Lyft’s Former Head of Global Operations joins Executive Team to provide strategic leadership and oversee operations as the Hospitality Brand sees accelerated growth.
LOS ANGELES, CA – AvantStay, the leading short-term rental platform redefining the way people travel, transact and invest, announces the appointment of David Katcher as Chief Operating Officer. Katcher comes to AvantStay from Lyft, where he held a seven-year career with the rideshare company and was most recently the brand’s Head of Global Operations.
In his new role at AvantStay, Katcher is responsible for the end-to-end owner and guest experience.
Katcher and his team ensure all aspects of AvantStay's operations – from onboarding a new home, to the overall guest experience from booking to check-out – work seamlessly and deliver on the brand's overall standards and promise. As part of the executive team, Katcher will further assist in building a world-class team that continues to advance AvantStay as the leader in the short-term rental industry.
“The travel sector is going through a transformational shift with new requirements for travelers looking for longer stays, hybrid work-vacation trips, and opportunities to bring groups together in unique accommodations to connect. AvantStay is building a true hospitality platform to support this shift, offering homes designed for unique experiences, on-demand concierge services and technology to enhance the experience and make it unlike any other hospitality product in the market,” says Katcher. “AvantStay is a disruptor in the industry, and I was immediately attracted to the brand’s mission and the travel experiences it enables.”
Prior to joining AvantStay, Katcher worked his way up at Lyft, where he started as the first employee in Chicago, focused on building and growing the marketplace, and ultimately led a team of over 650 people across more than 45 markets as the Head of Global Operations. During his career at Lyft, Katcher launched new service offerings, built high functioning teams, ran complex operations, and drove improvements in efficiency, all to accelerate growth. Before Lyft, Katcher held various operational leadership roles at Groupon and led customer experience transformations at Deloitte Consulting.
“David’s deep experience leveraging sophisticated technology platforms to oversee complex logistics across global markets makes him the perfect addition to help lead our company and join our executive team,” says Sean Breuner, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of AvantStay. “He’s an innovator, forward-thinker and collaborative leader who will undoubtedly help us scale our full-service hospitality offering. We’re all excited to watch him unlock an even more powerful brand across the country.”
This news comes on the heels of AvantStay’s recent PropCo fundraise of $500 million which continues to demonstrate the brand as a pioneer in the industry. AvantStay is utilizing the fund to create and manage one of the largest STR portfolios in the country by further expanding into new markets, partnering with renowned brands, and positioning itself as the fastest-growing short-term rental brand on the market.
“I’m excited to take AvantStay through a similar growth path as experienced with Lyft and continue to optimize operations as we build the short-term rental hospitality platform of the future,” Katcher concludes.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
