CasaVoya has made headlines with its recent rebranding from ManhattanBNB and ambitious plans to expand beyond New York City. The short-term vacation rental platform has carved out a unique niche by operating successfully within New York’s restrictive regulatory environment, serving nearly 200 hosts and facilitating thousands of stays for guests from over 20 countries.
Now that CasaVoya has its eye set on the rest of the world, we sat down with Marissa Lowman, Board Member at CasaVoya, to discuss the company’s strategic vision, regulatory approach, and plans for global expansion.
Q: Can you explain the decision to rebrand from ManhattanBNB to CasaVoya?
Marissa Lowman: The rebrand to CasaVoya represents our evolution from a New York-focused solution to a global platform. While ManhattanBNB served us well in establishing our model within one of the world’s most challenging regulatory environments, CasaVoya reflects our broader vision of democratizing travel access worldwide. The name captures our mission—”Casa” meaning home and “Voya” suggesting voyage or journey—emphasizing authentic, home-like experiences for travelers exploring the world. This rebrand allows us to take the model we perfected in New York City and scale it to major travel hubs globally.
Q: What makes CasaVoya different from other vacation rental platforms?
Marissa Lowman: CasaVoya operates as a trusted introduction service rather than a booking platform, which fundamentally changes how we serve both hosts and guests. This model keeps us compliant with complex regulations while giving hosts complete autonomy over their pricing, availability, and guest interactions. Unlike traditional platforms that commoditize travel, we focus on authentic, community-driven stays. Our hosts include creative entrepreneurs like jazz musicians and artists who use rental income to fund their passions while offering guests genuine local experiences you simply can’t find on cookie-cutter platforms.
Q: How does CasaVoya’s pricing compare to traditional hotels and other vacation rental platforms?
Marissa Lowman: CasaVoya offers significant value advantages, especially for groups and families. Since our hosts set their own prices and we don’t charge booking fees like traditional platforms, travelers often save 20-40% compared to booking multiple hotel rooms or paying platform commissions elsewhere. For a family of four visiting New York, staying in one of our Brooklyn vacation rentals with a full kitchen and laundry facilities costs substantially less than two hotel rooms, plus they get authentic neighborhood experiences and the convenience of home amenities. Our hosts price competitively because they’re not paying hefty platform fees, creating a win-win where travelers get better value and hosts keep more of their earnings. The real value multiplier comes from amenities like fully functional kitchens—guests save hundreds on dining out, especially during longer stays.
Q: What specific amenities can travelers expect from CasaVoya properties?
Marissa Lowman: Our New York vacation rental properties consistently offer the amenities that make extended stays and family travel practical and comfortable. Standard features include fully equipped kitchens with everything from coffee makers to full cookware sets, in-unit laundry facilities, high-speed WiFi, and spacious living areas where groups can actually spend time together. Many of our hosts go beyond basics—I think of our jazz musician host in Brooklyn who provides local music recommendations and neighborhood guides, or our Queens artist who introduces guests to the local arts scene. Unlike corporate-managed rentals, our community-driven hosts add personal touches like local coffee, area maps, and insider tips on restaurants and attractions you won’t find in guidebooks. Every property includes essentials like linens, toiletries, and cleaning supplies, but the real value comes from hosts who treat guests like welcomed neighbors rather than transactions.
Q: Who is your target customer?
Marissa Lowman: Our guests include students looking for an affordable place to stay while interviewing for jobs and couples looking for a romantic weekend getaway. But increasingly, we find ourselves serving groups of 4-6 travelers—usually families, but also friend groups—who need more space and amenities than hotels provide. These travelers value family-friendly vacation rentals with kitchen access and laundry facilities, and prefer staying together under one roof. They’re often budget-conscious but also appreciate unique, local touches that make their stay memorable. We’ve hosted guests from 22 countries who consistently tell us they want to “live like locals” rather than have generic hotel experiences.
Q: How has guest feedback influenced your expansion strategy?
Marissa Lowman: Guest feedback has been instrumental in validating our global expansion approach. We consistently hear that travelers want an authentic alternative to Airbnb and expensive hotels that provide standardized cookie-cutter experiences. Guests like Krystal from San Diego and Cynthia from Phoenix specifically praised having fully functional kitchens, laundry facilities, and local neighborhood access—exactly what hotels can’t provide and what many corporate-managed rentals lack. This feedback confirmed that our community-driven, amenity-rich model addresses a genuine market gap that exists beyond New York City.
Q: Which markets are you targeting for expansion?
Marissa Lowman: We’re primarily targeting major U.S., European, and global travel hubs where regulatory complexity creates barriers for traditional platforms—essentially markets that mirror New York’s challenges. Cities like Barcelona, with strict short-term rental regulations, are prime candidates because our model as a trusted introduction-based vacation rental platform can operate compliantly where booking platforms struggle. We’re also looking at destinations where travelers consistently seek alternatives to expensive hotels and where local hosts want more autonomy than traditional platforms provide.
Q: What role does regulation play in your business strategy?
Marissa Lowman: Regulatory compliance isn’t just central—it’s our competitive advantage. We built our entire model around compliance for New York City vacation rentals, one of the most restrictive markets globally. By operating as an advertising platform that facilitates trusted introductions,, we navigate complex local regulations while keeping authentic vacation rentals alive in restricted markets. This compliance-first approach, combined with our focus on autonomy and delivering stellar guest experiences, allows us to enter markets where other platforms face regulatory hurdles or have been forced to exit entirely.
Q: How do you see the vacation rental industry evolving?
Marissa Lowman: The industry is moving away from one-size-fits-all solutions toward more specialized platforms and stays. Travelers are increasingly rejecting cookie-cutter experiences in favor of authentic, community-driven stays. Meanwhile, regulations are becoming more complex globally, which actually benefits platforms like CasaVoya that were built compliance-first. We’re seeing hosts desire more control over their small businesses and guests seeking genuine local experiences—trends that favor our community-driven, host-empowered model over commoditized alternatives.
Q: What challenges do you anticipate with global expansion?
Marissa Lowman: The primary challenges involve navigating diverse short-term rental regulations and operational complexities like multi-currency pricing. Each market has unique short-term rental regulations, cultural expectations, and business practices. However, our experience succeeding in New York’s restrictive environment has prepared us well. We’re building scalable solutions for compliance and localization while maintaining the personal, community-driven experience that defines CasaVoya.
Q: How do you balance host and guest interests?
Marissa Lowman: Our service model naturally aligns host and guest interests. Hosts maintain autonomy over pricing, scheduling, and guest selection while accessing our marketing reach and compliance support. Guests benefit from authentic experiences and direct relationships with hosts who are invested in providing exceptional stays. This helps us avoid the sky-high fees that plague traditional platforms—we succeed when both hosts and guests are happy, not when we maximize booking fees.
Q: What’s next for CasaVoya?
Marissa Lowman: We’re focused on scaling our proven model to key international markets while maintaining the authentic, community-driven experience that sets us apart. This includes developing partnerships with like-minded founders in complementary spaces, enhancing our multi-currency capabilities, and building compliance frameworks for diverse regulatory environments. Our goal is to become the go-to platform for travelers seeking authentic alternatives to hotels and for hosts who want genuine autonomy—essentially democratizing access to unique travel experiences worldwide.
About CasaVoya
CasaVoya is a vacation rental platform that democratizes access to travel by offering authentic, flexible, and family-friendly stays to travelers from around the world. Founded as ManhattanBNB in New York City, the company has facilitated thousands of stays for guests from around the world. CasaVoya operates as a trusted introduction service, connecting travelers directly with property owners to provide authentic local experiences at competitive prices.
For more details contact:
CasaVoya
Phone: +1 833-884-7136
Website: www.CasaVoya.com
Email: hello@CasaVoya.com
