Essential Hospitality Tips for Starting Out as a Host

Okay, welcome everybody to the Boostly podcast. This is the podcast that gives you the tools, the tactics, the trainings and most importantly, the confidence to go out there and get yourself some more direct bookings. My name is Liam Carolan and today we are going behind the host. This is the mini series where we dive into a successful and interesting host so you can learn from them and take action in your hospitality business. And today I'm really excited to be joined by Jonathan Stevens from Hidden Creek Retreat. He's got a cabin in the Smokies which looks absolutely awesome. So we're going to dive into his business and he's, he just mentioned before we start hit record that he's just getting started in this, but this is sometimes a great time to have the insight from, you know, a host who's getting involved in this business. Especially when you go and check out his Instagram because he's already got his own direct book and website, he's already got his own Instagram, he's already making all the right moves to really build a successful short term rental business. So, so I'm excited to hear from the perspective of a host who's just getting started but already doing the stuff that I wish I was doing in the early days. So welcome along, Jonathan. Thank you for joining us.

Thanks Liam. Thank you for having me.

So, Jonathan, start off by giving yourself and your business an introduction into where in the world your business is, what it looks like and anything else you want to share?

Yeah, absolutely. So like I said, my name is Jonathan Stevens. The name of my property is Hidden Creek Retreat. It is in Sevierville, Tennessee, right in the Smoky Mountains. We focused on buying a small property as a starter to kind of get our foot in the door, my wife and I and we wanted to, you know, we're going against what we, we're normally doing. We're working a 9 to 5 job and you know, we wanted to get into real estate and so yeah, I read a bunch of books, was on, you know, falling bigger pockets. I, you know, I was doing all the things that everybody else starts doing. And so I decided to choose on the Smoky Mountains, which was a thousand miles away from where I currently live. So it was kind of a big jump for me getting into a property like that. And so we purchased it in 2021, site unseen and quickly learned that I needed to build relationships in order to make it successful because, you know, it was like I said, it was a thousand miles away from where I currently live and I have a full time job and A family to take care of. So I couldn't be there all the time to get the systems in place, get it up and running, do any rehab that had to get done. So I had to quickly learn how to build relationships with people in the area. Right now what we have is a two bedroom, two bathroom cabin situated about three miles away from all the major attractions that are available, like Dollywood in the Smokies. But the. What's nice about our cabin is that it's situated back in the mountain, the last house on a dead end road. And it's very peaceful, but yet you're close to everything. We even have a creek running through the backyard. So the first thing you hear is when you open that car door, you get out, you just hear the creek and just the sound of nature. It's a really nice tranquil scene. That's cool.

And for our, obviously we've got listeners based in the US and in the uk. What is Dollywood? What is that area?

Yeah. So Dollywood. I didn't even know what Dollywood was until I had visited the area. My wife and I got married in 2013 and we decided to take a weekend trip down to Tennessee. So we decided to drive, make it an adventure and did not expect to find what we found down there. Didn't even know it was a big tourist area. Well, Dollywood is a major theme park. Is Dolly Parton, you know, started it. And so it's, it's really big in the south. So people come from all areas to visit. They have, you know, it's amusement park. They do dinner shows, they have a lot of entertainment there. But it's, it's a big attraction for the area itself.

Nice. Gotta love a bit of Dolly, partner. And I wish I'd have seen her at Glastonbury a few years ago. I narrowly missed out. So. Yeah, that makes sense.

Yeah, they do, they do a parade for her every year through Pigeon Forge, which is where she's originally from. So we had gone there for our wedding anniversary. We actually got to see her. They did a whole parade for. We didn't even know what was going on, but it was, it was very cool experience.

That's cool. That's cool. So it sounds like you've kind of dived all in. A thousand miles away is quite a brave move. What made you settle on the Smokies?

So I wanted to get into a property that I could. I had a feeling. So I wanted to be somewhere that had a lot of foot traffic. We wanted to know that it was in an area that, you know, saw the volume of travelers to the area. I was also looking for something that didn't have any sort of stringent regulation for short term rentals because that was a, definitely a fear, which I know it is for everybody, especially now, you know, especially regulations are coming down on people who have short term rentals. And I didn't want to be stuck with, you know, a mortgage that I couldn't afford to pay without the income from the property itself. And I already knew the area just from traveling there. So for me it felt like something I wanted to pursue. I did look in other areas. You know, we have the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which is just, you know, two hours north of us where we currently live. But there is some downside to it. You know, there's, there's not as much tourist going to those areas.

That makes sense. So it's a high demand sort of area that you've gone for. And yeah, what, what made you pick short term rentals out of interest?

So I started a company. So probably the first thing they always say don't do is start your own LLC before you have a property. And I was just too excited. I'm like, you know what, I'm going to start an llc. I'm going to get, it's going to be great. Going to get going, got to buy a property. Um, I knew I wanted to get into real estate, but I wasn't 100% positive what I would want it to do. So, you know, I actually, I, I, you know, I looked around, was looking for long term rentals, you know, become a landlord and just saw some, you know, properties I just couldn't get into, wasn't interested in. And for me, I, I think I heard it might have actually been on a bigger pockets podcast about getting into short term rentals. And I started following, you know, reading more into it, you know, trying to listen to more podcasts about it, trying to figure out, you know, is this something I'd like to do? I had somewhat of a customer service background in my current job, and I figured, you know what, I think I can make the leap into this and this is something that could be exciting. I found that when I talked about it, it was something that excited me. So, you know, if, if I was excited to do it, I figured, you know, I might as well go all in.

That's cool. And it makes sense, doesn't it? Because first of all, it's a place that you enjoy going to, so you already tick that box. You know, other People will enjoy going there. Second of all, you've got transferable skills from your current job. What. What is it that you currently do and what are the transferable skills that you. And you mentioned your wife as well, is involved.

Yeah. So for the last 17 years, I've actually been in the car wash industry. So I. I manage and operate a car wash, Boston, Massachusetts. I still do that currently. And it takes a lot of, you know, you're dealing with people's cars. You know, for a lot of these people that own these vehicles, it's an investment. Especially nowadays, you know, vehicles are more expensive now. So, you know, the customer. There is always a customer service aspect to it. And it's funny because when I first started, I was, you know, I was very shy. I didn't talk to people. And actually being able to work in this business kind of opened me up and I was able to, you know, interact with customers and kind of learn the ins and outs of that industry. And it's kind of the same thing is, you know, it's not about what you know, it's who you know. And it's. It helps as it helps you grow. Especially in. In that industry, they have an association, so they. They the own. All these owners in that whole area will meet up once every few months and, you know, exchange ideas, see what everybody's doing. How can they become better? And it's. When I started getting into real estate, I realized it's the, you know, it was the same idea and it's. You find a whole community of people that will help you get better.

Awesome. Thank you very much, buddy.

I hope you so much.

Look forward to the future. And yeah, I feel that from this. I just love that butterfly effect feeling. And I know there's more excitement to come, so thanks very much. Bye for now.

Having a blast. Gonna get it on the Bruce Lee podcast. Bruce Lee, like Bruce Lee. Cause it's so hard and the T is loose leaf Making up those rhymes don't write it, just do it loose.