a young 21-year-old entrepreneur straight from Plailly, had the idea for a while of launching his business, after his BTS GEA (business management and administration). The short-term concierge market interested him. “I saw that there was something to exploit in this sector.” He therefore started as a self-entrepreneur but according to him, “you are taken more seriously when you create your business, self-entrepreneurship still scares the banks”.
Reserved by nature, Thomas Porretta would undoubtedly not have embarked on the creation of this company alone. Uncomfortable with approaching clients, he forms a complementary duo with Cynthia Launder, who studied 5 years in the field of commerce and has several years of experience, notably as a broker. “I always wanted to start my own business, to work for myself. We got along well with Thomas,” she explains.
The company takes care of all stages of rental management. From creating optimized listings with professional photos to managing reservations, calendars and travelers, including property maintenance. And the customers are satisfied, as Sandra testifies: “I have had a property with them since October and frankly they make our lives easier. Especially in the little hiccups with travelers.” And Cynthia continues: “We want the owner at the end of the month to only have the profits from his apartment.”
In exchange for these valuable services, ZENLO applies a commission of 20% including tax on net income, after deduction of fees linked to platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.
Thomas focuses on technical and financial management, while Cynthia takes care of communication, network development and meetings with owners. This synergy allows them to offer a service adapted to the needs of owners.
The concierge service sees further than the Oise
To find new properties to manage, the two entrepreneurs rely on several prospecting strategies:
- direct contact with owners via Airbnb and other platforms;
- field prospecting through the distribution of business cards and flyers;
- the search for real estate investors.
The company intends to develop this last point. “Real estate investors have an interesting profile for us. These are people who are going to buy buildings and who don’t want to bother with rental management.”
The concierge service intends to develop, and not only in the Oise department. She has just acquired the management of a chalet in the Pyrenees. “We are not stuck geographically,” confirms the entrepreneur. If we have offers abroad, we will not be closed.”
Another objective, that of independence. “We are trying to develop our website,” confides Thomas, “to increase our notoriety so that we can no longer go through different platforms like Airbnb, Booking, Abritel…”
