30 Years of Urbanbnb – Temporary Living with Heart since 1996
30 years of trust. 30 years of encounters. 30 years of feeling at home – temporarily.
Urbanbnb celebrates a special milestone. Since 1996, we have supported people in new life chapters—starting a job, moving to a new city, navigating transitions or personal changes. From the beginning, our mission has been to turn “just a room” into a home away from home.
What began at Claudia Urban’s kitchen table—index cards, a landline phone and a fax machine—has grown into a modern family business that has always remained true to its roots.
How it all began – from the kitchen table to a temporary living agency
In 1996, Claudia writes the first host details by hand, answers calls and organizes bookings from a small home office. Only days later, her daughter Talia is born—and from that moment on, the family and the business grow together.
Soon the office moves to Stuttgart. Guests from all over the world sometimes find themselves at the Urbans’ kitchen table, tasting Swabian hospitality even before moving into their accommodation.
Urbanbnb evolves step by step, driven by encounters, courage, trust—and a lot of heart.
Urbanbnb – A family affair based on conviction and passion
Urbanbnb is more than just a company – it's a family affair. And above all, it's a labor of love.
As a family business, we make decisions personally, with responsibility and an eye for the people behind every request. We don't have anonymous processes or pass the buck, but rather have dedicated contact persons who listen, think along with you, and accompany you – from the first contact to well beyond the move-in.
Claudia Urban – Founder with courage, warmth, and empathy
Claudia Urban built Urbanbnb with courage, intuition, and a deep understanding of people. For her, temporary living was never just a business model, but always a meaningful task: to give people in transitional phases security, stability, and a good feeling of home. Her attitude, her closeness, and her commitment to fairness continue to shape Urbanbnb to this day.
Markus Urban – stability, structure, and quiet foresight
Markus Urban forms the stable foundation in the background. With structure, technical know-how, and organizational clarity, he ensures that Urbanbnb functions reliably and continues to develop. He combines consistency with progress, creating a space where growth is possible without losing sight of the company's family roots.
Together, they stand for an Urbanbnb that is run with heart, takes responsibility, and builds trust across generations.
The next generation – Talia & Samuel Urban
Talia Urban – Strategy, Communication & Proximity
Talia Urban grew up with Urbanbnb and knows the family business inside out. She stands for modern leadership with heart, clear communication, and genuine proximity to guests and hosts. With empathy, digital understanding, and a keen sense of quality, she combines the values of the founding generation with the requirements of a contemporary, service-oriented rental business. She shapes daily collaboration, keeps processes together, and ensures that Urbanbnb remains personal, reliable, and future-proof.
Samuel Urban – Creativity, Brand & Visual Identity
Samuel Urban complements the next-generation team with a strong creative signature. He is responsible for Urbanbnb's visual identity and develops imagery, photography, design, and creative concepts that present the company in an authentic and modern way. With a keen sense of aesthetics, brand impact, and digital trends, he translates Urbanbnb's values into a clear visual language—fresh, honest, and approachable.
Together as a team
As a sibling team, Talia and Samuel Urban combine organization, communication, and creativity. They continue to develop Urbanbnb without losing sight of its roots and together represent a family business that has been building trust for over 30 years – while also being ready for the next generation of temporary living.
Milestones – 30 years of Urbanbnb
Tap on a milestone to see more context.
-
1996
Personal host visits, index cards and a fax machine.
-
2000er
New locations, new directions.
Historical ND Bed & Breakfast advertising motif as a reminder of the early years.
-
2010
What fundamentally changed during this phase:
With the introduction of instant online booking, Urbanbnb redefined temporary living.
Instead of lengthy email exchanges or phone calls, guests were now able to book directly – transparently, reliably and with instant confirmation.
Urbanbnb was an early pioneer in features that are still uncommon in the temporary housing market today:
- Real-time availability
- Booking confirmation in just four simple steps
- SMS security codes for verification
- Full price transparency, including deposits and additional costs
- Optional services such as internet or cleaning selectable during booking
This made temporary living as easy to book as a hotel – but more personal, more flexible and significantly more affordable.
Or as we like to say at Urbanbnb:
Are you still searching – or already Urbanbnbing? -
2012
Sustainability is part of everyday life. Many business appointments are now consciously conducted in a climate-friendly manner.
Urbanbnb Lasten-E-Bike als Beispiel nachhaltiger Mobilität seit 2012.
-
2018
Since 2018, the focus has been on stays of one month or more. Ideal for people in transitional phases and for companies seeking reliable solutions.
-
2025
In her guide, Claudia Urban shares decades of experience in temporary living – practical, easy to understand and based on real-life work with hosts and guests.
The revised and expanded edition provides clear guidance and valuable insights for anyone interested in successful temporary housing.
Discover & order the book:
about the book -
2026
Three decades of Urbanbnb stand for trust, encounters and shared growth. We thank everyone who has been part of this journey – and look forward to the stories still to come.
Experiences with Urbanbnb – what people share
Three decades of Urbanbnb mean countless encounters: new jobs, stays abroad, separations, fresh starts, internships and sabbaticals. Many guests and hosts have been with us for years – and this trust is our greatest gift.
These experiences gained over three decades continue to shape our understanding of temporary living today: personal, reliable and close to people.
“It feels like staying with friends.”
“We truly value the personal support – it has become rare today.”
“Urbanbnb is a family business where you can really feel that people matter.”
Feedback like this has accompanied us for many years and shows that temporary living works best when people feel understood, supported and at ease.
This trust is the foundation of what Urbanbnb represents today.
Urbanbnb today – temporary living in a family rhythm
Today Urbanbnb is a modern agency for temporary living—digital, efficient and still deeply personal.
We combine long-standing experience with fresh ideas, carry the values of our founders into the future and remain authentic and approachable.
We thank all guests, hosts and partners who accompany us on this journey.
Here’s to the next 30 years of Urbanbnb!
Claudia, Markus, Talia & Samuel Urban