Vacation rental management software Hospitable has announced the appointment of Derek Jones as its new Vice President of Sales & Partnerships.This strategic addition to the leadership team comes on the heels of Hospitable’s recent launch of innovative AI tools and a suite of new features designed to enhance vacation rental management for independent hosts.
Jones brings 15 years of experience in helping growth-stage software companies across various sectors of the hospitality industry. In his new role, he will focus on showcasing the value Hospitable brings to prospective customers through a product-led sales approach, while overseeing its channel and marketplace initiatives. Hospitable currently boasts more than 40 integrations with technology and service partners, including dynamic pricing tools, insurance, and smart lock systems.
Jones’s journey with Hospitable began in 2021, not as an executive, but as a customer. While managing two short-term rental properties, he experienced the common challenges of manual rental management. After adopting Hospitable, he was able to scale his portfolio to more than 10 properties and began co-hosting for other owners — all while maintaining a full-time W-2 job.
Jones then became an investor in Hospitable through an offering made available to customers who are accredited investors. Now, as VP of Sales & Partnerships, Jones is uniquely positioned to leverage his firsthand experience and deep understanding of the customer journey to further enhance Hospitable’s offerings.
Derek Jones, VP of Sales & Partnerships at Hospitable, said: “Joining Hospitable feels like a homecoming. I was able to run a profitable short-term rental business in less than 5 hours a week, so helping other operators free up more time to spend with their children, take vacations, save on taxes, or simply enjoy a date night without interruptions is exciting.”
The company’s recent investments in AI and tools tailored for scaling hosts and larger property managers, combined with its commitment to transparency, were pivotal in his decision to join.
“I’ve always been blown away by how transparent Hospitable is with its customers,” Jones commented. “Through regular Town Hall meetings, investor newsletters, and the active Facebook community, I already felt like part of something bigger. What drew me to Hospitable was their commitment to learning from their customers, and continuously evolving their products and tools to reflect feedback and meet hosts’ needs.
“The combination of technology and the team was a real pull for me to step into this role. Their dedication to innovation, paired with a genuine focus on customer success, makes Hospitable stand out. I’m excited to contribute to that vision, helping more hosts achieve their goals while growing the business, continuing to roll out innovative features, and maintaining the most open marketplace in the industry.”
Pierre-Camille Hamana, CEO and Founder of Hospitable, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Derek to the Hospitable team as our new VP of Sales & Partnerships. His journey from being a customer to an investor, and now a key leader within the company, speaks volumes about the trust and belief he has in what we’re building. Derek’s firsthand experience with the challenges of short-term rental management, coupled with his strategic vision, will be invaluable as we continue to evolve. His passion for empowering hosts and driving growth aligns perfectly with our mission, and I’m confident that under his leadership, we’ll reach new heights in delivering value to our customers.”
Jones is the sixth employee to join Hospitable after first being a customer.
Founded in 2016, Hospitable is a vacation rental software provider offering a suite of tools that empower hosts to automate the most time-consuming elements of hosting. Hosts use Hospitable to answer 90% of guest messages with AI-powered automated messaging, to automate their team notifications so they never miss a clean, and to avoid double bookings with a synchronized calendar across booking channels.
