Stan Ingram, of Gulf Style Rentals, employs the “Golden Rule” when it comes to providing vacation rental experiences for his clients - give them the experience he would want to receive as a guest. Gulf Style Rental delivers, achieving a 5.0 rating on Airbnb.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history?
My hosting journey began when my wife (at the time girlfriend) was illegally subletting her apartment in New York City. When she was traveling, she hosted people via Airbnb, and she really enjoyed it. Her reviews were incredible because she provided a clean space, and fast, clear, and thorough communication. After purchasing our first rental condo in the Destin, FL area in January 2021, our property manager over promised and under delivered so I decided to take over. I had to cancel my first booking so it was a rough start, but things have improved since then. That condo has 130/130 5-Star reviews on Airbnb. We have also purchased two other rentals, and I manage 25 other properties in the area. My mission is simple - I take pride in delivering the hassle-free, memorable vacation that I would want as a traveler.
What is your personal/professional background?
My professional background is geology where I worked in oil and gas evaluating prospects for drilling. This is a data-intensive field (the more data, the better the evaluation), and I have carried this use of data into the VR business. OwnerRez has some useful data tools, and I really enjoy using AirDNA and PriceLabs to see how my properties are performing. On the personal side, my family and I did (and still do) a good bit of traveling, and some of my most vivid and happy memories are from traveling.
What do you love most about the VR business?
I love exceeding guest expectations, and I am still thrilled by a positive, detailed guest review. For some of my guests, this might be their only vacation of the year, and vacations should be a time for fun and memory making. For many of my guests, this could be their only vacation of the year so it's important that I deliver. Also, at times it has been painful, but I enjoy building a company, setting up processes, and delivering value for my guests and my property owners.
What do you dislike the most about it?
Tracking little maintenance issues is particularly annoying. Another pet peeve is when a guest does not review the very detailed Welcome/Check-In message that is sent to them.
How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?
OwnerRez is my main tool. It has allowed me to grow my business and grow my direct booking percentage. I use it for guest communication, reporting, and much more!
What is the most useful feature that OwnerRez offers?
Some of my favorite features include the quote feature, the hosted website, reports, and the integrations with other VR softwares.
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Thanks, Stan. OwnerRez wishes you and Gulf Style Rentals continued success!
