James Varley

Founder and CEO

James Varley is the Founder and CEO of Host Planet, the fastest-growing multimedia platform dedicated to the booming short-term rentals industry. Host Planet empowers hosts, property managers, and industry professionals with free, high-quality educational resources. The platform features collaborations with leading brands such as Hostfully, Hospitable, Beyond, Guesty, and Sykes Holiday Cottages, offering insights and strategies to help short-term rental businesses thrive.

Host Planet’s offerings include a popular podcast, weekly newsletters, comprehensive e-books, events, and innovative industry partnerships.

In addition to leading Host Planet, James manages a boutique portfolio of holiday rentals in Yorkshire, providing him with hands-on industry experience.

Before launching Host Planet, James spent a decade heading corporate communications for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 organising committee. His diverse media background includes two seasons as a video-journalist with Leeds United and extensive work across the corporate and creative sectors.

From FIFA to Host Planet: James Varley’s Journey to Empowering STR Hosts

224

June 11, 2025

From FIFA to Host Planet: James Varley’s Journey to Empowering STR Hosts

Send us a message! When media veteran James Varley stepped away from a decade-long career working on the FIFA World Cup, he had no idea that a single Airbnb stay would spark his next chapter: empowering short-term rental hosts through education. In this episode, James joins us to share how that experience and the glaring lack of accessible resources for new hosts led to the creation of Host Planet, one of the UK’s fastest-growing media platforms for STR professionals. This conversation hit...

Guest: James Varley

Listen to the Episode