All Forum Posts by: Richard Lee

@Julie Groth we also provide regular and decaf pods and drop coffee. :)

@Julie Groth we have provided granola bar type and nut/chocolate bar type since starting our rentals and guests have really appreciated it. It's been noted in our reviews and impacted our speed of getting to super host status on AirBNB.

Yes, we'll be surprising our cleaner with a small bonus this year, probably around twice their flip rate. They work hard and communicate well.

Our cabin is sitting at around 90% booked and though it requires hands-on time, sure - it's not a problem. There are several realtors in the area that can support you - get a feel for them. We put in a couple offers but none were much under asking.... the one that won was slightly OVER asking, though it went down a bit due to inspection issues they ultimately agreed to. 

Any number of different spots are desirable for various reasons, and other factors include types of properties, the costs associated (taxes, septic, grounds keeping, state of furnishings, etc), the type of guests they'll likely attract, and so on.

@Cathy Horner we use both Airbnb and VRBO but 95% of our bookings are Airbnb.

We also give all guests messaging encouraging direct booking (and a discount) on future stays. These are all vetted by their first stay with us.

@John McGrath as some noted, $200k may be tough but managing your own STR in the Smokies is NOT rocket science. You need to buy well (location, property type, condition), have a good team on the ground, get amazing photos for the listing, and write great copy for the listing. Then there's the customer service aspect on an ongoing basis, but it's not very much time we're talking about... and you're close enough to use as a vacation home a couple times a year should you choose to do so.

Like @Lucas Carl I do this manually and it helps me build a better awareness of what the local market behaves like across the annual cycle.

My overarching metric is occupancy and gross income... and obviously while I love to get a premium cost on a day, I would much rather have that day booked than nickel and dime a rate.

I am nearing a full cycle now and already am booking into my 2nd year, and have a practice in place of setting rates higher, farther out in time and drawing down those rates when the dates are very near.

It isn't rocket surgery, but it does take some thought and a bit of time, but I am happy with our performance as a result, and with my improved grasp of the pricing and market cycles.

@Eric P. We actually had a guest let us know they used Uber from our cabin to get to and from Gatlinburg one weekend night. So it is being done.

I've been a Part 107 pilot a couple years now. Started doing work for local city government and non-profits tied to Parks and Rec divisions, and then moved into tourism-based short term rental marketing imagery... mainly photos, and I offer both the aerial stuff as well as traditional photography. It's been good so far, but I've never intended to support myself ONLY with the drone stuff.

To do THAT I think you'll need to really find the right market and service niche, the further removed from what more casual fliers can produce, the better. So things like thermal mapping, construction aerial photography, agriculture, search and rescue, etc. vs real estate photography, which is a saturated market.

Another option is to go cinematic support - provide aerial video and photos to small to medium production houses that don't have their own in house talent and rely on vendors. Get good at making contacts in the film industry - smaller video production companies are your leg up here. Prove yourself and the word will get around. 

We handle it like @Julie McCoy does, it sounds like. If a guest inquires about early checkin, i let them know we have a service they can opt into, costing $25. That pays for my coordinating with the cleaner to ensure we're on the beginning of their route for the day in question vs an unknown slot... and I let the guest know that means they can get in 3 hours earlier than normal time. 

I also follow with the message that hey, if you don't need certainty, we always let guests know if the cabin is ready ahead of time - this builds up great good will and costs nothing but a moment's time.