Podcasts
VRS353 – Following His Own Path with Steve Elsey - A Vacation Rental Maverick
Steve Elsey has a simple outlook on the vacation rental business.
Create an attractive environment without the knick-knacks, loon artwork, and moose blankets. Always buy Tiffany lampshades and use the best linens. Treat guests with respect and they will return the favor.
He doesn’t like the words luxury or rustic or perfect to describe a home.
He doesn’t use automation, broadcast emails or newsletters; doesn’t charge for pets or collect a damage deposit, and has no rules of the house bar asking guests to let him know if there’s a problem.
His content-packed website draws massive traffic yet he has no idea how to use WordPress. His guests sign a simple one-page rental agreement; there are no rules of the house and no signage asking them to think about what they are flushing.
His properties are 100% occupied for his season, all booked direct and with multiple repeat guests.
Steve pays his cleaners $50 per hour and he can be found with them on a Saturday, cleaning toilets and mopping floors.
With five properties in the Adirondacks, you could call him a maverick amongst the millions of hosts and managers trying to follow prescribed methods of doing this business.
In this episode, Steve shares his opinions on all of the above and explains the philosophy behind his success.
We hear Steve’s views on everything, so I’m not bulleting specific points. He is a ninja owner and loves his guests, so listen to everything he says and use what works for you!
Here is his website:
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