The Unexpected Path to Short-Term Rentals

This week on the STR Investing Podcast, Mark sits down with Valerie Gangas, CEO of Juniper Holiday + Home, author, meditator, and lifelong hospitality pro. Valerie shares how a childhood split between Chicago restaurants and apartment buildings shaped her “guests-first” operating system, why there’s never a checkout chore list, and how sending a real human (often with a pie!) can turn hiccups into five-star moments. She also opens up about boundaries, meditation, and why taking care of yourself is the first step to taking care of your team, owners, and guests.

In this episode:

• Valerie’s origin story: restaurants + multifamily → boutique STR management
• Designing for memories (fresh flowers, cookies, wine, pet-name biscuits) vs. overspending on marble
• The Juniper standard: effortless check-in, zero checkout tasks, and mid-stay service that wows
• Hiring & scaling: trusting your gut, team consensus, and filling your own gaps
• Mindset for operators: meditation, boundaries, and leading from a calm center
• OTAs vs direct: grateful for discovery, intentional about repeat bookings
• The education gap in STRs and why community knowledge-sharing matters

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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

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