Transforming Dreams into Reality: How Technology and an All-in-One Solution helped this Realtor/Broker Succeed in the Short-term Rentals Industry
Jessica Larsen’s Saturdays are filled with the hustle and bustle of managing 150 vacation rental checkouts. As a successful Realtor and property manager, she leads a team of professional housekeepers to get the job done. But it wasn’t always this way.
In 2008, Jessica began as a housekeeper working on Cape Cod, one of the East Coast’s most popular vacation destinations. Very quickly, her ambition and drive for success led her to add a real estate and then a broker’s license to her resume in addition to building her own housekeeping company. And in 2020, she saw the potential for short-term rentals to be a major opportunity for Realtors to extend their client relationships and bring in significant income.
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But the road to success wasn’t without challenges. As a housekeeper, she faced frustration with the disjointed communication and different information between property managers, owners, agents, and realty companies. Jessica and her business partner Melissa dreamed of managing the entire process, from reservations to check-in to guest communication, in a proactive way.
It wasn’t until the upheaval in the travel industry caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that they saw their opportunity to become full-service short-term rental managers. But how could they make it happen?
That’s where Jetstream came in. Jessica realized she needed a comprehensive solution that would take care of all aspects of property management outside of the actual on-site management. She found Emmanuel Lavoie, CEO of Jetstream Hospitality Solutions, and was impressed with Jetstream’s full-service offering, specifically their 24/7 guest service.
As Jessica puts it…”Jetstream takes care of 99% of the day-to-day business of bookings guests, pricing my rentals, and all of the guest communications. This enables me to focus on growing my business and providing great service to my owners”
Jetstream helped Jessica scale her business with a mobile-friendly booking engine, and guest blog posts written by Jessica herself. This allowed her to focus on growing her business while still making time for her family.
Jessica Larsen has transformed from a housekeeper to a successful Realtor and property manager, and how short-term rentals and technology are instrumental in her success. With the help of Jetstream, Jessica was able to leverage her strengths and create a thriving business while still enjoying quality time with her family.
Jessica’s Five Favorite Parts of Jetstream
1. Asset Protection
The ability to screen guests pre-arrival ensures that the owner’s asset is protected and that every guest is going to be a great fit. Owners like to know that only great guests are going to occupy their property – they want to know that someone is looking after their investment.
2. Optimized Nightly Rates on a Daily Basis
Jetstream’s integration with Wheelhouse has provided owners with a huge boost on the revenue side. Thanks to distribution through multiple sales channels, Jetstream ensures that these properties are booked at some of the highest rates in the market. In the offseason, it’s been great to see how many long-stay bookings Jetstream generates by leveraging special offers and promotions to attract remote workers and digital nomads.
3. Operational Efficiency
Jetstream’s 24/7 operations made last summer the smoothest one so far. Everything is connected via a cell phone or an app, which makes it easy to work with a small team.
4. The Shared Success Model
Jetstream’s software as a service (SAAS) model has allowed Five Star Vacations to offer a comprehensive, full-service experience to our guests. Because it scales so easily, it also means that we can add new owners without the burden of increasing our headcount and fixed costs.
5. The Account Manager
Having a dedicated account manager who’s very responsive has been amazing anytime there have been questions.
