Finding ways to stand out in the rental industry is key. What better way to stand out than running a massive summer camp out of a historical 1920s speakeasy? Tereasa Surratt is a creative director in Chicago who rescued a century-old 25-acre summer camp that she then renovated with her husband. 

She shares how they balance running the, now, 60-person capacity Airbnb summer camp while juggling day jobs in marketing, the benefits of putting passion ahead of profit, and the virtuous cycle of shining a spotlight on your competitors.

Resources:

• wandawega.com
• How to Host with Camp Wandawega
• Visit thanksforvisiting.me/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!
• #STRShareSunday: @faroutcottage

It's time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing Stay with Sebrell!

This adorable cottage has amazing color throughout. We love the cool wall hangings in the property that actually recommend places to go for brunch, lunch, dinner, etc. These round, beaded chalkboards are such a fun way to incorporate recommendations into the decor!

Sebrell is also a realtor and she has it right there in her bio. We're starting to see this more and more, and we love it. if you have your full-time job, whatever that may be, and you're also a host, there are so many ways to incorporate that into your listing. Whether a photographer, stager, interior designer, realtor, massage therapist, whatever! Your guest might want to know what else it is you do and may want to work with you!

Stay with Sebrell on AirBnB

Stay with Sebrell on Instagram

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We would love to feature YOU, so don’t forget to use #STRShareSunday to get your chance!

One topic we hear again and again when it comes to short-term rentals: What do we do about pets? Today’s guest is an expert when it comes to incorporating pets into rental properties.

Heather Kazmark is a co-host that works alongside her family at Kradel's Kabins. They have three cabins nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She loves animals and nature and planned to work in landscaping design after getting her associate’s degree in Horticulture Technology. After becoming disabled, she shifted her focus to sharing the beautiful nature of the Blue Ridge Mountains with guests from around the world.

In this episode, listeners will hear all about how to decide whether to list your property as pet-friendly or not, what dog owners appreciate most at these rentals, and what your obligations are to the ADA and FHA in this context.

Resources:

• kradelskabins.com
• Instagram: @kradelskabins
• Visit thanksforvisiting.me/workshop to watch our Hosting Business...

It's time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing Getaway Upstate.

We really want to highlight the digital real estate here! Be sure to check out their direct booking site... especially their blog! They have a lot of great information on their blog for potential guests: best restaurants, best wine shops, best local grocery stores, best local hikes, best local breakfast spots, etc!

We love how they have all of that valuable info on their site, and they also link to all the places where you can book and follow them online. You can book directly, but you can also book on AirBnB an VRBO. Most of all.... they have a place where you can sign up for their newsletter! Crucial!

All of this might seem overwhelming, but you don't have to do it all at once. Try to improve your digital real estate a little bit each month, and if you don't know what to do, Getaway Upstate is a superb example! Oh and... their space is gorgeous! How about that green accent wall!?

Getaway Upstate on AirBnB...

We are big fans of checklists here at Thanks For Visiting. What better way to ensure that the basics always get handled consistently? In this episode, we share an inspector checklist detailing everything you need to do after the cleaning team does their work. 

Trust, but verify. That’s what we always say! Cleaning teams don’t have it easy. When they come into a property, their job is to turn things from upside down to rightside up. Occasionally, that might mean missing the forest for the trees, understandably! There are also maintenance tasks that we want to be more preventative about rather than reactive. 

Even if you’re doing the cleaning yourself, it’s important to put on your inspector hat. We know, it’s exhausting to try and remember everything you need to check, but that’s exactly where checklists come in handy! Let’s get to work!

Exterior

• Litter
• Stage exterior furniture (Give reference photos!)
• Outdoor plants
• Grill
...

It's time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing the Winona House! This beautiful space is located in Roanoke, Virginia.

Here's what we love about them: it's a full home that is listed as a boutique hotel. You can rent the home in its entirety or rent one of the 4 units. This is a great reminder that you don't have to think of a property as one unit. You can diversify or break it down and remix it if it seems too large. Go check out their listings to get some inspo on how they've done it!

They've kept a lot of the old-world charm in this historic home while keeping up with modern conveniences and we would love to come stay (let's rent the whole dang thing!)

The Winona House on Instagram

Rent at the Winona House

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We would love to feature YOU, so don’t forget to use #STRShareSunday to get your chance!

Nearly every travel destination is going to experience off seasons at certain times of the year (if you don’t, let us just say — lucky you!). During lean times, it’s essential that you take booking into your own hands, rather than relying on OTAs to bring new guests in. You want to be connecting with the community and becoming a part of it. We call our method of bringing in guests directly our Sales Blitz method, and we’re going to teach it to you today.

Even if you don’t have a direct booking site yet, we’re all about taking baby steps. And that first baby step is to create a “slug” for your listing. For example, on Airbnb you can make your listing link directly to airbnb.com/h/YourPropertyName. Not only does this make it easier to direct someone to your listing verbally, it also makes your property more likely to show up in search results.

Once you have that in place though, you need to start thinking about your digital real estate...

It's time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing Lakeview Landing!

We are heading back to the basics this year, and Lara and Bill are absolutely CRUSHING it. When you go to their instagram, they are giving you everything: the interior, the exterior, reviews, their story, still photos, reels, you name it! They are giving you a holistic, well-rounded view of their space.  

They are also slaying the direct booking game! They take you directly to their website to book directly. All of their spaces look over Lake Lanier and they are absolutely spectacular.

Lakeview Landing on Instagram

Lakeview Landing on AirBnB

Book Directly: Lakeview Landing

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We would love to feature YOU, so don’t forget to use #STRShareSunday to get your chance!

Elise Armitage had the good job and a fancy title at a big brand. Her future was laid out in clear steps, but something was missing. It took taking a month from her day job at Google to convince her to dive head first into her side hustle, What The Fab, a start-up fashion and beauty blog that’s grown into a full-on travel and lifestyle brand.

She walks us through the steps she took on her way to leaving her day job (Hint: six months of extensive planning) before we tackle a subject that’s growing more complex by the day: STRs and social media influencers. What’s appropriate? What’s fair? Who pays whom? All that good stuff.

SEO is a big piece of the puzzle that gets overlooked in all the flashiness of Instagram. True organic web content that ranks for keywords (cities, towns, parks) will always attract a much more targeted viewing audience, which translates to more bookings. Relying on the wide-open canvas of the Instagram timeline, you’re hoping to...

It's time for #strsharesunday! Today we are sharing Island in this Dream! Scott and Kirby are your hosts, and this was their very first short-term rental, but we want to give them a huge shoutout here because they are about to open their second! We want to celebrate Scott + Kirby just going after it, growing their STR business, and maintaining their 5 star reviews across the board.

So what do we love about this space? They are very clear in the weight limits for their bunk beds and informing their guests accordingly. They have a beautiful, well-designed space with a bright, airy, open concept. It's easy to see where those 5 star reviews come from! We can't wait to come stay with you!

Island in this Dream on Instagram

Island in this Dream on AirBnb

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We would love to feature YOU, so don’t forget to use #STRShareSunday to get your chance!