Short Term Rental Host as a Company or Individual

[Jon H.]

I'm currently looking to purchase a STR condo in the Orlando area (Osceola County). If all goes well, I'd be looking to purchase another one there next year. My sister was also currently looking to buy a STR in Central Florida as well.

Thinking ahead, would it make sense to set up a Company/Brand to operate the three properties? Does this give the STR a more professional look or do travelers prefer to deal with individual hosts? I'm curious to hear the perception since so many of you have several STR's in the area.

Thank you!

[Tyler Gibson]

@Jon H. You should do some branding. Give your units unique names like "Magical Moments" Or something fun that can be tied to something about the properties. It is true that you will likely show as the owner of the property on the big booking sites but you should also try to have your own website as well as social media channels. The goal would be to be able to turn visitors into repeat business and book them outside of AirBnB and VRBO so that you don't have to give a cut to the booking sites. But to be able to do that you will want to brand yourself and your units and Market, Market, Market.