With experience in hospitality, real estate and restaurants, hosting and serving others came naturally to Sarah and Annette. A former New York City actress, Sarah’s joy of entertaining others led her to the short-term rental space 12 years ago. And for Annette, a career change six years ago helped her channel her hospitality and business skills in the STR space. Combined, Sarah and Annette own and operate 36 short term rental properties.
On top of their thriving business, Sarah and Annette also host the popular podcast, Thanks for Visiting. Current and aspiring STR hosts can gain valuable insights from this dynamic duo as they share weekly episodes about their experiences in the industry.
Explore Stay Awhile Hosting Co. Properties:
The Audrey (Columbus, OH)
The Bird Room (Columbus, OH)
Old School Columbus (Columbus, OH)
Vintage Vibes (Columbus, OH)
Other Stay Awhile Hosting Co. managed properties can be viewed here.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being an STR host?
A: For us, short term rentals are a way to build long term love. We own a lot of our short-term rentals and plan on expanding, so the money we make from managing other people’s properties goes toward the downpayments of future STRs. We also love that we’re able to share our spaces with travelers, as a way to build long term wealth for ourselves and our families.
Q: How have you tried to differentiate your properties from other STRs — how do you make them stand out?
A: We use hospitality trained guest service agents that have a deep understanding of how to answer incoming guest questions and troubleshooting issues, like how to operate the hot tub, door lock, etc. Having guest service agents helps keep direct communication quick and easy to ensure guests needs are met.
We also obsess over our brand standards and cleanliness. Our team pays attention to every single detail in cleaning like baseboards and behind the couch. Organization of the property is vital too - drawers are impeccably organized, forks have all been arranged to match the same direction; it’s on the obsessive level for sure, but we truly believe that “how you do anything, is how you do everything,” and their guests notice that!
Q: What's one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you first started setting up your STRs?
A: One thing we know now that we wish we knew in the beginning is that we don’t have to do it all on our own! There are really wonderful services like Minoan, professional cleaners and other resources that continue to help us become the best hosts possible.
Q: How has Minoan helped you with your short term rentals?
A: We love Minoan’s one-stop-shop order form where we can access delivery dates, see how much we’ve spent, and view all the different brand partners in one place. It has been a great way to tackle really large furniture install projects - Minoan helps save us so much time and stay organized.
Q: What are your favorite Minoan brands that guests love?
A: The no-brainer brands that we shop at all the time are Pottery Barn and West Elm. Our guests love comfy sofas and beds and quality fabrics that are soft to the touch. Those components end up in a lot of our reviews which is why we love those two brands.
We also include lots of Fellow and OXO products in our kitchens!
Q: What is the #1 most important thing for STR hosts to get right, in your opinion?
A: We believe the #1 most important thing for STR hosts is putting guests first. If you do that, the profits will soon follow. Putting people first is a combination of guest services, safety, and understanding why people are coming to your space.
Would you like to be featured in our host spotlight series?
Email us at partnerships@minoanexperience.com
