Growing up I was glued to HGTV. I’d walk in to rooms and envision big plans; I even looked into property in Italy when 22.  Not to mention, numerous psychics said I’d be very successful in real estate… so obviously it’s Fate.

While in Ibiza, I met an incredible group who happened to have a great connection in New York real estate. We kept in touch, and was soon approached with an opportunity to start an AirBnb business.

Essentially, I’d be given newly reconstructed apartments to stage & manage the bookings. The goal was to gain 100 units, and profit 1k per month…. earning 1.2m. We had the inventory, but not necessarily the infrastructure.

Within 8 months we had 26 units! It was hard work but I was having so much fun. I eventually quit my job to focus on achieving our 100 units.

I soon found that growing so quickly isn’t always the best. Between delays in updating cleaning schedules, managing inboxes across multiple rental channels, organizing our finances, and even guest stealing (!) I needed to create a repeatable & reliable way to streamline our business.

I started looking into different softwares to help us manage our data on a realtime basis. Our mistakes were costing too much money. I made a list of issues and began researching different Property Management Systems (PMS.)

I became an educated buyer via various trial and error live demos. In the end, I feel confident I chose the best in the industry- Guesty.

Once implemented, business started to run smoothly. Guesty helped in SO many ways. The platform provided:

• Direct API connection to more booking sites (increased exposure & revenue)
• A realtime calendar to stop double bookings and cleaning issues
• A unified inbox for all listings. With saved replies & automatic messages!
• Financial reports & direct connect with a CC processor
• A personalized website for your brand and guest contact data
• An App for all personnel to managed updates

…. I could go on and on! Having a PMS system put my mind at ease. Game Changer.

The properties began to quickly book, I was paying off furniture, and looking at more units to add. The 1.2m seemed closer than ever.

Things changed when I got an email from Airbnb…for all my apartments! Unfortunately, we were doing too much. Many states are pushing back on short-term rentals due to hotels lobbying against them; and we had exceeded the days in which we could rent out each apt. I couldn’t make new accounts, because the same thing would occur.

It was devastating, but the best learning experience. There is a lot of grey area with the short term rentals. Some States are strict, others not so much. I decided to stay positive and just take my streamlined short term rental model, find a new property elsewhere, and gain a hotel license to avoid further issues. SG Hotels will be in our near future. And, it will certainly encompass my sustainable morals.

In the meantime, I’ve been consulting other property managers. I found that many suffered the same infrastructure and vacancy issues. I’m always happy to lend my ideas and introduce them to the Guesty solutions. The software is ever changing, for the better.  I feel confident recommending it, especially given our strengthened relationship.

I will continue to share the BTS  on my hotelier journey. If you are interested in learning more about the business, I’d love to speak with you! Regardless comments below are always welcomed.

Until next time,

Samantha x