Romain
Giacalone
I help short-term rental (STR) companies with SEO, content and growth strategy, and increasingly as a sparring-partner: short advisory engagements, an outside perspective on a project, access to my network, board or advisory committee participation. Based in Aix-en-Provence, working with PriceLabs, Nuki, Minut, RentalReady and over twenty other industry players.
The throughline
01 · JourneySince 2008, I’ve built a rare dual expertise: technical SEO and conversion-driven content strategy, paired with event and partnership marketing. I led the e-marketing team of one of France’s largest e-commerce sites before founding my marketing consultancy, Docteur Folimage, in 2013.
Since then, I’ve advised more than a dozen major players in the short-term rental ecosystem, in France and abroad, while remaining a practitioner myself: a former Airbnb host (Best Airbnb Host in France, 2014), then the founder of a property management company overseeing up to 45 units. Today I combine strategic consulting, content production, event organisation and independent media (Welkomz) — and I’m keen to grow what I already do on an ad hoc basis: short advisory engagements to challenge a project, sharing my network, and taking part in strategic committees or boards for companies in the sector.
Does one of these sound like you?
Trusted by
03 · Companies advised
Timeline
04 · 18 years, one trajectory- 012008–2012RueDuCommerce · SEO Manager, then Social Media Manager
- 022013Docteur Folimage founded · marketing consultancy specialised in tourism, hospitality and proptech
- 032015–2016Tourism Authority of Thailand · defined and led the e-tourism strategy for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 20 months
- 042015Airbnb · hosted workshops for hosts across southern France, with the Airbnb France team
- 052016Book published · “Les conseils d’un Top Host Airbnb pour mieux louer”, Éditions Maxima
- 062016–2018BookingSync / Smily · Marketing & Business Developer
- 072016–2019StayInProvence · CEO & Founder, property management in Aix-en-Provence (45 units)
- 082017–2023Nuki · B2B Marketing Lead, France
- 092017–nowPriceLabs · Regional Marketing France, SEO & Content Strategy
- 102018–2021Rental Ninja · Strategic support, go-to-market, business development
- 112020–nowRentalReady · Marketing & Communications Consultant
- 122021–2022Yaago · Strategic support, go-to-market, business development
- 132022Avantio · French market SEO audit and inbound marketing strategy
- 142022–2025Minut · SEO & Content Strategy Consultant
- 152025Neat · French short-term rental market study, property manager interviews to test product offering against real-world needs
- 16ongoingWelkomz · independent media, founder
Client work
05 · Measured resultsA PMS built by property managers
I led the website redesign and launched the French SEO content strategy. I support the marketing team on brand messaging through my industry expertise and network, I shape event concepts, and I manage marketing-side partner relations.
Global revenue management leader
I lead SEO & Content Strategy for the French market, I produce conversion-driven content, I manage the PriceLabs France ambassador programme, and I organise events and partnerships.
Connected locks, European leader
I launched and grew the brand in the French market, built a lead-magnet free training program (50+ videos), supported the launch of the go-to-market strategy for the short-term rental vertical, managed 200+ French B2B client accounts, and organised roadshows.
Sensors & safety for hosts
I lead SEO strategy for France and Spain, I produce localised content, with monthly reporting.
Testing a product against real-world field needs
I helped Neat, an embedded insurance and services broker, study the French short-term rental market: property manager interviews to test the product offering against real-world field needs and pain points.
Blind focus group ahead of launch
I designed and facilitated a launch focus group for Tyllt’s deposit-guarantee solution: testing the offer with a panel of property managers over Zoom sessions, collecting blind feedback on the product and its positioning, to refine the offer against real market needs and drive field software adoption.
“Launching a tech STR solution? Book a product & ecosystem crash-test session.”
A session designed for B2B product-market fit validation and field software adoption: testing against a panel of professional property managers, qualified feedback, concrete recommendations to adjust your offer before you scale.
A unique expertise that makes the difference
The content I produce under my own strategy and methodology clearly stands out and outperforms the average, proof that deep market knowledge and years of SEO expertise pay off. Over the January-July 2026 period, impressions rose sharply, driven by a much stronger average Google ranking.
My side projects
06 · Beyond consultingStayInProvence
I founded and ran a property management company in Aix-en-Provence. I managed up to 45 units over 3 years, from apartments to luxury villas, a natural extension of my 6 years as an Airbnb host.
Welkomz
My independent media for French short-term rental professionals: blog, YouTube, LinkedIn, podcast, newsletter (~1,000 subscribers, 62% open rate).
Welkomz
07 · A media that monetisesBeyond its audience, my media Welkomz already generates editorial sponsorship revenue: proof that an independent media outlet can become a commercial channel for industry brands.
Visibility campaign: article, newsletter, podcast
Media coverage of roadshows: article, newsletter, video interviews
Production of pre-event video interviews
Welkomz visibility campaign
Visibility campaign supporting the launch of an industry study
Spotlight by Welkomz
07b · Latest episodesThe Welkomz podcast, which I host for and with short-term rental professionals. The latest episodes are shown below.
Events & field work
08 · 12 roadshows, 10 cities- 11 mai 2022CannesYaago Tour — a concept I created for Yaago
- Sep 18, 2023StrasbourgBooking.com, PriceLabs, Smily
- Nov 7, 2023CannesPriceLabs Roadshow — Avantio, Airbnb, Booking.com, Nuki, Smily, RentalReady, Minut, Igloohome, SPLM, Réseau CLF
- Nov 8, 2023NicePriceLabs Roadshow (same partners)
- Nov 9, 2023LyonPriceLabs Roadshow (same partners)
- Oct 10, 2024MarseillePriceLabs, RentalReady, Airbnb
- Oct 8, 2024BordeauxAvantio, VRBO, PriceLabs
- Feb 18, 2025BordeauxBeyond, RentalReady
- Mar 13, 2025BruxellesPriceLabs, Smily, OptiRental
- Apr 24, 2025NantesPriceLabs, Booking.com, RentalReady
- Oct 14, 2025AjaccioVRBO, PriceLabs, Guesty
- Oct 16, 2025Porto-VecchioVRBO, PriceLabs, Guesty
VRWS fringe event · 3 November 2023
I organised an exclusive event on the fringe of the international VRWS conference, jointly for RentalReady, PriceLabs and Nuki, with over 120 industry professionals in attendance.
- 12 mars 2015Aix-en-ProvenceInstitutional meeting between Aix-en-Provence’s Tourist Office and Airbnb, which I initiated and organised, covered by Stratégos magazine.
- Tourism’ApéroAix-en-Provence / MarseilleNetworking evenings I created and host for tourism professionals.
Speaking & jury seats
09 · From speaker to judge- VRWS2016, BarcelonaSpeaker for BookingSync · automation, connected devices
- PriceLabs × Avantio partnership2019, RomeSpeaker for PriceLabs
- PriceLabs × Avantio partnership (TAP)2022, ValenciaSpeaker for PriceLabs
- 1st CLF Congress2022Speaker
- Scale Rentals Show2023, BarcelonaSpeaker · SEO strategy to win more listings
- Scale France2023Speaker
- RDV des Loueurs SaisonniersMay 2024, ParisOfficial speaker
- RDV National2025Jury member
- LCD Awards2025Jury member
What clients say
10 · 6 client testimonialsRomain brings a rare generalist expertise across marketing, content and events, paired with real industry know-how and a strong network. He always brings a critical point of view and a genuine doer attitude, unafraid to challenge our thinking while also rolling up his sleeves to execute. That combination of hands-on work and strategic thinking is what makes him so valuable: he’s truly all-terrain, equally at home building a content plan, shaping a partnerships strategy, organizing events, or running webinars.
Running a launch focus group for our Tyllt deposit-guarantee solution helped us better understand the different types of hosts, and refine our offer in terms of how it works and how it’s positioned. The Zoom sessions gave us a huge amount of feedback and constructive input on our offer, which helped us improve our product and how we present it, for better sales effectiveness. I really recommend the focus group exercise to other companies, whatever their stage or size: it helps you better assess the market and your own positioning, both critical factors in running a business.
It’s a pleasure working with Romain, who always brings a fresh approach and new perspectives. His deep understanding of the short-term rental industry, combined with his marketing and sales expertise, make him an ideal partner for our needs. He is punctual, meticulous and hard-working. We can only recommend working with him!
Romain has deep knowledge of many aspects of the short-term rental industry, from the business and operational side (as a property manager himself) to the technology side (as a BookingSync expert). His French network and his “360°” experience will undoubtedly be a key success factor in your company’s development plan in this sector.
Romain has been working with Nuki for over 2 years. He has helped us enormously to grow in the French market during that time. His network and expertise explain why so many players in the short-term rental industry are now satisfied Nuki customers. Romain is in charge of establishing Nuki in the French short-term rental market. At Nuki, we couldn’t be happier to have Romain on our team.
Romain brings RentalReady far more than you’d typically expect from a freelancer: a genuine manager’s mindset rather than an executor’s, and he isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo when needed. His knowledge of the short-term rental industry and his network make a real difference, in a field where marketing often lacks proximity to the actual business. He’s also proactive, regularly bringing relevant ideas that move things forward.
