At Lodgify, we’re proud to be part of an industry that empowers women hosts and managers.
While we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of hiring more women and female-identifying individuals for top leadership positions, even in the travel tech industry, women are drawn to vacation rental hosting and managing because it enables them to create their own opportunities and work on their own terms.
As such, women’s high representation in this profession is no surprise. In Rent Responsibly’s most recent State of the STR Community Survey, 58% of the 3,500+ respondents were women. Women also made up 49% of global Airbnb hosts in 2023 (with the other 51% consisting of everyone who doesn’t identify as a woman).
What’s more, female-identifying Airbnb hosts received more five-star reviews than men (91% compared to 88%) and even earned 10% more than men in 2022, amounting to more than $16 billion.
So, this International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate some of Lodgify’s female customers who are excelling in their roles as vacation rental hosts and managers. These individuals are role models for all women who want to forge their own economic empowerment.
On that note, let’s meet these Lodgify customers and hear what they have to say.
Meet our customers
Daniela Derin | Skol Apartments Marbella
Daniela Derin owns and manages Skol Apartments Marbella with her husband Vincenzo. Skol consists of 90 vacation rental apartments with ocean views in Marbella, Spain, one of the most popular cities on the Costa del Sol.
Daniela got into the industry in 2010 with 15 vacation rentals and has since seen the industry grow massively alongside her portfolio. And her hard work has certainly paid off: Skol Apartments won the Shortyz Award for Best Holiday Site Operator in 2023 and is a finalist for the 2024 Book Direct Show’s Best Property Manager award.
Kerri Gibson | Chalets Hygge
Kerri Gibson founded Chalets Hygge, consisting of six vacation rental chalets in Quebec, Canada.
As Kerri explains on her website, she and her husband were “recovering corporate executives who founded Chalets Hygge almost by accident.” But once she got started, Kerri couldn’t quit vacation rentals: “Our first property was purchased as a side project, and after all the renovations, we were just too attached to sell it. We had 1 chalet, then 2, then 3, then 4…it’s kind of turned into an obsession!”
Now, Kerri has made it Chalets Hygge’s mission to help people escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and rediscover their hygge. A Danish word without a literal translation, “hygge” refers to a quality of coziness, comfort, and well-being. Who wouldn’t want that?
Kit Leggett | KBL Advantage
Kit Leggett started renting her own property on Airbnb in 2021 as a way to make an income during the pandemic. Less than three years later, she now manages a portfolio of 24 properties in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, through her company KBL Advantage.
In addition to finding a source of income for herself, Kit has been able to provide flexible employment to local women who’ve struggled to juggle typical work schedules and childcare.
Now, Kit and her partner Chet are in the process of opening Sunken Escapes, a business dedicated to lakeside glamping accommodations.
Their insights for aspiring hosts and property managers
If you could give your past self one piece of advice when you first started in the vacation rental industry, what would it be?
Kit, Kerri, and Daniela’s answers here focused on one thing: making things easier for themselves. Starting a vacation rental business entails a million to-dos, and simplifying your processes is essential for success.
Kit: Don’t get caught up on the small things.
Kerri: Standardization is important for things that can get broken or damaged regularly such as sheets, towels, and dishes. It’s hard to replace just one damaged piece if you just buy them off the shelf, and you end up with either mismatched items or getting rid of perfectly good items.
And the same goes for your tech stack. As Daniela explains, you don’t need a million tools to manage. You just need the right tool that gets the job done.
Daniela: Find the tech stack that you need, not every shiny object under the sky. Think simpler, easier, and more straightforward rather than fancy: People want to book in four clicks!
As a successful host, what’s the most unexpected skill you’ve developed in your journey?
Vacation rental hosts are Jacks (and Jills!) of all trades. Progressing in this field almost certainly means picking up new skills along the way, as our customers can attest.
Of course, what those skills are depends on your specific background and how you manage your business. Let’s see what our customers had to say:
Kerri: Digital marketing skills. I didn’t realize how much work a marketing strategy was, but I dug in and figured it out. It’s actually a lot of fun!
Hosting isn’t all about preparing the property—marketing is crucial to ensure a steady stream of bookings. And once you have those bookings comes the next challenge: working with all kinds of guests.
Kit: Mastering the art of anticipating and accommodating diverse guest needs. From understanding preferences to addressing unique requests, adapting to various guest profiles has become a valuable and surprising aspect of my hosting journey.
Given the variety of guest profiles, requests, and general tasks involved in hosting, Daniela’s response is no surprise!
Daniela: Patience! You never know how much that muscle can grow.
In the world of vacation rentals, what’s one myth about hosting that you’d like to debunk?
As vacation rentals have grown in popularity, so have misconceptions about how hosting works. And there’s one myth that comes up time and time again, so we weren’t surprised that both Kerri and Daniela pointed it out:
Kerri: That it’s passive or easy income. If you are doing it right, then it’s far from easy or passive.
Daniela: That you put your properties on Airbnb, sit back, relax, and get rich! Over the pandemic, we’ve already seen that this is not a sustainable business model, but there are still some gurus promoting it.
While hosting can provide semi-passive income that doesn’t require full-time work, it’s still work! Of course, the best hosts know how to utilize property management software to lessen their load. But those who go into hosting thinking they won’t have much to do are in for a surprise.
Another myth has to do with vacation rental properties themselves, as Kit explains:
Kit: One myth to debunk is that achieving success in vacation rentals is solely about having a perfect, luxurious property. In reality, exceptional hospitality, clear communication, and attention to guest needs play a crucial role. A positive hosting experience is about more than just the property itself; it’s about creating a welcoming and memorable stay for guests.
How do you balance the demands of being a host with your personal life?
Speaking of the work involved in hosting, keeping its demands from cutting into your personal life is crucial to prevent burnout. For Kit and Daniela, that comes down to maintaining boundaries.
Kit: Balancing hosting demands with personal life involves setting clear boundaries. They often bleed into each other, but some things that help are: designated times for communication (for your property owners especially), delegating responsibilities like guest communication, and using automation tools for routing tasks (Lodgify is great for this). All of these can help provide more space for your personal life without compromising guest and client satisfaction.
Daniela: Balance, boundaries, and working with the right kind of people: guests, owners, and colleagues that fuel you and do not drain you. Don’t be afraid to say no to those that do.
Daniela also points out the importance of finding time for yourself, especially for mothers who have to balance the demands of hosting small children:
Find a daily escape like walking, sport, meditation, etc. just for you, so that when your personal life is demanding, you have energy to give. If you have small kids, it’s better to spend two hours in their presence rather than four hours being drained and not paying any attention.
For Kerri, it’s also important to set realistic expectations about work-life boundaries. While hosting gives you incredible flexibility and freedom, unlike with some other jobs, you don’t get to “log off” at a certain time of the day. Fortunately, there are things you can do to lessen the overlap between work and personal life.
Kerri: In hosting, you just have to expect there are times when work needs are going to take away from personal time. We have found a few tips that help us minimize our stress and the impact to our guests:
- Tip 1: Having a maintenance schedule is very important to minimize things that need attention while guests are at the property.
- Tip 2: Carefully plan vacations or other time away from your properties during low or shoulder seasons.
What advice would you offer to aspiring female hosts looking to make their mark?
Finally, we arrive at our favorite question: what advice do these women have for other aspiring female hosts? We love what Kit, Daniela, and Kerri had to say!
Kit: Trust your gut. Have confidence in your abilities; don’t second guess yourself. Take the leap and the rest will follow. Don’t hesitate to delegate. You can do it all, just not all at the same time. Small setbacks are not failures, they are an opportunity to grow.
Daniela: Find your niche and be the queen of your pond, rather than a “no one” in a huge ocean. Find your unique selling points, what you do better than anyone else, and invest time and energy in curating your personal brand and shine!
Kerri: Focus on your goals and the impact you aim to make in this industry. One of the remarkable aspects of short-term rentals is the space for creativity, allowing everyone to bring their unique vibe. Keep an eye on the market, but avoid imitation. Just be yourself!
So, the key to being a successful woman in the vacation rental industry? Trusting your instincts and being yourself.
Happy International Women’s Day!
For all the women out there hoping to get their start in the vacation rental industry, we hope these insights have been helpful!
As Daniela, Kerri, and Kit have shown, managing vacation rentals isn’t necessarily easy. But if you’re looking for a career that provides flexibility, the ability to be your authentic self, and plenty of room for professional and personal growth, it just might be for you.
