Blueground's Alex Chatzieleftheriou and Selina's Sam Khazary speak with Skift's Seth Borko at the Skift Future of Lodging Forum in New York City in May 2022. 

The college gap year will become a “remote year” if Sam Khazary has anything to do with it. Now that virtual learning is more prevalent than ever before, Selina’s senior vice president of global corporate development sees new opportunities to redefine “studying abroad” with a 12-month “remote year” passport to hop among Selina’s culturally immersive hostel/hotel/coworking spaces. 

Khazary is not alone in appealing to the next generation of digital nomads, a Skift panel found on Wednesday. He was joined by Alex Chatzieleftheriou, CEO and co-founder of Blueground, to share their vision for “How Shifts in Lifestyle and Work Will Reshape Hospitality.” Chatzieleftheriou recalled that his first job out of university put him on the road for stretches where he was often looking for furnished apartments. Enter Blueground, a proptech startup offering turnkey, long-term apartment rentals globally. 

“I’ve never owned a single piece of furniture in my life,” he said. “There are more people that want to have this asset-light lifestyle. They want to be able to move more freely, and for them, the ultimate currency is time.”

Listen to the full conversation, below.

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