About Houfy
We’re changing the way people book directly with hosts.
Houfy.com is a unique vacation rental advertising platform connecting guests and hosts worldwide, presenting a model that does away with percentage service or booking fees.
Our mission is to empower everyone to book direct and save on service fees
Leadership Team
Comprising seasoned travelers and skilled technologists, our team operates remotely, transcending geographical boundaries, cultural differences, and language barriers. We hold the firm belief that creative collaboration knows no limits, driving us to craft exceptional products to facilitate direct connections between guests and hosts.
Thijs Aaftink
CEO & Founder
Warner Van der Vegt
CMO
Swapnil Chavan
CTO
Our Values
Product-first
We strive for excellence in whatever we do. We mean it when we say that a product should work for our members and not the other way around. Every feature is designed with ease of use in mind to deliver the best user experience.
Member-centricity
Our members’ satisfaction and success is at the heart of everything we do. We passionately strive to help our members with the best support we can give, and we believe that when our members win, we all win.
Speed and Execution
We believe the faster you execute, the faster you learn, iterate, and improve. By proactively seeking feedback from our community, we are continuously empowered and driven to make Houfy a better product every day.
Inclusivity
We have embedded inclusivity in the core of our company values and provide an experience open to everyone. We prioritize inclusion and diversity not only because it is right, but because we believe it creates a better product.
Integrity, Transparency and Trust
Integrity, transparency, and trust define our commitment at Houfy. We value open communication and strive to be a reliable partner for our users. By fostering trust within our team and with our community, we promote collaborative efforts that lead to efficient execution and meaningful results.
Houfy data points
With nearly two decades of experience in the vacation rental industry, Thijs, the founder of houfy.com, embarked on a transformative journey in 2013. Driven by frustration with existing vacation rental marketplaces, he identified a significant pain point: the exorbitant service fees associated with these platforms. Reflecting on his own experience, Thijs estimated that over a ten-year period, he could have saved more than $300,000 USD if he hadn't been burdened by these fees.
This realization led him to recognize the flaws and monopolistic nature of the industry, where homeowners were losing control over their ability to rent out properties on their own terms. They were forced to rely on marketplaces that offered little to no say in the accompanying conditions. Determined to challenge the status quo, Thijs set out to create houfy—a vacation rental marketplace that would eliminate high service fees and empower hosts once again.
Design & Code
Thijs & Swapnil start designing and coding Houfy together with an active Facebook community of hosts
2016
Houfeed & Stripe/Square Integration
Members can write posts and create collections to share with guests. Late 2018 we integrated Stripe and Square for hosts to collect payments directly from guests through Houfy.
2018
Ownerrez Integration
Created Houfy widgets.
2020
Interhome & Hosttools & Pricelabs partner with Houfy
Added partners and created website building tools for hosts.
2022
Happy.rentals partners with Houfy
Over 15 Mln direct bookings processed through Houfy Bookings.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Thijs Aaftink
Thijs Aaftink
CEO & Founder
Warner Van der Vegt
Warner Van der Vegt
CMO
Swapnil Chavan
Swapnil Chavan
CTO