Transforming Korea’s rental market with short-term housing for everyday life

Operated by SpaceV, 33m2 is a leading short-term rental platform in Korea, helping people fill everyday housing gaps caused by business trips, moving, study, and other life circumstances.

Since beginning our partnership with 33m2, LinkUp Partners has focused on communicating the convenience and security of short-term rentals while positioning 33m2 as an industry leader.

33m2’s biggest challenge was making short-term rentals—a still-unfamiliar concept—easy for consumers and the media to understand. This meant clearly defining the use cases for short-term rentals and establishing 33m2’s distinct position between traditional housing rentals and hospitality.

As a platform connecting landlords and tenants, building trust in the security and reliability of transactions was equally critical.

• An Unfamiliar Concept

  We needed to establish short-term rentals as a distinct housing option between traditional long-term rentals and hospitality, while defining 33m2’s unique position in the market.

• Proving Non-Travel Use Cases

  A survey of 200,000 33m2 users found that around 80% used the service for non-travel purposes, including business trips and work (38%), temporary housing during moves or renovations (24%), and study (15%). However, these everyday use cases were still not widely understood by the media or consumers.

• Building Trust in a Two-Sided Market

  As a platform connecting landlords and tenants, 33m2 needed to build trust in transaction security—helping landlords reduce vacancies and protect their assets while giving tenants a safe and flexible way to live.

LinkUp shifted 33m2’s core narrative from “a place to rent for a short time” to a new rental model that fills everyday housing gaps.

1. 1.

   Redefining Short-Term Rentals Around Real-Life Housing Needs

   • For tenants: We highlighted everyday situations where short-term rentals can solve genuine housing needs, such as business trips, renovations, and gaps between moves, demonstrating the service’s practical value and convenience.
   • For landlords: We featured success stories showing how short-term rentals can help reduce vacancies and improve returns, helping landlords accustomed to traditional long-term rentals see the value of the model and encouraging them to join the platform.
2. 2.

   Demonstrating Market Growth Through Data

   We consistently turned the rapid growth of the short-term rental market and 33m2’s strong performance into media stories, reinforcing its position as a market leader.

3. 3.

   Strengthening Safety and Trust

   We centered our messaging around 33m2 Care, which provides up to KRW 100 million in coverage for property damage, theft, fire, and delayed move-outs. This helped address landlords’ concerns and strengthen trust in the short-term rental market.

4. 4.

   Expanding the Brand Story

   We connected the launch of the English-language service, strategic partnerships, and CSR initiatives into a broader corporate growth narrative, demonstrating 33m2’s potential for expansion.

5. 5.

   Building Executive Visibility

   We significantly expanded media opportunities for the CEO, using executive interviews to communicate 33m2’s pioneering vision and future direction to the market and prospective talent.

Over 2.5 years of strategic PR partnership with LinkUp, 33m2 distributed more than 20 press releases and secured more than 30 interviews and 20 feature stories, significantly expanding its media presence. The work helped establish 33m2 as a leading name in short-term rentals, making the brand synonymous with short-term rental in Korea.

The company’s business performance continued to grow alongside its brand presence. Since launch, 33m2 has more than doubled its transaction volume year after year. In the first half of 2026, transaction volume surpassed KRW 150 billion—approximately 80% of its KRW 188 billion total for 2025. Cumulative transaction volume has now exceeded KRW 450 billion, with more than 120,000 contracts signed in the first half of 2026.

• Strong Media Visibility & Brand Recognition

  Achieved 300+ media placements, significantly expanding brand visibility.

• Demonstrating Market Potential Through Data

  Distributed 20+ key press releases and consistently developed data-driven stories highlighting the growth and potential of the short-term rental market.

• Strengthening Features & Executive Interviews

  Increased the share of feature stories and CEO interviews to approximately 25%, moving beyond press release distribution to strengthen brand credibility.

• Shifting Market Perception

  By consistently highlighting user-purpose data, we positioned short-term rentals as an essential housing solution for work and everyday life—not simply a travel option.