About Stay in Lakeland
Your Guide to
Lakeland, Florida
Stay in Lakeland was built on a simple belief: Lakeland deserves to be more than a stopover between Tampa and Orlando. It's a destination — and we're here to help travelers discover it and help local hosts thrive.
Who We Are
Stay in Lakeland was created by Isa Ibars, a Florida Southern College graduate and Gamma Phi Beta alumna who studied Advertising before building a UX design career on enterprise AI and mobile experiences for PwC and UKG. Her years on Johnson Avenue turned into a lasting love for the city — the Frances Langford Promenade at sunset, Sunday mornings on Lake Hollingsworth, the swans, the Black & Brew booths. Stay in Lakeland is her way of giving back to the town that shaped her.
It started with our own short-term rental here in Lakeland. Hosting taught us how much great guest services and small experiences actually matter — a thoughtful welcome, the right coffee shop down the road, a swan walk at Lake Morton, the right table at Harry's. Sharing the city we love with guests turned out to be the most fun part of running a rental, and watching people leave genuinely surprised by Lakeland made it feel worth scaling.
So we extended that experience to every guest of Lakeland — and built a free offer for owners to support the charming homes and neighborhoods that make this city worth visiting. We curate the best vacation rentals from Airbnb, VRBO, and local hosts and pair them with the guides, events, restaurants, and insider tips that make a stay actually feel like Lakeland — not a generic interstate town.
For property owners, we offer guest concierge services and local marketing support that helps hosts deliver a better guest experience — leading to better reviews, higher rankings, and more bookings. We're not a property management company. Think of us as a guest services and marketing agency built specifically for Lakeland's short-term rental community.
Our Mission
“Lakeland gave me four of the best years of my life. I want it recognized as a real destination — not a place people drive through on I-4. If we can connect travelers with charming local stays and help our hosts deliver hospitality that feels like Lakeland, we're building something that's good for visitors, good for hosts, and good for the city.”
— Isa Ibars, Founder
What We Do
For Visitors
We curate the best vacation rentals in Lakeland and provide local guides, event listings, and insider tips so you can experience the real Lakeland — not just the interstate.
For Property Owners
We help Lakeland Airbnb and VRBO hosts with guest concierge services and local marketing — so your guests have an amazing experience and you get better reviews.
Tourism & Community
Our newsletter and content promote Lakeland's attractions, events, restaurants, and culture — helping grow tourism and support the local economy.
The Lakeland Guest Guide
We produce an annual hardcover coffee table guide distributed free to every listed property — funded by local businesses advertising to vacation rental guests.
Isa Ibars
Founder, Stay in Lakeland