The story of Roomlala

Roomlala was the brainchild of a young entrepreneur who wanted to help young people find housing more easily in big cities. Philippe Roualle himself experienced the long queues at apartment viewings, the disappointment of seeing tiny 10-square-metre rooms on the sixth floor without an elevator, and the exorbitant rents in major cities. When he hosted a family friend who was in Paris for a 2-month internship, he realized there were surely many families with children who had left the nest, leaving behind empty bedrooms. An untapped housing potential that would delight many students!

So, what is Roomlala?

In 2009, Philippe joined the collaborative economy family and launched Roomlala (under the name Chambrealouer.com at the time): a platform that connects hosts and tenants for homestay rentals. It is not a real estate agency, as individuals make rental agreements directly with one another. It is very simple, and everything happens online: the host posts a listing in which they describe their home and the available room. For their part, the tenant searches for available housing in their chosen city and gets in touch with the hosts whose listings interest them. Everyone wins: beyond the moments of conviviality shared, the host earns extra income, and the tenant pays much lower rent than they would for a studio or apartment.

The site has already facilitated 3.2 million connections through its 42,000 room listings spread across some 40 countries. Today, Roomlala's strength lies in its community of more than 1.8 million members. Everyone has joined in and is helping the growth of homestay rentals around the world!

Want to learn more about Roomlala? Feel free to check out our press page by clicking here.
And if the startup adventure catches your eye, you will surely be interested in our recruitment page.