Taking Over an Old-School Vacation Rental Business in Rural Germany

We’ve talked at length in recent weeks about the opportunity to take over old-school vacation rental businesses and improve the guest experience. Niels Becker is the Airbnb host behind Living in History, a hospitality brand based in rural Germany. And he’s in the process of taking over a business stuck in the 1960’s. (The previous operator’s marketing efforts were limited to a roadside sign boasting amenities like hot water and showers in the units!)On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Niels joins me to discuss the upgrades he is making in the vacation rental business he’s taking over, explaining why the previous host only operated in the summer and how he plans to attract tourists year-round.Niels shares how his rural STR business benefitted from the popularity of secondary markets in the pandemic, describing how guests from urban areas want to spend time in nature and young people are exploring close to home.Listen in for Niels’ insight on scaling an Airbnb business without losing the personal touch and get an inside look at what it’s really like to take over an old-school STR business in a secondary market.Topics Covered The traditional short-term rental business model in rural MoselNo vision for business, few systems in placeMarketing limited to sign on road Operate in summer only (during wine harvest)Furnished with bare necessities How Niels plans to attract tourists to his units year-roundOffer experience of slipping into another worldMarket nearby hot springs as featured amenityHow the pandemic affected Niels’ vacation rental businessBenefit from rise in popularity of secondary marketsAverage daily rate skyrocketed in past yearWhy Niels’ guest avatar was different than he expectedYoung people explore close to home with pandemicGuests from urban areas want to spend time in natureWhat Niels is doing to scale without losing the personal touchAlready use PMS system, automated messagingOutsource personal communication to one employee Give cleaners budget to buy seasonal detailsConnect with Niels Living in HistoryResources  Niels on Get Paid for Your Pad EP198 AirDNA Wheelhouse PriceLabsSTR Legends MastermindLegends X 90-Day STR AcceleratorEmail [email protected]  Sponsor Hostfully [Discount Code PAD] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.