The Roomlala story

Roomlala was the idea of a young entrepreneur with a desire to help young people find accommodation more easily in large cities. Philippe Roualle experienced for himself the long queues during flat viewings, the disappointment of seeing tiny 10m² rooms on the sixth floor with no lift, and the exorbitant rents in major cities. It was when he hosted a family friend, who had come to Paris for a 2-month internship, that he realised there must be many families whose children had left home, leaving behind empty rooms. Underutilised housing potential that would delight many students!

And what is Roomlala?

In 2009, Philippe joined the small community of the sharing economy and launched Roomlala (under the name Chambrealouer.com at the time): a platform for connecting hosts and tenants for homestay rentals. It is not an estate agency, as it is individuals connecting directly with one another to arrange a rental. It is very simple, everything happens online: the host creates a listing describing their home and the room available. The tenant, meanwhile, searches for available accommodation in their chosen city and gets in touch with the hosts whose listings interest them. Everyone wins: as well as the friendly moments shared, the host earns extra income and the tenant pays much lower rent than for a studio or an apartment.

The site has already facilitated 3.2 million connections through its 42,000 room listings spread across around forty countries. Today, the strength of Roomlala lies in its community of more than 1.8 million members. Everyone has embraced the concept and is contributing to the rise of homestay rentals around the world!

Want to know more about Roomlala? Don't hesitate to visit our press page by clicking here .
And if the startup adventure appeals to you, you might be interested in our recruitment page.