A Seattle-based proptech startup is betting that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be its breakout moment, and that the real winners won’t be hotels.
Reeku, a co-hosting platform that helps renters monetize their apartments when they travel, announced Wednesday it is expanding to all U.S. World Cup host cities ahead of the tournament. The timing is deliberate. With an estimated 6.5 million visitors expected to descend on North America for the six-week event, analysts are already flagging severe lodging shortages in host markets.
Game-day hotel rates are running more than 31 percent above non-match nights, according to hospitality data firm Lighthouse. In Boston, where the U.S. plays its first match on June 13, average Airbnb nightly rates for that date are reportedly $483, roughly $200 higher than on the same day last year, according to the Boston Globe.
How the model works
Reeku founder and CEO Alikiah Barclay says the platform was built precisely for this kind of moment. A former traveling consultant, Barclay said he spent years paying full rent on an apartment he didn’t always live in and decided to build the infrastructure to let other renters avoid the same financial waste.
The model works like this: Reeku partners with residents in short-term rental-friendly buildings and takes over the entire hosting operation — including listing, pricing, guest vetting, cleaning and management — while the primary tenant is away. Building owners also receive a revenue cut, which Barclay argues creates alignment across the entire housing stack.
“When the World Cup arrives, corporate hotels will make billions while millions of local apartments sit empty,” Barclay said in a statement. “Reeku exists to flip that script. We are giving everyday renters the infrastructure to turn their biggest monthly expense into their biggest asset. Simply put: You should either be in your apartment, or it should be making you money.”
Cashing in on World Cup demand
The company says it has completed more than 800 stays across its initial San Francisco and Seattle markets, returning over $500,000 to renters while maintaining a 4.8-star guest rating.
Based on AirDNA data, Reeku projects participating renters will average $2,700 per week during World Cup demand surges, roughly double their typical earnings.
The company points to a concrete example: One early user, identified only as Martin, turned a trip to Europe from a $1,000 loss (hotel costs while his San Francisco apartment sat empty) into a $2,000 gain. Within six months, he had earned $10,000 through the platform. A neighbor, the company says, is on track to clear $17,742 this summer from World Cup bookings alone.
A win for host city neighborhoods
Beyond individual renter returns, Reeku is positioning the model as a win for host city neighborhoods. Deloitte estimates suggest short-term rentals could redirect $865 million in visitor spending from hotel districts to local neighborhoods. It should be noted, though, that Deloitte’s report focused specifically on Airbnb.
Reeku operates in what has become an increasingly competitive corner of proptech: turnkey STR co-hosting for renters, as opposed to the more established model of owner-focused short-term rental management. The key regulatory constraint remains building-level STR policies. Reeku only operates in buildings that explicitly permit platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
Renters in World Cup host cities can calculate projected earnings and sign up at fifa.reeku.co.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 through July 19, with matches across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The host cities in the U.S. will be Dallas, New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey), Atlanta, Kansas City, Houston, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston and Miami.
