More than 20 years ago, when urban tourism was just taking off and Airbnb didn’t yet exist, Lodging Apartments was already a reference in Barcelona rental management. Its visionary model for quality tourism apartments is what La Vanguardia highlighted in a recent article, “Before Airbnb, Lodging was already leading the way,” recounting our trajectory and the impact of the “Lodging model” on the sector’s evolution.
As the article explains, Lodging Apartments was founded on the idea of professionalizing tourism rentals. It began its activity in 2004 with a clear mission: to offer quality service in a market that had, up until that time, operated in a highly informal manner. With air tourism booming and companies like Ryanair and Vueling facilitating visitor arrival in large numbers, Lodging opted for efficient management adapted to the new needs of the urban traveler. Though, as founder Ezequiel Vallejo comments in the article, “Back then, everything was completely different.”
From the beginning, digitalization was part of the company’s DNA. What began with bookings by fax and through its website quickly evolved into a multichannel system that today integrates platforms like Booking and Airbnb, without losing direct control over the guest experience. This experience has, in fact, been the key to the company’s long-term success: keeping customers at the center of our vision. Lodging bet heavily not only on technology, but on customer service, sustainability and regulatory compliance.
Thus, by the time Airbnb broke into the market in 2007, and finally arrived in Barcelona in 2012, Lodging had already consolidated a portfolio of professionally managed properties. As Vallejo always points out, “Far from seeing it as a threat, we integrated Airbnb as another channel.”
Today, Lodging manages more than 150 apartments in full buildings, with the capacity to accommodate 15,000 people a year. It has a professional local team that attends to guests, as well as energy control systems and home automation solutions for each property. In addition, it has diversified its offer, complementing its tourism rentals with flexible rentals and month-to-month contracts for owners whose properties don’t fit the tourism model or who don’t have a tourism license.
Innovation continues to light Lodging’s path. In 2025, the company launched Coliving Lodging: a new rental model featuring private individual rooms, common areas and digital services that respond to new demands for living and working. Designed for medium- and long-term stays, Coliving is already being implemented in Barcelona and has been fully integrated into our strategies for urban sustainability and efficient accommodation digitization.
That La Vanguardia has dedicated an article to the history and vision of Lodging is proof that innovation, sustainability, and the professionalization of Barcelona rental management are the way forward. If you want more information about our Coliving projects or smart solutions for tourism accommodation, contact us and we’ll tell you all about them.
