Raincatcher + AJL Atelier Present
Sustainable Business Models and Smart Financial Hygiene
Raincatcher and leading-edge vacation rental and business consultancy AJL Atelier have partnered to support short-term rental professionals.
Our partnership will provide short-term vacation rental owners with best-in-class tools and services to spearhead their growth. We will help you optimize the value of your business as industry professionals come together to raise the bar in the industry.
The Future of the Vacation Rental Industry
Focusing on the future of the short-term rental industry, where financial sustainability is key. Instead of seeking out cash-burning ventures, investors are interested in positive cash flow businesses.
Now is the time to talk about solid financials and sustainable business models that demonstrate resilience.
Trusted, Specialized 360-Degree Business Support
AJL Atelier and Raincatcher share missions to support entrepreneurs on their paths forward, whether they intend to build value for exit or buy an enterprise. With AJL Atelier’s salient footprint in the vacation rental industry and Raincatcher’s expertise in merger and acquisition advisory services, the partnership will offer vacation rental professionals a 360-degree support system. In turn, travelers will increasingly be offered higher-quality lodging experiences.
AJL Atelier has unrivaled expertise and track record in the vacation rentals and short-term rental industries.
Raincatcher is an award-winning business brokerage and mergers & acquisitions team that supports small to large-scale transactions.
Our Clients Love Our 360° Expertise
From pre-launch to successful exits, our clients love our comprehensive approach and unrivaled expertise in vacation rental, property technology and fast-growth businesses.
Strategy Consulting
From go-to-market to strategy pivot, we support you in crafting the most relevant roadmap for your product and services.
Profitability Solutions
Implement a profitable revenue marketing strategy by factoring in your costs and enhance the profitability of your vacation rental business.
Performance Optimization
Assess your business, identify key areas of improvement and accompany you and your team towards a complete optimization.
Financial Advisory
Prepare your business for successful M&A transactions thanks to our exclusive industry expertise and transactional know-how.
From Our Customer
"Throughout our process of selling our large vacation rental companies in Colorado, [Raincatcher] showed expertise, ethics, and a true concern for our outcome. They aren't looking to make a quick buck, and they aren't desperate to get the deal done. They were patient and easy to work with as we walked through this big decision in our lives. They also took a huge burden off of us by guiding us thru due diligence and some sticky situations that inevitably arise when selling a complicated company in this industry.
I recommend using Raincatcher highly for any vacation rental company owner who wants a fresh perspective and looks to have an outcome to be proud of for years to come."
- Sarah Bradford, former Owner of Winter Park Lodging Company and Steamboat Lodging Company
From our Leaders
“One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face when partnering with advisors is that most will try and force a small business through its sale process with little foresight or care. Both Raincatcher and AJL share the belief that small businesses deserve more. We couldn’t be more delighted to bring our skilled experience to the vacation rental industry, much less in partnership with one of its foremost global leaders.” -Jason Thomas, Raincatcher COO.
“The vacation rental industry is highly fragmented, with fewer professional resources. We want to create value for business owners, advise on best strategic practises and create a solid framework for the industry. With this partnership, we can offer consulting, guidance, exit and succession planning, and now financial-hygiene services to our clients in the USA. It’s all about building value and not just about an exit.” -Simon Lehmann, AJL Founder & CEO.
Meet the Team
Marla DiCarlo
CEO, Raincatcher
Marla DiCarlo is an accomplished business consultant with more than 28 years of professional accounting experience. As co-owner and CEO of Raincatcher, she helps business owners get their businesses ready to sell, so they find the best buyer and get paid the maximum value for their business. Marla has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and is a member of several professional organizations. From 2000 to 2008, Marla worked as Director of Accounting for an M&A and Investment group that specialized in the purchase, capitalization, and management of real estate and businesses in various sectors.
Jason Thomas
COO, Raincatcher
Jason has more than 15 years of business and transaction experience focused on the lower-middle market and commercial real estate development. As the COO of Raincatcher, he oversees all business brokerage and mergers and acquisition initiatives across the organization. Prior to joining Raincatcher, he was a partner in a $150 million mixed-use commercial real estate development in Denver and the Director for Commercial Real Estate for Trevey Commercial Real Estate, where he specialized in complex land entitlement and development projects. Before moving to Denver full-time, Jason was the Director of Real Estate Sales for Timbers Resorts Sebastian-Vail and Timbers Bachelor Gulch projects in Vail, CO.
Simon Lehman
Founder CEO, AJL Atelier
Simon is one of the world’s foremost experts on short-term rental and vacation rental. He leads AJL Atelier, a specialized vacation rental and business consultancy, while also advising multiple companies as Board Member and Executive Chairman. A sought-after speaker, panelist and moderator, Simon loves to broach high-level and technical topics alike, from the future trends of short-term rental to the specifics of online distribution in the top 5 OTAs.Previously, Simon was the Co-Founder & Chairman of Vacasa Europe, former President of PhocusWright and ex-Board member of HomeAway, to name a few. He’s also an accomplished operator, having led Interhome, Hotelplan Group and Swissport as CEO, Deputy CEO and EVP Commercial, respectively.
Gernot Zechner
Head of Operations & Senior Consultant, AJL Atelier
Gernot brings a profound understanding of the hospitality tech ecosystem and its dynamics. Before focusing on the short-term rental industry, he spent the last +5 years at the world's largest OTA, Booking.com, where he gained wide-ranging industry knowledge. He led product strategy, commercial development, and operations for newly established product teams and acted as "GM" in a fast-moving new product development vertical. He is a big-picture strategy thinker who can simultaneously zoom in and think through execution details. At AJL Atelier, he's leading the redesign of operational workflows and acts as a strategic business adviser for the broad range of ALJ's client portfolio.