SEATTLE, June 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Homestay Network® (AHN) (www.homestaynetwork.com), the first national-scale, standards-based homestay organization in America, announced the launch of the American Homestay Network-Georgia, the company's first partnership in its recently launched Regional Agency Program. AHN's Regional Agency Program is designed to provide new or existing regional homestay organizations, such as the Atlanta-based Do Host Family Services, with the technology and administrative resources needed to develop and grow local programs. Led by experienced hosts and administrators Dominique Rodriguez and Mechele Delacroix, AHN-Georgia (www.homestaynetwork.com/atl) specializes in providing premium host families that offer Georgia's well-known southern hospitality and a special concierge homestay that can offer students additional services provided by the host family.
"Our partners in Georgia have established a successful and high quality homestay operation. But as their business has grown they have recognized a need to reduce overhead and the time spent on administrative duties. Our Regional Agency Program provides them a great solution," said Ron Davis, CEO of the American Homestay Network. "AHN's technology, standards, and operational methodologies will enable AHN-Georgia to spend more time on developing relationships with universities and colleges, recruiting host families, and ensuring that students and hosts have a great experience."
AHN's program allows regional agencies to focus on conducting host interviews and home visits, maintaining relationships with local institutions, responding to any onsite student/host needs while providing AHN Headquarters with local insights on marketing, vendors, and related industry organizations. AHN's headquarter-based resources can reduce a local agency's overall workload by as much as 70 percent as AHN HQ manages host and student applications, homestay matching, technology systems, a national background check process, a 24x7 call center, online payments, online student and host orientation training, advertising, public relations and other related administrative services.
"Our partnership with the American Homestay Network immediately allows us to grow our program, become more profitable, and most importantly continue to offer a premium homestay experience here in Georgia," said Dominique Rodriguez, Co-President of AHN Georgia. "From top to bottom AHN's technology and systems are first class and will allow us to reach an untapped market for homestay across the state while maintaining the high quality of hosts we're known for."
AHN was launched and began placing students in 2012 in response to the growing demand by international students for homestay accommodations and to bring a new level of industry best practices in service offerings, operations and technology. As much as 20 percent of visiting students would prefer a homestay option during their studies in America, however there continues to be a significant shortage of number of available host families and existing organizations do not have the infrastructure needed to grow and meet this demand.
More information on AHN's Regional Agency Program is available at www.homestaynetwork.com, or by emailing regionalagency@homestaynetwork.com.
About The American Homestay Network
The American Homestay Network (AHN) was created to bring a new level of best practices in service offerings, operations and technology to hosted homestay programs for visiting international students. AHN is committed to setting a new global standard for student homestay in America. Through its business relationships with the Australian Homestay Network, global insurers, banks and national emergency response partners the company offers an unprecedented collection of comprehensive services. The company is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and AWISA: Association of Washington International Student Affairs. For more information, visit www.homestaynetwork.com