Our first guests checked in to Triple Creek Cottage yesterday! Eeek!!
We've not heard a peep. We can only assume all is going well. 🤞 There was a bit of a hiccup getting our vacation rental live on Airbnb and our first three bookings were double-charged occupancy taxes. And when this group booked, we weren't sure the hot tub or dining table would be ready. Our fantastic contractors, Brad Younkin and his partner Chad, had the hot tub up and running for them, but Pottery Barn did NOT deliver. We left this group a nice bottle of champagne as a thank you for being our first guests and in celebration of NYE. I really hope they are enjoying the place as much as we do!
The night before our first guests arrived, I HAD MULTIPLE NIGHTMARES. I woke up and just stared at a sleeping Ollie, willing him to wake up so I could tell him about them... to no avail. I dreamt that large metal spikes rose out of the ground and surrounded the property making it impossible for the guests to access the cottage (sci-fi style). In another dream, the guests turned right around and just left. An in a third, the cottage was completely destroyed and we had to spend another 3 months building it back up. (I think I've been reading way too many hosting horror stories on Facebook.)
I've spent the last two days feverishly working on completing a House Manual and Local Area Guide for guests. We have an electronic version we can send to guests and Ollie will take a print version next week when he goes up to receive deliveries for some barn doors and the ever elusive Pottery Barn table (we expected this thing back in November!). I binged Evelyn Badia's The Hosting Journey podcast on Spotify and purchased her 5-Star Manual, which I used to craft a House Manual and Local Area Guide. Money well spent! I think they turned out really nice, if I do say so myself.
Cheers to a Prosperous and Happy New Year! 🥂
Here's a copy of the Local Area Guide: