Today we’d like to introduce you to Georgina Noverola.
Georgina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I feel like my story is all too familiar. I was at a low point in my life where I was fearful of failing. I was fresh out of a divorce, let go from a company I was thriving in for 16 years as a Project Manager, and trying to do my best to support my two kids mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Adding to the struggle, my then eight-year-old son was going through his own turmoil. After a suicidal ideation scare, he was diagnosed with depression and separation anxiety. My then sixteen-year-old daughter was at a period in her life where she was craving emotional support more than ever as she too was struggling with anxiety brought upon by the pressures of preparing and being accepted into college.
I was in need of an environment where I could ask for help, but also be vulnerable without judgment. I found that help through a six-month program called Peel the Onion (PTO) sponsored by spiritual home, City Church in San Antonio. Through PTO, I was able to find peace within myself and others. This was the start of me truly living in my purpose of helping people who have gone through circumstances similar to my own. I even found a new interest in short-term rentals.
My experience with short-term rentals started while I was still married. My husband at the time would rent out his childhood home, but we always had issues with the tenants, from paying rent late to leaving the house an utter disaster. Through a mutual friend, we heard about short-term rentals and decided to give it a six-month trial. We found the investment to be lucrative and it also allowed me to fuel my passion for creativity and hospitality. I recognized early in life that I had an eye for decorating, creating, and organizing. I would have many friends ask me to decorate for different types of events like weddings and birthdays. Some would even seek my advice on decorating their personal spaces. The more people sought my help, the more my passion grew.
Several months later, a longtime family friend of mine, Sandra Brock, reached out to me because she was having the same issues with long-term rental tenants and wanted to change into a short-term rental. Sandra asked me to help decorate, design, and manage her newfound short-term rental. As a friend, I intended to help her free, like I had done for many before, but she insisted on handling this as a business contract. I was already passionate about the project, but Sandra inspired me and helped me learn my worth in this industry. Thus, the idea and motivation of my own business emerged. In August 2018, Hidden Gem Short-Term Rentals, my short-term property management, and design business were born.
Surprisingly, I quickly had a steady number of bookings, but I felt stagnant due to the daily redundancy which was quickly evolving into boredom. Nevertheless, I recognized the potential and opportunities within this industry and I was eager to evaluate and cultivate ideas in order to grow. From my past experience as a Project Manager, I acknowledged the value of being proactive to meet people’s different needs and expectations. To better understand this industry, I started doing extensive research as well as listening to podcasts such as Thanks for Visiting and others centered on short-term renting and decorating.
I even hired my daughter to join my business to ensure that I would always have a young and fresh perspective during my decision-making processes. With my daughter’s artistic view, we became an unstoppable team that made the business stronger. Just as we were starting to feel as if we had climbed out of survival mode, COVID-19 hit. Most cities, including my own, were on lockdown and people were mandated to stay home in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. I was once again found myself in unfamiliar territory where I was trying to build a successful business all while dealing with the challenges the lock-down brought along in its wake.
With two children struggling with virtual learning and the lack of human interaction that my family so crazed, brought back our mental health struggles. Despite being at this point in our lives, my family and I vowed that we would be resilient and lean upon our faith. Instead of dwelling on the negative, we took this time to recognize not only ways to increase bookings but also the potential for growth in other areas of the industry. As bad as the situation looked, I made sure to find the silver lining in it all and identified and incorporated the new expectations of guests.
Rather than categorizing safety and cleaning as separate entities, we recognized cleaning protocols were now a safety measure. Additionally, many of my guests pre-COVID were majority from out of town. So, I quickly recognized through my own family’s desire to get out of the confines of our home, that guests would now be local families, seeking to escape their own homes and change their environment without being exposed to the risk of catching COVID-19.
Understanding that our guests changed, so did the needs and expectations. We embraced the concerns and implemented new services to include the Stock-The-Fridge (STF). STF allows guests to order the food and drinks they would like during their stay; we pick it up and “stock the fridge” before their arrival. We also ensured we verified that our properties provided the highest internet speed available and focused attention on upgrading the backyard and patio areas. As we added on new pieces to our business, my daughter and I soon came to the realization that we couldn’t do this alone.
Through networking and word of mouth, we were able to hire eleven (11) people who were struggling with similar financial circumstances as ours and created teams to support each house. My daughter and I were gaining more properties by branding our business through social media, but we were also grateful to our team members who promoted us by word of mouth. I would honestly have to say, one of the best and unexpected parts of the business is the variety of clients and their unique situations.
Pulling from my passion for creativity and thinking outside of the box, I have had the opportunity to manage/host clients who live in their home and short-term rent a guest bedroom to offset their mortgage; clients who travel around the world and want short-term rent their house while out of town; and clients who have moved into a new house and wanted to short-term rent their old house to pay for the new house. In spite of all that has occurred, this industry has been a GOD send. It has helped me not only find my purpose, become an entrepreneur, financially provide for my household but also helped so many other people in the process.
I appreciate where my business sits currently, but I get excited with the work that we continue to do and grow with additional short-term rental properties and team members. In the next five (5) to seven (7) years, I see us with multiple areas, which contain five (5) to six (6) homes each, that will be managed by team members that will soon include military spouses and mature college students.
As I write this, I smile knowing that my faith and the help of PTO helped me heal from traumas that were holding me back. With our continued faith, I know that we will be more than ok and look forward to seeing what GOD has in store for us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Hidden Gem Short-Term Rentals?
Hidden Gem Short-Term Rental is a short-term property management company that specializes in managing, hosting, consulting, designing, and decorating. The name Hidden Gem represents the feeling we want to portray to any guests that book a nightly stay. Our homes have something that makes them unique, from the homeowner’s personal stories to the varying structural features. We take those characteristics and “Create a ‘Hidden Gem’ experience”.
We help people who want to short-term rent with purpose but do not have the time or know-how to start a short-term rental (Airbnb). By consulting, designing, setting up, staging. and hosting, we help properties become a “Hidden Gem”.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We are always on the lookout to promote other local businesses. Our guests want to feel like locals and experience the authentication of the city. What is a better way than to have guests wake up to fresh, locally made coffee or the delicious smell of sweet bread?
In addition to all the amenities available at the properties, we provide a guest book filled with local restaurants we recommend and places to visit.
Contact Info:
- Email: hiddengemwGeorgina@yahoo.com
- Website: www.hiddengemshortterm.rentals
- Instagram: @airbnb.with.georgina_hiddengem
- Facebook: @hiddengem_by_georgina.host
Image Credits
Veronica Bove/Moments Thru My Lens
