From Managing 70 Short Term Lets to Building a New Boutique Hotel Brand

He built a short term let business to 70 units and 20 staff — then walked away at 29 to start from scratch. The very next day he went to view a hotel. 🏨In this episode of the Scottish Property Podcast, Nick and Steven sit down with Laurence Malyon — founder of Moment aparthotel brand — for one of the most wide-ranging conversations they've had on the show. Laurence covers everything from running concerts for the neighbours at age 5 and rebranding his family's fire suppression business at 15, to building Donnini Apartments with his uni flatmate Jake, exiting after seven years, and launching a hospitality brand that just did a £2.325 million deal on Edinburgh's George IV Bridge.This one is packed with lessons on business partnerships, aparthotel strategy, STL licensing, commercial funding, and why Glasgow and Edinburgh are completely different beasts.TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Welcome back to Laurence & what he's been building since01:08 – Exiting Donnini & launching Moment hotel brand the very next day01:58 – Growing up in a rundown farmhouse near Beattock02:59 – The family fire suppression business03:36 – Rebranding the family business at 1505:15 – Why London and Dubai are the real competition07:41 – Running concerts for the neighbours at age 509:01 – Selling fruit and veg to teachers for profit10:39 – First flip at uni with Jake13:47 – Discovering Airbnb as it was becoming a thing14:10 – Touchstone / Progressive property training16:59 – The rent to rent model that started it all17:26 – STL legislation: why serviced accommodation is so much harder now19:40 – Planning consent: licences, planning, or both28:45 – The plan to go beyond Edinburgh and Glasgow33:25 – Becky, the business conversation that changed everything34:22 – The Moment trademark — what it means and why he owns it35:00 – 12 George IV Bridge Edinburgh — the flagship deal38:07 – £2.325 million on practical completion39:39 – RBS as main lender — the journey to get there40:22 – Oak North bank and how they got funding over the line47:28 – First hire CJ — building the team50:00 – Remote team in the Philippines52:41 – 18% management fee — how it's structured59:01 – Sonder went bust: lessons from the big operators1:01:18 – Stay Cool: what the brand offers and why it's different1:03:40 – Expansion plans: Lisbon, Paris and beyondCONNECT WITH LAURENCEMoment Aparthotels: [email protected] on InstagramNETWORKING EVENTSFirst Wednesday of every month📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | GlasgowFollow our socials for speakers and detailsSPONSORED BYPrime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode👍 Like if you found this valuable💬 Would you have walked away from 70 units to start again? Drop it in the comments 👇