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, he's got a cabin in the Smokies which looks absolutely awesome. So we're going to dive into his business and 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, his already making all the right moves to really build a successful short term rental business. 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, you know, where in the world your business is, what it looks like and anything else you want to share?

Yeah, absolutely. So like you 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'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, sight 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, you know, get the systems in place, get it up and running, do any rehab that had to get done. So I had to learn 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 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. And 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's. But it's a big attraction for the area itself.

Nice. Gotta love a bit of Dolly, partner. 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 her. We didn't even know it was going on, but it was. It was a 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 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 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 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 tourists 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 to buy a property. And I knew I wanted to get into real estate, but I wasn't 100% positive what I wanted to do. So I actually, I looked around, I was looking for long term rentals to 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. 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 if I was excited to do it, I figured 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 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 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 vehicles are more expensive now. So, you know, 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 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 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 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 a hundred percent.

That's exactly why Mark started the hospitality community on Facebook, which is, yeah, you know, exactly. That way you can get people come and ask the questions, come and share information and hospitality, real estate, you know, everything's a people business, isn't it? You know, that's exactly what you've, what you've found there.

If you're struggling on how to get direct bookings and overwhelmed on where to start, then I recommend you go and book in a call with Boostly and our team right now. We can walk you through exactly what we're offering, how we can help you and give you a portfolio of websites that we have worked with that are matching not only your niche, but could be in your location as well. Boostly has helped over 2000 hospitality businesses all over the world increase their diet bookings. And if you are interested, then all you need to do is go to Boostly. B O O s t l y.co.uk call and book in an appointment with one of our sales team.

So how long has the cabin been running for now? How long has it been open for and what has changed in terms of as Any of your, I guess any thoughts or any preset sort of ideas changed since before you got the first short term rental to now in 2023, right.

So we listed. So that was, that was one of the challenges was getting it ready for listing it. So yeah, I purchased the property. We closed in October of 2021, fully expecting getting into it. We'll be all set up, it's ready to go by December. That did not happen. It turned out we needed more rehab work than we originally thought. And that was one of the lessons learned from buying a property so far away, sight unseen and trusting the eyes of people who saw it for you. It turned out that we had to do a lot more rehab work to it. Now us actually getting it listed. We finally were listed in February of last year of 2022. So we've had basically one full calendar year of, you know, learning the ins and outs of being listed, dealing with customers, certain requests, you know, how to use the pricing tools and you know, manage it effectively while managing the systems of the property as well. So it was a, definitely a year of learning especially because it's not just the business you're learning about managing a property itself. So it was, you know, kind of all, all encompassing. Definitely, definitely a lot of lessons learned in the first year. So this year the goals, the goal itself was to create my own direct booking site and start to move away from the OTAs and start to expand. So that's, that's the goal for this year.

So I should say first of all, happy birthday as this is one year round. So happy birthday to Hidden Creek Retreat. And it sounds as though, you know, that that lesson that you've said is something which people listening can get, you know, some value out of because to, to buy unseen is, is a risk and you kind of trust in the eyes of the people who are kind of trying to sell it to you as well, aren't you? So it is one of those things. But that being said, what has been the kind of success or the wow moment so far during this first year? What do you look back on go do? You know what? I'm so glad that that happened.

So the, I would definitely say that the, the relationships with the people that I've made down there, you know, being part of the, the Facebook groups of other owners down there and actually meeting some of these people who you were basically giving your full trust in to help this business not just run, but flourish. You, you know, I, I made make connections with people who were able to help me, you know, I had an interior decorator who also is, you know, her husband was doing maintenance for us and installing things for us. And you know, once I realized, you know, this is someone who I can trust, you know, they were able to recommend other people for me as well that they trusted. And it kind of, you know, branched out from there and it was relying on being able to rely on these people that, you know, one, they had trust in me because I'm going to be there for them when they need me. But it's just in return, you know, I, I'm there for them, they're there for me. And you know, we want, we want each other to be successful. It's definitely been, the one reason is if there's any success, it's because of the people that I work with and I wouldn't have been able to do it all on my own.

Let's, let's expand on that, especially because there's going to be a lot of new people out there just going, well, who do I need on my team? Yeah, who is it that you found that you need on the ground that thousand miles away?

Yeah, absolutely. So, so I started with the agent. You know, you, you have to find an agent that knows the area. Not just knows real estate, but also if you're getting into short term rentals, you need someone who knows about short term rentals. You know what, what makes a property unique because you're not just catering for someone to live there, you're catering to people who are traveling there. They want a unique experience. So it's, it started with that. The agent was, was first. The agent helped me get in touch with a lender who was helpful in finding the right fit for a loan. So we ended up using a vacation home loan in order to get the funding as a down payment and get into a property from there. I'd say you want to join the local Facebook groups for other owners that are in the area. That, that helped a lot because I was able to find someone who other owners recommended for interior decorating. And so I was able to talk to and get in touch with someone who was absolutely willing to help. They went down, took a look at the property and they immediately saw things that were concerning that. They said, you know, we got to get these items fixed first and then we can, you know, move forward and I can help you do the whole decorating, do all that. And I'm terrible at decorating. So I was like, I'll let you handle it. I saw some of their work. They, they did great Work and they come highly recommended from there. I needed a contractor. Contractors are huge and sometimes down there it's tough to get in touch with someone who can actually help you and actually show up to the job and actually do what you need them to do in a timely manner. That I found another person who came through a Facebook group. Originally I found a contractor. It was almost impossible to get them out to the property. They finally went out and we had a wraparound deck and we had a creek down in the backyard, but it was on a slope because we're on a mountain. And they told me, they're like, it's going to be $60,000 just to replace the deck and put stairs going down to the creek. I'm like, that's, you know, all right, I gotta keep finding, I gotta. Let me keep looking. So I found somebody else through the Facebook groups and they were able to do everything I needed them to do. They went above and beyond, you know, and through them I found more connections for, you know, electricians, you know, a cleaning company. So the cleaners were, they're, they've been, they're the backbone of short term rentals. Without a good cleaning crew, you're not going to exist because you're soon going to lose credibility as a good host. You're not going to provide a clean space for your guests. That's at the top of the list is a good cleaner. And you have to vet them just like you vet anybody else. A lot of it comes from recommendations, but, you know, it's. You'd have, I'd say that is your cleaners. Your top, top one.

That's amazing. And I love the butterfly effect of listening to the sort of bigger pockets podcast about short term rental. And then it's led you down sort of step by step, you know, to find these awesome people. And a lesson to take away from this for both myself and everybody listening is don't just go with the first quote, you know, like just because it seems impossible or a bit much, you know, find, find those people who can see your vision and do what you need them to do within your, within your budget, which is cool. So let's talk more then about the systems that you use from, you know, thousand kilometers away. So what systems have you got in place? What tech do you use and why?

Yeah, so we wanted to be able to monitor as much as we could. So we have the ring, ring doorbell ring, floodlight camera just to monitor who's going in and out. We don't want someone to check in and Saying, oh, it's only two guests, but then it's eight guests and a couple dogs. We don't allow pets at our property, and I know some do, but we wanted to be on top of that, make sure we know who's going in and out of our property. Also, we have. We use a WI FI thermostat. We use the Honeywell thermostat, so we're able to control that remotely. If a guest checks out and they leave in the. In the winter and they leave a thermostat set at 85, that we don't want to have the heat going the entire time and no one's there. So that. That was. That was a good one.

Especially at the moment for bills. That one is so important as. Yes, every owner we talk to, we're just saying, hey, smart thermostats, that just needs to be the way forward. It's a necessity, not an option, isn't it?

Almost absolute. Yeah. And we also. The other piece of equipment that we use is the slage door locks.

Nice.

So the keyless entry, those are great. We have that tied into our PMS software, so we don't even have to assign the door codes or anything. That's all automatic, which is great.

Amazing. And what is your PMS that you use at the moment?

At the moment, we're using guesty. You know, we looked into using different ones. Guesty at the. As a beginner, seemed the easiest to jump right into. It was pretty.

Pretty straightforward, just for clear clarification, because people come and check out your website. That's guesty for hosts. Am I right?

Yes. Gusty for hosts. Yes.

Yeah, that's cool. So all of these systems help you, obviously, to see who's coming into the property, know what's going on in terms of the heating. And then also, you know, you've got that security with the lock. You can see when people are going in and out of the doors, you know, and that side of things. So, so many hosts these days are worried about managing from so far away. And that sounds to me as though you've really cracked both the team and also, you know, the software that you kind of need in place to be able to work it, which is really cool. And one thing I'd love to come on to is where you're advertising at the moment for your guests. Where do you advertise currently? And you mentioned as well, you're about to do direct bookings.

Yes. So currently we're using. We are listed on Airbnb and on VRBox. At the moment, we do have a website for guesting for hosts, but we're going to start doing direct bookings. We're working on our own website right now, and we're going to start advertising to current guests, collecting emails, reaching out to guests, seeing if they'd like to extend their stays past guests, see if they'd like to book again with us, and offering, you know, unique discounts for return guests. We're going to explore using social media to drive more people to our properties. So those are some of the ways that we're going to do it.

And I've got to give credit where it's due because obviously I get to talk to a lot of hosts and I like to check out. I've seen your, your website, which is in development at the moment. The things that I really like about what you've done there is the, the blogs and, you know, the nearby section. Share with the audience how that stuff came about. Because you said about, you know, using some of the, the tools out there that, that are able to, to help you with that.

Yeah. So we're now. So I was exploring using the OpenAI and ChatGPT and creating blogs that way. So, you know, we were, you know, wanted to show what was in the area. So I was using that sort of, using that technology to basically create a blog and post it out there because I'm not good at writing any of that sort of stuff. So I was like, let me give it a try using that technology. And it, it, it did a pretty good job. It gave it, you know, 10, 10 of the best things to do for couples in the area of the Smokies, which is one of the, that's the avatar that we typically are advertising to, is couples. Just because we have a smaller cabin and we, we have the feel of a romantic getaway in the Smokies.

Nice. Nice. And, you know, that's what one thing which I'd really recommend. I don't know if you've done this with your AI blogs at the moment, but there's a kind of online software which is called Quillybot, which is Q U L L I B O T. And what that does is it takes a AI piece of content and it rephrases it. And the good thing, the good thing about that is, is when it rephrases it, Google no longer recognizes that piece of content is done by AI. So it'll then rank you higher for search engine optimization. So you've got that speed saving from using things like, you know, the AI technologies to Find the, you know, what's the local stuff to do, what are the top walks in the area, what are the, you know, the best lakes to visit. All of that cool stuff you can easily put together and then use Quilly Bot just to rephrase it. And that's what's going to really help to drive your SEO to your website, which is cool. Now one other thing that you mentioned is that you're going to use social media and I've checked out your Instagram before this chat and I noticed you've got some really awesome pictures. Are they pitches which you've taken or how come there's already so much content? Is that just built up for the last year of, of yeah. Doing this?

Yeah, we, we started when we first went down to check out the property. My wife and I, we started putting some content on there. Some of it's real, some of it's using more recently using AI for some images and writing content for, for the captions. But a lot of it's, you know, we had video, we had black bears in the area, it's known for the area. So we, we actually caught a, a black bear walking right up through our driveway right in front of the cabin. So we, we try to post some, some live content things that are going on in the area. So we're, we're always trying to find new things to post on there about it.

That's cool. And of course all that stuff helps to build trust because you've got links from your own website to your direct to the Instagram. It just goes to show that hey, you guys are the experts on that particular area, you know, from that unique property.

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So what would you say is that helps you guys stick out in the minds of your guests? What would you say? Why do guests come and stay with you guys and what have they taken away from it? And I've seen some of the awesome reviews as well, so I know There's a lot of satisfied customers.

Yeah, like I said, so we do. Our avatar is couples. We're looking for couples who are looking for a romantic getaway. And with, with our place, you know, like I said, we have the creek, we have the, the wraparound deck, the hot tub, the jacuzzi tub, the fireplace. So we really tried to create a nice getaway for couples just looking to unwind. You know, they come to the area for the attractions, hiking and all that. But when they come back to the cabin, it's still not the busyness of the area. It's very peaceful and you just have the tranquil creek that you can just sit by, enjoy a drink. But they also know that they have me there in case they need something. I'm always there. I always tell my guests, hey, I'm here if you need anything. If you want any information on the area, I'll do my best to get you all the info I can. You know, we're actually starting to partner up with in house chef and looking to have like in house massages as well to really try to increase that, you know, romantic experience for couples that come to the area. So we're, we're getting ready to launch that on our, on our direct booking site. So that'll be a benefit for guests to book direct with us.

That sounds really exciting and you can definitely see your niche there. You can also kind of completely get why people would come and stay. I mean, I've seen the pictures and I'd love to go and stay there. So, you know, just by having those extra wow factor services on offer, you can earn more. But so you know, your guests experience can be enhanced as well, which is really cool. So when we look at the future of your business, you mentioned, or we mentioned just before we hit record on this, that you've got some plans. What are you excited about and what does the future look like for your business?

Yes. So this year was about learning the industry this last year and getting our foot in the door and start to build some systems in place. We're going to start rebranding and expanding into more properties, whether it be more small single family homes or going the boutique motel route. We're going to look not just in the Smokies, but in other parts of the country as well. So I've already started branching off, trying to make more connections, build those relationships to start working that way. And we're going to name it Next step Vacations is going to be the brand that all the properties will be underneath.

Nice and just talk us through what was the reason for considering a brand sort of above sitting above your properties?

Yeah, so we want to create each. Each property as an experience. And so we wanted to have something, one umbrella for all the properties to be under. And I originally created my investment company as Next Step Investments because for me, it was about taking that next step in my life and creating something tangible for my family, my children as a legacy for them to have. So I created Next Step Investments. And so my plan is to invest in other types, forms of real estate, but for vacation rentals, I wanted to kind of keep that name, so I went with Next Step Vacations. And so we're going to move forward with that and, you know, branch out and acquire more property that way so that we can serve more people looking to get. Get a experience for a different type of getaway than just going to a hotel.

That, that is one thing that we often see people walk into as, as hosts that they spend a lot of time branding the individual properties. But as soon as they get to two, three properties, having that umbrella sort of brand which sits above all of the individual properties is just so important. So I'm excited for you, Jonathan, and I look forward to seeing the. The website. We'll mention to everybody how they can access obviously your website and also come and check you out on Instagram, your awesome Instagram page. But before we do, we'll just do a couple of quick fun questions just for. Just for giggles. So you mentioned, obviously, a podcast, Bigger Pockets. What book should everybody listening go and check out?

Well, if you're looking to invest out of your area, the first one of the first books I read was Long Distance Real Estate Investing by David Green, who is the host of the Bigger Pockets podcast. I started there. The first book that ever got me interested in real estate was Rich Dad, Poor dad, which is pretty cliche because most people, that's the book that starts them off by Robert Kiyosaki. That kind of opened up my eyes to real estate.

I guess the next question I'm going to go to is who would play you in a movie about your life?

Oh, wow, that is a good one. Well, just go, let's go. Liam Neeson.

Nice. Liam Neeson. Going for the kind of taken kind of vibe.

Yeah, exactly.

Cool. Cool. What would you say is your favorite hobby and why?

My favorite hobby, when I'm not working, I'm playing with my kids. You know, they're the best thing that ever happened. The best investment I ever made, I guess you could say, give Give them a shout out.

Give them a shout out.

Gabe, Ellie and Roman, and my wife is Stephanie. You know, they're the reason I do everything I'm doing.

And how does it feel looking back? So looking back to the first time you listened to those podcasts back 2021, how does it feel looking now in 2023, what you've achieved so far? How does that feel?

It feels great. It was, you know, it, it's scary. It definitely is scary because you're taking a step into what is for you, the unknown at the time. And. But for me, the, the scarier thing was not taking any action. And I was, you know, do I want to regret at the, you know, when I look back on my life, not doing the things I wish I had done. And for me, it was. I decided that taking action and trying something different and trying something new for a better future was worth a lot more to me than not taking any action at all. So looking back on the last year and a half, two years, when I got started, you know, I, I've definitely grown a lot. And one of my favorite things is the relationships that I've built. You know, I, I made a thousand new friends just by getting myself into this industry, meeting some great people along the way and building a lot of great relationships. And that's one of my favorite things about this whole experience.

I love that. And what would you say has been your saying or a mantra along the way that really resonates with you?

I mean, one of the things that, you know, the way my, my parents raised me was, you know, treat others the way you want to be treated. I always, you know, try to put myself in another person's shoes, which I think is, is necessary in a customer service environment. You know, you deal, people deal with people who are sometimes just having a bad day. And, you know, sometimes people say things they don't mean. But if you can put yourself in their shoes and you try to solve a problem, you know, they remember, remember you for that. And I always try to put myself in other people's shoes and, you know, how, how would I react if I was in their situation? That's pretty much how I go about every day.

That makes sense. And you're 100% right, because you can't, you can't guarantee there won't be mistakes, but you can guarantee that if those mistakes happen and you know about them, then you'll do everything in your power to sort it, which is an awesome way to bring this to a close. So how can people listening in, get in touch with you. What's the website and how can they come follow you on your socials?

Yeah, so social media. It's Hidden Creek TN for Tennessee. That's Instagram on the website. It is. Well don't have the actual. We'll add it URL.

Yeah, yeah we can.

We'll add it in. It'll be up by then.

That'll be cool. I know it's about to launch so we'll add that into the show. Notes for everyone listening. Please do go and check out the social media account and also the website. It does look awesome. It is a Boostly light account so I am going to plug the boostly product there.

Absolutely.

It does look fantastic. So yeah. Thank you so much Jonathan. Was there anything that I missed or any last years before we bring it to a close?

No, I think covered everything.

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.