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Host & Stay: Flexible payment solutions powering growth for holiday let specialists
A family-owned holiday let management company has transformed its payment processes with a suite of card solutions from Lloyds, gaining visibility, security and vital working capital flexibility to support its ambitious growth plans.
Read time: 4 mins Added: 14/05/26
A full service for property owners
When property owners want to maximise the potential of their holiday lets without the hassle of day-to-day management, Host & Stay provides the answer. The Saltburn-based company offers a comprehensive end-to-end service, handling everything from guest bookings and payments to housekeeping and maintenance.
Founded by Dale Smith in 2018, the business has grown rapidly since receiving investment from private equity firm Growth Partner in 2024, completing five acquisitions to expand its geographical footprint across the UK. Today, Host & Stay manages around 1,000 properties, employs 120 full-time staff – rising to 350 during peak seasons – and generates revenues of £12 million while handling up to £30 million in cash flow annually.
Finance Director David McAvoy, who joined the business in early 2024, oversees the complex payment flows that keep the operation running smoothly. With around 800 property owners to pay each month, alongside suppliers like Booking.com and a mobile workforce requiring ad hoc spending, finding the right payment solutions was essential.
David McAvoy Finance Director, Host & StayWe provide an end-to-end solution for owners where we will deal with absolutely everything in relation to their property. We manage guests, bookings, payments, housekeeping, any maintenance issues. It's full management by Host & Stay, with a big focus on maximising occupancy for our owners.
Tailored solutions for complex needs
Working with Lloyds, Host & Stay has implemented a combination of Virtual Cards, physical cards and the eOptimise solution – each addressing a specific payment challenge within the business.
The virtual card system, delivered through the ePay platform, has proved transformative for managing ad hoc spending by staff on the road. Previously, physical cards were shared between colleagues, creating security risks and administrative headaches when it came to reconciliation.
David said: "From our process perspective, the biggest advantage is you don't have these physical cards being shared and passed around. Instead, we are able to create a card for a specific use by a specific person, which goes to a manager to approve that spend before it happens. It's not this retroactive process at the end of the month when the statement comes in and you're trying to work out who's bought what, which takes up a massive amount of time."
The eOptimise solution has been particularly valuable for helping manage the seasonal nature of the business. By charging payments to a card facility while sending electronic payments to suppliers who don't accept cards, Host & Stay can extend its working capital during peak periods without incurring utilisation fees.
David McAvoy Finance Director, Host & StayWe pay somewhere around 800 owners in the middle of the month. This facility allows us to bulk upload a payment file, and instead of all the funds leaving our account at once, we get the benefit of extending our working capital by another two or three weeks. The visibility, the reporting and the approval process just give us far more security than we would normally have.
A relationship built on understanding
Crucially, Lloyds took the time to understand Host & Stay's business before recommending solutions. Rather than simply replacing existing cards on a like-for-like basis, the Lloyds team analysed payment flows, identified pain points and tailored a package that addressed the company's specific challenges, including ensuring different group entities are billed correctly to eliminate manual cross-charging.
David is clear that the quality of support has been exceptional: "The support is absolutely first rate. Aaron, our relationship manager, is in every two months, shows real passion and interest in what the business is doing and how Lloyds can help us grow to the next level. He genuinely buys into what we're trying to do. I've never experienced that before."
With consolidation complete following its acquisition spree, Host & Stay is now looking ahead to organic growth, with plans to strengthen its position in the North East while exploring further opportunities across the UK. The Lloyds solutions are fully scalable, ready to grow alongside the business.
Ryan Symonds Commercial Cards, LloydsInstead of just taking the business on the same basis, we thought about their processes, what would work better for them, what their pain points were. That's why we've implemented three different solutions – because that's the right fit for the business.
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