Roman Pedan, the CEO of short-term rental platform Kasa Living, tested out the digital-nomad lifestyle in Kasa's properties and has a few takeaways.
Kasa Living
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Roman Pedan, founder of short-term rental company Kasa Living, about his decision to spend five months working remotely while living in Kasa properties across some of the 45 US cities the company has a presence in. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Previously, my longest stint fully living in Kasa properties was a few months in 2021 when I was between moves. This is now the longest — it started in late October 2022 and it'll end probably in June or July.
This time is different because I'm traveling with my significant other when I didn't in the past.
It's been exciting to explore the cities with somebody and also to see that this adventure is possible not only by an individual but also with two people who are working full-time.
We found that if you're in a city for too little time you don't really get a sense and feel for the area that you're in. You don't spend time investing in your space, unpacking your stuff and putting it on the shelves, and actually experiencing the city outside of the main tourist attractions.
Three weeks is what we've been trying to do. Three to six weeks is the sweet spot.
In every location I thought I would do a certain thing that the location is known for. I had the idea that I was going to ski a bunch in Salt Lake City, and then go to the water all the time in LA.
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I went on a hike with someone from the Mormon Church when I was in Salt Lake City and I really got to know their lifestyle. During that period I actually didn't drink caffeine or alcohol. That's one portion of the lifestyle of the church, not the entirety by any stretch, but it was nice to feel the integration into the community.
But most of the time you're working. In some ways, you're in a different place but doing the same thing — you free up at night after work and it's already dark.
One thing I've tried to do to make sure I'm getting the most out of things is make a list of the people that I know in any given location. It's easy to forget that people from different walks of life, whether it's high school or college, spread out in different cities. They won't know you're there, so you need to make an intentional effort to reach out to them and find time to reconnect.
Having a really good work setup wherever I am is really important to ensure productivity. I have two monitors here and a wireless mouse and keyboard that I bring with me — but packing a monitor is not the most ideal thing.
This trip made me think we should offer an ability for guests to have a work setup in any location, if they would like, as an add-on.
Also, my partner and I found it challenging to work from the same space. Sometimes one of us was working in the walk-in closet while the other one was working in the kitchen area. Neither was ideal.
It's something that is more and more important and I don't think Kasa's been as consistent in providing a dedicated place to work that has outlets and a good, comfortable chair.
Even small things like lighting at the bed that allows you to read and easy-to-access outlets that allow you to plug in your phone are things that may be quite obvious, but we're going to add them to more Kasa properties.
Ultimately, I want to live and experience our products through the eyes of our guests so we can make it better. Seeing that there are more people who are choosing to live this way or choosing Kasa for similar purposes makes this a more useful trip than in the past.
