What’s In A Name? Technically, ‘ether’ is the space between things. To us, it represents the power of untapped potential. In 2016, as housing values returned to pre-Recession levels, and the short-term “AirBnB’ rental economy exploded, we began to see an unsustainable backlash emerge across the residential real estate industry. In dozens of cities like Nashville, New York, and New Orleans, short-term rental (STR) and co-living companies were artificially distorting real estate markets, inflating prices based on outsized investor valuations, and driving long-term residents and businesses out of local neighborhoods. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of unique and amazing residential properties for rent and sale—including apartments, condos, single-family homes, townhouses, penthouses, and lofts—sat empty. So we asked ourselves a question: What if all those empty, underutilized spaces could be temporarily repurposed into an on-demand “pop-up” hotel that moves around—like a pop-up retail store or restaurant in a commercial space? More importantly, what if we offered the millions of travelers looking for more authentic experiences and local accommodations hotel style services and standards and turned them into a force for neighborhood revitalization through short-term hospitality?