How a Cybersecurity Professional Built a Fully Automated STR Operation in Bergerac
Eddie Challita explains how applying a security-first mindset to short-term rentals, with Truvi and Lodgify, lets him run two properties from his day job
“If someone has bad intentions and they cancel themselves when they see the verification process, that’s good for me. It’s like a firewall.”
Eddie Challita spent over two decades in cybersecurity, building and leading SOC teams that protect organisations from advanced threats. When he moved from the US to France and invested in two apartments in Bergerac, he approached short-term rental hosting the same way he approaches enterprise security: assume risk exists, build systems to manage it, and automate everything you can.
The operation he runs is listed on all the major OTAs and his own direct booking site, courtesy of Lodgify – which also helps him integrate and automate a tech stack that includes Truvi, Minut, Tedee, Turno, and PriceLabs. This means Eddie can manage it all alongside a full-time job in cybersecurity, without any management company taking 20%.
From one apartment to a multi-channel operation
Eddie’s entry into short-term rentals came after selling his property in the US. Rather than putting the proceeds into an investment account, he bought property in Bergerac: first his main residence, then a second apartment nearby, with shared garage access between the two. Both are centrally located, minutes from the historical district and the train station.
Getting multiple booking channels live without creating a management overhead is where Lodgify came in. The platform built his direct booking site and connected it to Booking.com, Airbnb, Google Vacation Rentals, and Vrbo/Abritel, syncing availability and rates across all of them from a single calendar. When something changes, it changes everywhere. Guest communications are automated and AI-assisted, with Lodgify rewriting replies to keep them clear and consistent.
“If I have any changes to make, I can spread it out across all of them instead of making each one separately,” Eddie says. “I have one app, I see the calendar for everything.”
The integration marketplace is what makes the stack work as a whole. Lodgify connects to Truvi for guest screening and ID verification, Minut for noise and smoke monitoring, Tedee for keyless entry, Turno for cleaning coordination, and PriceLabs for dynamic pricing. The operation runs without Eddie having to intervene at every step.
The security professional’s approach to guest risk
“Being in cybersecurity, I’m overly cautious – and I was happy to see a company like Truvi exists.”
For Eddie, bringing Truvi into his operation was not a difficult decision. As someone who thinks professionally about threat vectors and access controls, the question of who has keys to his property was never going to be left to platform reviews alone.
“On Airbnb, I can see guest reviews, so I can trust more,” he says. “But on Booking.com, you don’t have that option. The only solution I could find was Truvi, suggested by Lodgify, and it was seamless, not expensive, and gives peace of mind.”
Truvi’s automatic screening runs on every booking: checking guest details against a watchlist of known problem guests, verifying that email addresses are not disposable, and confirming phone numbers are real. For guests who need it, Eddie adds ID verification, collecting a photo ID and biometric selfie to confirm the person booking is who they claim to be.
The screening process is disclosed upfront in both his listings, with guests notified before arrival that verification is required. His reasoning is direct: transparency is not just courtesy, it is part of the deterrent.
When guests drop off, that is the system working
“If they have something to hide and they cancel themselves, that means good for me.”
Not every guest completes the verification process. A few have cancelled their reservations entirely, which Eddie sees as a feature rather than as booking friction.
“I would say if they have something to hide and they canceled themselves, that means good for me,” he says. “If they don’t go through the process or they stop answering when I remind them, I’ve had to call Booking a couple of times to cancel. My policy on Booking and others requires this, so Booking understands and doesn’t charge me anything.”
The comparison he reaches for comes naturally from his professional background. “If somebody is going to go rob a house and they see one house has a dog and security camera and a fence, they’re going to move to the other one. It’s a good deterrent.”
For guests who do complete verification, the effect runs in the other direction. “When guests know their ID is on file and they’ve signed an agreement, they take it more seriously. If they have bad intent, they move on.” The combination of Truvi’s screening process, the custom rental agreement guests sign, and the visible security infrastructure, including keyless entry, cameras, and Minut monitoring, sets expectations before anyone steps through the door.
Initial hesitation from guests has eased over time. “Maybe a year and a half ago, I saw more resistance with some people, but it seems they’ve become more comfortable seeing these services now. Maybe they’ve seen it before with other hosts,” Eddie notes. He handles any questions with a direct comparison: “When you go to a hotel, you leave your ID or credit card. We’re doing exactly the same thing online.”
Automation as the operating model
“If I can automate it, I can save that 20%.”
Eddie’s property manager friends often use management companies to handle reception, cleaning, and guest communication, typically for 15 to 20% of revenue. For Eddie, it’s just not necessary.
The tools he’s assembled through Lodgify’s integrations cover most of what a management company would handle: automated messaging, AI-assisted replies, keyless entry, scheduling cleaners, noise and occupancy monitoring, and dynamic pricing – along with Truvi guest screening and ID verification. All of this happens automatically, without Eddie having to step in.
“All the answers and replies are automated. Sometimes I do have to answer a couple of questions, but even through Lodgify, my answers are rewritten by AI to make them good and fast.” The result is an operation that runs on its own, with Eddie monitoring rather than managing day to day.
Truvi integrates directly with Lodgify
Guest screening and damage protection run automatically across every channel from day one.
