New Zealand-owned holiday home management company MyStays has been named the 2026 Innovation Star at Airbnb’s Professional Host Excellence Awards, presented during the Airbnb Host Summit in Sydney alongside leading hosts and operators from across Australia and New Zealand.
The Airbnb Host Summit is an exclusive, invite-only conference for professional hosts, Superhosts, community leaders and ambassadors from across Australia and New Zealand. Around 300 people attended the 2026 summit, with only approximately 30 attendees from New Zealand, making it a highly regarded gathering of experienced operators from across Australasia.
For MyStays, 2026 marked its second year attending the summit, providing another valuable opportunity to learn from others in the sector and bring new ideas and insights back into the business.
MyStays founder Elle Knight was also invited to speak on a panel during the conference, contributing to a discussion on how technology and AI are being used within professional hosting and property management.
The summit became even more significant for MyStays when the company was named the 2026 Innovation Star at Airbnb’s Professional Host Excellence Awards, presented during the Airbnb Host Summit in Sydney.
The award recognises the systems, processes and technology MyStays has developed to support growth, improve consistency and create a more streamlined operation, while maintaining the personal service at the heart of the guest and owner experience.
Brent and Elle Knight, along with their two children, Amylee and Nixon are the family behind the MyStays business. Proudly NZ family owned, Brent and Elle with over 27years of experience between them, have built MyStays on a strong belief in doing things properly, looking after people well, and creating meaningful connections throughout the place we call home
Elle said the recognition carried particular weight because it came from Airbnb, one of the most established and recognised brands in the global accommodation sect
“To be recognised by Airbnb at this level is something we’re incredibly proud of. We’ve spent a lot of time building systems and processes that allow us to grow in a smarter and more sustainable way, while still protecting the human side of what we do. To have that work recognised on an international stage is a very special milestone for our team.”
Technology, automation and AI now support a number of MyStays’ internal workflows, including lead-to-listing, owner onboarding and review processes.
The systems were custom-developed with a technology partner, with the MyStays team first mapping how the business needed to work, defining the processes and building the operational foundations before those ideas were developed into working technology.
During the award presentation, Airbnb acknowledged both the thinking behind the systems and the way they had been developed around the needs of the business.
“What stands out is how she got there. Elle backed her team to define the processes, build the foundations and work with a technology partner to turn those ideas into systems that support growth – and the result is a business that scales without losing the human attention that hosting depends on.”
For MyStays, the Airbnb’s Professional Host Excellence award also builds on previous recognition for the same areas of the business.
“The Taupō Business Awards in 2025 were a significant validation of the strategy, planning and innovative systems we had been building into the business,” Elle said. “To now have Airbnb recognise that work gives us another level of confidence that what we’ve developed is not only supporting the growth of MyStays, but is also allowing us to stand alongside some of the most highly regarded professional hosts across Australasia. To be recognised in that company, on an international stage, is something we’re very proud of.”
MyStays was also proud to be representing New Zealand among the award recipients at the Sydney event.
This New Zealand company continues to grow its holiday home management network across the North Island.
For local readers, MyStays manages professionally serviced holiday homes and short-stay accommodations across the Coromandel Peninsula – Whitianga, Matarangi, Cooks beach, Kuaotuu, Tairua, Pauanui, Whangamata, Onemana and Opoutere.
Outside their professional lives, the Knight family enjoy days on Lake Taupō, sea fishing in the Coromandel, getting out on the mountain bikes with the kids, and dining in stunning local spots with whānau and friends. Taupō locals for 20+ years, with close ties to Whangamatā and the wider Coromandel, they also love competing in and attending regional sporting events – staying connected to the people and places we serve.
MyStays is: local care – smart pricing – clear reporting – every home – every guest – every owner. Taken care of.
