Estaie Taps Michal Hicks as Co-Founder to Revolutionize Long-Stay Travel Booking

Dubai-based estaie has brought Michal Hicks into its founding team as co-founder and chief product officer, a move that says quite a lot about where the company thinks the real challenge sits now. Not growth alone, but trust.

The startup is building what it calls an AI-native marketplace for extended stays, covering bookings from 15 to 365 nights. That is a very different beast from the usual holiday-booking model, and I reckon that point matters more than many travel platforms admit. A weekend city break is one thing. A two-month stay tied to a relocation, a work assignment or a returning student’s plans is, well… a much bigger life decision.

Hicks is expected to lead platform, product and what the company describes as human-centred systems. In plain words, his brief is to make long-stay booking feel more dependable for both sides: travellers who need clear information before committing, and accommodation partners who want confidence in the guests coming through the door. His focus will include verified supply, transparent pricing and smoother service flows.

As Hicks put it, “A two-month booking isn't a longer version of a two-night stay — it's a different decision, a real commitment.” He added that people need confidence when making one of the biggest choices involved in moving somewhere new, while hotels, serviced apartments and managed homes also need reassurance that they are getting the right guests. He said this is “a product problem as much as a human one”, adding that technology should reduce uncertainty rather than add to it.

That thinking lands at an interesting time for estaie. The company recently closed a seven-figure pre-seed round backed by Plus VC, Orbit Ventures, Falak Angels and VMS. It says it expects to offer coverage of more than 2.5 million unique properties globally by the fourth quarter of 2026, with a particular focus on strategic locations. On pricing, the platform claims savings of up to 32 per cent compared with traditional online travel agencies, thanks to direct negotiations with partners.

From its base in Dubai, the company is also pushing into Riyadh. For startups in the Gulf, that kind of corridor is starting to feel almost spot on for the moment: build in the UAE, prove the model, then test it in Saudi at scale. Readers at Arageek have seen this play out in fintech, logistics and now, increasingly, in travel and proptech too.

Osama Shawky, co-founder and chief executive of estaie, said Hicks is joining at a point where both supply and demand are scaling quickly enough that trust is becoming “the constraint, not growth”. It is a neat way to frame the problem, and not a bad one either. Plenty of startups can move fast, but if users feel booking is a bit of a faff, the shine goes off very quickly.

Mark Reed, the company’s COO, also welcomed the appointment, saying Hicks brings strategic insight and practical experience in connecting customers, product and the broader journey. Reed said he is excited about the impact Hicks will have as estaie continues to scale and pursue its growth plans.

Before joining estaie, Hicks held digital customer experience leadership roles at Expo City Dubai, where he worked on large-scale data, product and AI operations as Expo 2020 evolved into a longer-term urban project in Dubai South. Earlier, at Concentrix, he worked on strategy for enterprise clients including Mediclinic Middle East and Emirates Airlines, helping deliver consumer-facing platforms across iOS, Android, Apple Watch and the web.

And believe it or not, that background may be one of the most practical parts of this hire. Long-stay travel sounds simple from the outside, but it sits awkwardly between hospitality, housing, relocation and digital service design. It is not just about listing rooms online. It is about reducing friction in decisions that carry financial and personal weight. That is where startups often win or lose, and where estaie now seems keen to doubl down.

There is also a timing angle here. Hicks is set to be part of the company’s presence at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, where estaie plans not only to exhibit but also to compete in Rocket Fuel, the event’s startup pitch competition. The company will use that stage to argue that long-stay travel needs a dedicated platform built from the ground up, rather than something adapted from short-stay booking engines.

For a region where mobility is rising — from remote workers to corporate transfers to students moving across borders — that pitch does not come from nowhere. I’m not a fan of startups using buzzwords to dress up ordinary services, but this one does seem to be chasing a real gap in the market. If estaie can make long-stay bookings more transparent and less nerve-racking for travellers and property partners alike, it may have found a lane worth watching.

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