Behind the Stays

Meet Mike Belleme — the creator of The Nook, an obsessively handcrafted Airbnb just outside Asheville, NC. Growing up, Mike loved to skateboard — at one point he even thought he might go pro.  But as he grew up, another craft he had dabbled in began to pique his interest even more.   And that craft was photography.  Mike’s incredible focus and unrelenting pursuit of perfection has landed him gigs with media companies like National Geographic, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. And while his passion has been, and continues to be, storytelling through the medium of still images, Mike recognizes that photography has its limits when it comes to evoking emotion and changing perspectives.  And it was this recognition, in part, that inspired him to build a story in the form of a house, which became The Nook. Tune in to hear how Mike and his wife Kristen created a tiny home where Japanese aesthetic intersects with Anthropologie-esque accents and where everything from your coffee mug to the tile in the bathroom is handmade by a local artist.  Book Your Stay at The Nook Follow The Nook on Instagram  Visit Mike's Website This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts.  It’s 11:32 pm on a Thursday night and you wake up in a panic.    You forgot to send your guests the custom lockbox combination for your Airbnb, and you missed the 17 messages they sent saying they couldn’t get in because you enabled “sleep mode” on your iPhone — you know, to try and cut down on screen time before bed and all.   After apologizing profusely and sending them a bottle of bubbly — in hopes they won’t leave you a 1-star review — you think to yourself, “how do other hosts stay on top of guest communications?"   The answer? They use Guesty For Hosts — an easy to use rental management platform. With features like Automated Messages that send important communications to guests at the exact right times…you'll never have to jeopardize your beauty sleep again.    Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay.   The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more.   Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it.   While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year."   Behind the Stays is brought to you each week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com   

In just a moment you’ll meet Joshua Nunnally, the creator of The Shelltown Sanctuary in San Diego, California.  Joshua is an artist.  Originally from Fresno, Joshua moved to San Diego to go to architectural school. A few years afterwards, in late January of 2020, he stumbled upon a home in southeast San Diego that seemed almost too good to be true.  When Joshua and his now husband bought the place, they had no intention of listing it on Airbnb. But after COVID hit, Joshua found himself with more time on his hands.   And with it, he decided to transform his home into an artistic oasis complete with original art pieces, pottery, and more than 25 live plants. Once the rainforest master bathroom, speakeasy guest bathroom, and insta-worthy backyard space were all finished, Joshua knew this space was just too cool to not share with others.  Tune in to hear the story behind how Joshua brought The Shelltown Sanctuary to life. Book you stay at The Shelltown Sanctuary Follow The Shelltown Sanctuary on Instagram Contact Josh at josh.evolvds@gmail.com View Josh's Etsy Store, Imperfect Ceramics    This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts.  It’s 11:32 pm on a Thursday night and you wake up in a panic.    You forgot to send your guests the custom lockbox combination for your Airbnb, and you missed the 17 messages they sent saying they couldn’t get in because you enabled “sleep mode” on your iPhone — you know, to try and cut down on screen time before bed and all.   After apologizing profusely and sending them a bottle of bubbly — in hopes they won’t leave you a 1-star review — you think to yourself, “how do other hosts stay on top of guest communications?"   The answer? They use Guesty For Hosts — an easy to use rental management platform. With features like Automated Messages that send important communications to guests at the exact right times…you'll never have to jeopardize your beauty sleep again.    Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay.   The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more.   Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it.   While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year."   Behind the Stays is brought to you each week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com 

In just a moment you’ll meet Steven and Kylee Niederhauser, the founders of Arrivls, a boutique vacation rentals management company based in San Diego, California. Steven and Kylee have always loved to travel.  They are the kind of people that would rather book a last-minute weekend getaway than wine and dine at California’s latest Michelin star restaurant.  After traveling in Europe for four years, they decided to move to San Diego. They really wanted to live near Mission Beach but weren’t sure how to make it work financially…and that’s when the idea came to them.  What if they bought a duplex and rented half of the house out as an Airbnb? And while they didn’t know it at the time, this idea would ultimately enable the couple to leave their jobs and build one of Southern California’s top-rated collections of short term rentals.  You can:  Check out the entire Arrivls collection on their website  Follow the Rockaway House on Instagram Follow Arrivls on Instagram  Subscribe to their YouTube Channel (launching soon)!     This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts.  It’s 11:32 pm on a Thursday night and you wake up in a panic.    You forgot to send your guests the custom lockbox combination for your Airbnb, and you missed the 17 messages they sent saying they couldn’t get in because you enabled “sleep mode” on your iPhone — you know, to try and cut down on screen time before bed and all.   After apologizing profusely and sending them a bottle of bubbly — in hopes they won’t leave you a 1-star review — you think to yourself, “how do other hosts stay on top of guest communications?"   The answer? They use Guesty For Hosts — an easy to use rental management platform. With features like Automated Messages that send important communications to guests at the exact right times…you'll never have to jeopardize your beauty sleep again.    Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay.   The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more.   Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it.   While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year."   Behind the Stays is brought to you each week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com 

Get ready to meet Amy Corbett Co-Founder of All Belong Co — a collective of short term rentals based in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Amy and her husband Marc have a rich story.  The couple has been married for over twenty years and have two amazing children through the gift of adoption. After working in campus ministry for 17 years, they left salaries and financial stability and even their community behind in order to go “all in” on their life-long side hobby of renovating houses until they could figure out what was next.  They started their first Airbnb in 2018 and the couple was instantly hooked. It became clear that creating these welcoming spaces where anyone could belong was not just a mission, but a calling for their family. They were made for this.  Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how Amy and her family, who often feel as though there aren’t enough places where they truly “fit”, built a budding short-term-rental empire that focuses on crafting welcoming spaces not just where people can stay, but where they can truly belong. Learn more about Amy and the All Belong Co story by visiting their website or following her on Instagram.  Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a newsletter that brings you the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week.  You can subscribe, for free, here. 

In just a moment you’ll meet Navid Safabakhsh, the creator of Safa Farms —  a boutique eco-hotel featuring a collection of cabins outside of Guadalajara, Mexico. Navid is a serial entrepreneur. He founded an agency that helped build products for companies like eBay, Comcast, and LinkedIn before founding a company called Placeit which was a design and mockup tool for creatives that he’d eventually sell to Envato — the leading marketplace for creative assets. After spending several years building his various businesses, Navid wanted to work on a different kind of project — a project that felt more like play and less like work and somehow conjoined hospitality with sustainability. Tune in to hear the impressive story of how Navid designed an adventurous farm escape in harmony with the environment and ecosystem around it.  You can book your stay at Safa Farms here and follow them on Instagram here.  Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a weekly newsletter that brings you the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, here. 

In just a moment you’ll meet Kayla Stormont — the creator of The Apex Cabin in Big Bear, California. When Kayla would go to a toy store or jewelry shop as a kid, and ask her mom for a trinket or a pair of earrings, her mom wouldn’t often say, “No, I’m not buying you that, you could make that yourself.” And while she didn’t know it at the time, this encouragement would serve her well as an adult. As a native of the Island of Hawaii, Kayla has always loved the mountains.  So when she visited Big Bear for the first time after moving to LA, she knew she needed to find a way to acquire a mountain home.  Tune in to hear the story of how Kayla went from cutting drywall in a Lowe's parking lot on a Friday night to transforming a historic, 1960s A-Frame into a contemporary modern escape.  Book your stay at The Apex Cabin here and follow The Apex on Instagram here. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a weekly newsletter that brings you the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, here. 

In just a moment you’ll meet Kelly Cronin — the creator of Cronin's Castles, which is a new collection of unique short-term rentals.  Kelly has always loved to travel and refers to herself as a professional travel hacker — she once scored an $11 Southwest flight from Wisconsin to Puerto Rico!  By the time she visited all 50 states, Kelly had fallen in love with too many places…and she began to brainstorm ideas for how she might ensure that she return to some of her favorites. And that’s when she started seriously looking into acquiring unique tiny homes that she could transform into short-term rentals.  And before long, she bought a home in Vieques, Puerto Rico…and then one in Alaska…and then another in Utah…oh, and this was all over the course of one year…while she was still living thousands of miles away from all locations in Wisconsin.  Tune in to hear the delightful story of how Kelly transformed her dream of owning a little part of the places she loves most into a reality — a reality which guests from around the world can also enjoy.  Learn more about Kelly's vision — and book one of her stays — by visiting the links below: www.croninscastles.com  https://www.facebook.com/croninscastlerentals ig -@croninscastles https://www.instagram.com/croninscastles/   https://www.facebook.com/Viequesseahouse https://www.facebook.com/elevatedsolitudeutah https://www.facebook.com/Innanutshellalaska/   Interested in learning more about how to buy, build, and manage Airbnbs remotely?   Check out Kelly's course on Short Term Rental Success.This is a one-stop-shop class for selecting, funding, starting and running a short-term rental profitably!

In just a moment, you’ll meet Annie Sloane — Co-Founder and CEO of The Host Co. Have you ever been in an Airbnb and wished you could buy one of the coffee mugs, rugs, or pieces of artwork from the home?   Or perhaps wished you could order some groceries ahead of time so that you arrive to a fully-stocked fridge upon check-in?   Well, thanks to The Host Co., you now can!  Annie was an early adopter of Airbnb — she remembers when you used to have to hand cash to your host upon arrival to pay for your stay! After working as a writer for Lucasfilm, a producer for HGTV, and a creative director at both Facebook and Twitter, Annie began thinking about doing something new. Around this time, she reconnected with Mikel Hubbard, a former colleague from HGTV.  Annie and Mikel helped launch and direct a myriad of popular HGTV shows like Curb Appeal, Landscape Smart, Color Splash, Find Your Style, and Design to Sell — so they knew a thing or two about real estate. Tune in to hear the exciting story of how Annie and Mikel are building the mini-bar, concierge, and gift shop for your Airbnb. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Annie Sloane.  Learn more about The Host Co. by visiting their website at www.TheHost.co or by following them on Instagram @thehostcompany.  Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a weekly newsletter that brings you the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, here. 

In just a moment, you’ll meet Emily Padan — co-creator and co-owner of Hinter Company.  A few years ago, Emily left her career as a school teacher in Montreal to pursue entrepreneurship full time with her now husband, Mauricio.  The creative couple had a vision for building a luxurious, eco-friendly escape in the Canadian forest.  Over the next couple of years, Emily and Mauricio wrestled tirelessly with the question “what would it look like to create spaces that integrate art, nature, community, and sustainability?” Their answer to that question proved to be Hinter.  Hinter spaces are inspired by cabins in the Norwegian mountains.  They use Japanese design cues and a minimalist philosophy, so, yes, they are absolutely stunning.  Every interior space is carefully crafted with a strong emphasis on what matters most to Emily and Mauricio - comfort and nature.  Tune in to hear how these entrepreneurs first brought Hinter to life in 2018, how they’ve scaled to one of the most desirable places to stay in North America, and get a sneak peak for what they have in store next.  Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Emily Padan. You can book your stay at Hinter here and follow Hinter Company on Instagram here.  Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a weekly newsletter that brings you the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.  You can subscribe, for free, here. 

In just a moment, you’ll meet Tim and Cindi Spaulding — the builders, designers, and hosts of Salamander Ridge — a charming tiny cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.  Tim and Cindi, along with their three children, love the outdoors — the Spaulding family are avid campers, hikers, creek walkers, and trail runners.  One afternoon, after Cindi had contracted a bad case of poison ivy, the family decided to go on a creek walk in the Blue Ridge Mountains right near the Appalachian Trail.  While wading through the stream, the couple noticed a property for sale up on the mountainside. The 2.5 acre lot was stunning, but upon further investigation they realized that a sale was already pending. Being the optimists they are, Tim and Cindi decided to call the realtor to see if there was any chance the seller might entertain another offer…and, as luck would have it, the seller was interested. Tune in to hear the exciting story of how Tim and Cindi brought Salamander Ridge, one of Airbnb’s highest-rated escapes for outdoor enthusiasts, to life. You can book The Salamander Ridge on Airbnb and follow them on Instagram here.