You may or may not know Boxwood Properties has a STR Management division known as Nashvacay. Nashvacay.com is home to all of our listings and rental information. Nash Vacay and Kristin Laine (me) are the two super host Airbnb profiles from which we host.
Our Airbnb guests are some of the most curious folks. I love being the nudge that helps someone discover Nashville - away from Broadway Honky Tonks! We manage vacation rentals all over the city, and they attract a wide range of guests.
The Charlesville, downtown on 4th ave, brings in plenty of classic tourists. These guests want to boot scoot n boogie down Broadway, catch a show, tour the Ryman, and go to a whiskey tasting. There are Bachelorettes regularly. It’s been wild hosting an entire building. We’ve filled entire floors with families and wedding parties.
The Wells is more low key, located near Melrose. We get a quieter bunch here. They may spend one obligatory night on Broadway, but they want brunch, shopping, and quiet time.
My first “Welcome Manual” Yikes! Theres virtually no real information for my guests! This is it, just the one page. Ya’ll. No wonder there were so many questions.
Nashvacay also hosts a handful of single family homes from Old Hickory, East Nashville, and Berry Hill. The favorite pet project, Dogwood House, is located in Berry Hill. Dogwood House was the first STR I renovated, decorated, and managed.
My first “Welcome Manual” at Dogwood House was one page. It briefly covered the house rules, address, wifi, and my phone number for more questions. Boy, did they have more questions.
Last year when we were building the Wells and knew we’d be adopting the Charlesville, I realized I’d never be able to answer all those more questions. What’s a good place to eat? Where are the best boutiques? Antique shopping? How to I find a grocery store? Where’s the liquor store? Is there a Park I can walk to?
Yes, many of the answers are on google, but…I think the joy for people renting an Airbnb is being able to talk to a real human, not a concierge, who can give them the real low down on the best southern brunch. Where do I (ME), the local (and native), listen to music? Number one reason I love hosting is because I find so much joy sharing my love for Nashville.
From the guest book at Dogwood House. I love our guests. I love that they can see the love for Nashville.
After a year or so of answering every question imaginable (and some unimaginable ones), I started to develop my multipage House Manual for Dogwood House. I continue to edit and change this, it’s so easy to do a little facelift, update favorite restaurants, etc on Canva.
The first page is just a welcome, with a reminder to keep communication on the hosting platform (airbnb, vrbo, tripadvisor).
Followed immediately by the important information. Who to contact at Nashvacay, local police and hospitals, addresses, and keypad information.
Next is the house rules. I actually have house rules in multiple places. More specifically, I’ve got signs (see the signage bundle!!) posted within the home. I find some guests get a little amnesia after a night of Honky Tonkin’, and could use a gentle reminder not to smoke, and not to use white washcloths to get makeup off.
Now that the important stuff is out of the way, the following pages are TV, Wifi, and favorite places to visit. It’s very simple. I created this to share, because I remember feeling stuck. I was honestly surprised how much information really needed to be provided. I wanted to provide my guests with the best, easy to read info, in a fun and gentle way. People are on vacation, they don’t want house rules crammed down their throat. They just want wifi.
You can find the link to digital download for the Canva Template here.