US: at ease Rentals Corporation, a short-term rental platform helping military and federal employees find government approved, temporary housing, has launched in San Diego and San Antonio.
Striving to offer federal travellers the same level of lodging choices civilian travellers enjoy, the properties listed on at ease represent a variety of floor plans, from hotel rooms to short-term rentals, offering more space for military families with multiple bedrooms, full kitchens and family-friendly amenities.
The platform offers more than 2,000 hotels and rental properties across San Diego, San Antonio and seven emerging markets formally launching later this year: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Norfolk, Virginia; Northern Virginia; Oahu, Hawaii; Orlando; and Tampa, Florida.
at ease was founded in 2018 by Marine Major Anthony Gantt, a 22-year active Marine, husband, and father of six after his third relocation in two years.
Gantt said: “Finding short-term lodging while waiting for base or military housing to become available is one of many stressful tasks military families must tackle before a move. A one-bedroom hotel room, with a limited if any kitchenette, and one bathroom for five to 30 days was not an ideal experience for my family.”
Half a million US military personnel receive PCS orders [permanent change of station] each year. Travel reimbursement is strictly regulated by the DOD [Department of Defense] so service members and federal travellers must book government compliant accommodations to receive reimbursement for lodging.
The majority of compliant accommodations are hotel rooms featuring one or two beds and sometimes a sleeper sofa, representing far from ideal options for families. Online travel agencies such as Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com are not government-approved vendors and are therefore off limits.
While at ease was founded with a mission to help military families relocate, the platform is available to all military and federal travellers.
The platform is focused on solving four main pain points:
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Providing the same level of choice to federal employees granted to other business travellers: Supplement government compliant lodging with a variety of federally-approved short-term rentals. Every property listed on at ease is hand-selected and certified to ensure it meets federal guidelines, plus additional quality and safety standards required by at ease.
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Creating happier and healthier lifestyles: Living in a one-bedroom hotel room takes an emotional and physical toll on a family. at ease features properties with a full kitchen and occasionally a grill in some rentals, making it easy to cook healthy meals. Multiple bedrooms, additional bathrooms and overall more space result in happier family dynamics.
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Saving money: A full kitchen means families can save money by eating meals at home. The typical federal food allowance barely covers one meal for a family, per day, let alone covering all three daily meals.
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Simplifying reimbursement: All at ease bookings will automatically generate an expense statement that meets federal criteria for each transaction to ensure service members receive the maximum reimbursement for lodging.
Due to the fact that military and government travel does not follow traditional tourism trends, there is no seasonality and travel often occurs during the weekdays, so short-term rental owners and property managers are able to access bookings for seven days a week, 365 days a year through at ease. at ease guides property managers through the DOD approval process, which helps them to meet and exceed federal compliant standards.
Over the last two years, at ease has increased its inventory to more than 2000 properties across eight markets, won nine awards and raised $621,350. Meanwhile, Marine Major Gantt is in the process of transitioning from active military service to retirement in summer 2022.
