All Forum Posts by: Paul Cox

Hi @Nancy Van Brocklin...Here are my templates. Some of them are long, but they are descriptive and I've never gotten any negative feedback from them. Here Goes:

Initial Booking:

Insert Name:

We're really excited to have you and your family as Copper Top Cabin's newest guests, so please don't hesitate to reach out with any issues or questions you may have.

We have a coded lock on the front door, so if you will let me know the 4 digit code that you would like to use, I will have it ready for your arrival. I will also send you some additional info as your visit gets closer with regards to the cabin.

Also, we really like building ongoing relationships with our guests that bring them back to Copper Top each time they think about visiting the area. With that in mind, would you mind sharing a little bit about yourselves, the names and ages of all who will be staying in the cabin and what is bringing you to the Smokey Mountains?

Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity to host you. You're gonna love the area and Copper Top. See you soon

Paul and Gwen

At some point before they arrive, I will send them a message with a number of links for things to do in and around the area

Pre-Check In Message: (This is a long one)

Insert Name:

Like we promised, wanted to pass along some additional information for you...

1. If you've been to the area before, you know that a number of the cabins require climbing some steep roads to get to the cabin. Our Cabin is no different. You will gradually climb as you head up Shields Mt. and there are some definite switchbacks, but the road is well paved and in great condition.

2. When you plug in the cabin address into your GPS, it will tell you that you've reached your destination at the bottom of our property and all you'll see is woods. Keep heading forward climbing the next incline and as you come around the bend, you'll see Copper Top on your left hand side. You should see the house # xxxx on the pole. If you arrive after dark, the porch lights should be on as they have dusk to dawn sensors on them.

3. The Hot Water is an on demand system and so before you decide to jump in the shower or run a bath, just turn the Hot Water on and let it run until you feel the Hot Water make its way through. If using the Jacuzzi Tub, please do not use any bath bombs or fizzy bombs. These can end up clogging up the jets over time. Thank You very much!

4. There will be 6 bath towels and 4 Hot Tub towels provided along with hand towels and washcloths for your visit. There are also a few laundry pods provided if you are going to be there for more than a couple of days that will enable you to wash and dry your towels. If you think you'll need more than those provided, you may want to bring a few extra with you or look at purchasing some additional towels once you get here.

5. The Fireplace has a timer dial to the right of the fireplace that you just turn to bring the fireplace to life.

6. With regards to the Hot Tub, you may notice a strong smell when you lift the cover. That is the Bromine that we use in the Tub which works much better than Chlorine at the higher temperatures. The float with the tablets in it are set to release at the minimum amount to keep the Hot Tub clean and sanitized. The chemical smell should be minimal once the Cover has been off for a few minutes. If you remove the float while sitting in the tub, please ensure you put it back in the tub before closing the cover. If you notice an orange tint, it's the iron in the water and if it's an issue, let us know and we'll have our cleaners come over and put some iron out into the water.

8. When you get there and are going up to the front door, be cautious on the steps, especially if its wet out...Our cleaners put on some non-slip pads down so we should be good to go, but still wanted to give you a heads up.

9. Also, if when you get there and the door gives you some trouble with your code to get in, just send me a text or call at .... and we'll unlock it from here. You can also use the AirBnB messenger as well.

10. The deck string lights are on a timer and will come on just prior to dusk and stay on for six hours.

11. Your requested Code has been input and is ready to use. It will go active at 4pm on the day of arrival and expire at 11am on your scheduled day of departure.

12. We just recently installed a floodlight cam and entrance cam on the front porch so that we can keep a check on the outside of the cabin when it's empty.

13. Just inside the front door the middle light switch is the front porch lights and if you notice that the lights are not on in the evening, if you click it up, the lights will blink and then stay on. Leaving the switch in that position, They will automatically go off when the sun comes up and then come back on when it starts to get dark. That way if you come back in the evening, you won't have any problems with it being dark on the front porch.

14. Make sure that you do not leave any groceries or food in your vehicle and that the doors remain locked when you're not in them. Our friendly black bears love a good treat if they can get to it and they are extremely adept in getting into unlocked vehicles. This has not been an issue with any of our past guests, but just want to make sure you're aware that the area does have bears around that like to venture out in the wee hours of the morning.

Travel safely and have a great time both in Pigeon Forge and at Copper Top...Talk soon...

Paul and Gwen

Check-In (I send this as soon as I get the alert that my door has been unlocked)

Insert Name:

Welcome to Copper Top...

If you experience any issues with either the cabin or Hot Tub during your stay, let us know day or night and we'll work to get them addressed ASAP. Otherwise, enjoy the area and the cabin. We'll send checkout instructions about 24 hours prior to your checkout day.. Be Well and have fun!

Paul and Gwen

Checkout Instructions: (Some say longer than needed, but I haven't had any issues with it)

Copper Top Cabin Check Out Information

Insert Name:

Well the time has been too short I'm sure, so we hope you'll come back when you can stay longer. We would just like to tell you what a pleasure it has been to Host you and your family an hope that you had a great time up in the Smokies and that Copper Top Cabin was a great refuge after your days activities. Our desire is that we provided a place that you will look forward to coming back to. With that in mind, if there are areas that we can improve on or that you’d like to see on your next visit, please let us know.

Also, as with all stays using a booking site, we rely on reviews to generate interest and future bookings and would love it if you would review us on AirBnB and on Facebook at @coppertopcabintn. Hopefully we earned your highest rating which ultimately means you come back and stay with us again!

Also if you took some great pics and or video of your time in the area and or in and around Copper Top, please share on our FB page and or the local area Facebook pages named:

1. Having Fun in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and surrounding towns in the Smokys

2. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg Eats and Attractions

3. Fun in the smoky mountains Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and more

This would be so that we and others get to experience some of your fun and lets others know what the area and the cabin are like. It also helps in building that relationship that we're looking to cultivate with our guests.

Now for checkout:

- A reminder that checkout is 11:00 am sharp tomorrow morning, July 15, 2020. The code will be inactive at 11.

- If you used the dishwasher, we ask that you leave the door open so that it can air dry until our cleaners get there.

- We ask also that you don't leave any dirty dishes in the sink. Please either run the dishwasher before you leave or as you're leaving or if hand washing, dry them and put away or leave in the dish drainer to air dry. Thank you so much.

- Please ensure the Hot Tub cover is secured

- If you used the washing machine, please leave the lid open.

- Any used towels and such can be placed in the Tub in the Master Bath. Used Lined can be pulled and left on the bed.

- All Trash should be placed in the Trash Cans outside the cabin in the Bear proof container.

Thanks again for your business and trust and we truly hope to see you again at Copper Top Cabin. Have a safe journey home and be well!

Paul and Gwen

Obviously these will be tailored to your area and property. My messages are probably longer than most, but I really want to try and establish that relationship with our guests from the start and I feel these help in doing that. I may be off on that, but since we opened our STR back in Nov of last year, we've had all 5 star reviews and obtained Super Host twice now. I feel the communication has helped with that. Just my opinion and others on here have theirs as well. You'll find your way on your communication with your guests over time. Congratulations and good luck!

Paul 

The question is Why? Did regulations change? Was he doing arbitrage? Over leveraged? Just questions that jump to the front of this newbie's brain. I echo what @Luke Carl said. We've been book solidly and at higher rates than Pre-Covid.

Paul

Do they have references that you can call. That's how we hired our cleaning staff. Referred to us by both our realtor and our lender who are also investors in our area. They have been a Godsend for us on our 1st STR and we'll continue to use them for our next one as well. Best of luck!

Here's what I replied to a couple of our booked guests that asked the question about Covid-19 cancellations:

The question was:

What is your refund policy regarding the pandemic, such as stay at home orders being reissued or illness with Covid-19?

My Reply was:

If the Governor issues a stay at home order, or if the local officials issue the same or request people to stay away as was done back in March-April, then we will comply with that order. Anybody that is booked during that time frame will receive a refund. Obviously the pandemic is no longer a surprise, so AirBnB is honoring the cancellation policies of the hosts as of today. During this time, I definitely recommend guests look at trip insurance if its available. Our cancellation policy is set to strict, so make sure you're comfortable with that before booking. We wish you well and hope we get the opportunity to host you. Just let us know.

During Mar - May we refunded a lot of bookings 100%, but outside of our shutdown in April, most of those days were rebooked and for more money. Good Karma :)

Paul

Hi @Nicole Vincent

I'm a newbie when it comes to STRs, but jumped in with both feet after some long discussions with Avery and Luke Carl. I still don't have a spreadsheet or really any clue on how best to analyze a STR property, so if others are willing to share, I may borrow it as well :) I just know that we bought our cabin back in November and we haven't regretted it one bit. In fact we're looking at getting our second property either there in the Pigeon Forge area or the Branson, MO area here in the next couple of months. I am anxious to see what our first year rounds out to be. Best of luck to you. We love the Smokies!

Paul

@Brian G.

It's been working great, though I've had to replace the batteries every couple of months. The app gives us a heads up that they're getting low and then I have my cleaners replace them.  Looking at getting one on my primary residence.

Funny that this topic just came up as I just received a message from our current guests that stated the following:

Paul, the more we looked around the more things just were a little off with the cleaning. There was a milky substance spilled in the fridge, some dirty pans and dishes in the cabinets (I just put everything in and ran a load), my girls found an old spilled McDonalds cup under the nightstand upstairs and I pulled a water bottle cap from under the sheets when I crawled into bed last night. I’m not one who likes to complain, please don’t get me wrong, but these are a lot of little things here. Coupled with the knowledge that your crew was pressed for time yesterday I’m getting the sense they just didn’t do a very thorough job. At this point we’ve gone ahead and cleaned everything ourselves and we are happy with the place and all but I feel we should be compensated in some way, but I’d like to hear your thoughts as well.

My Response to him was this:

Thanks for letting me know. I do not see it as complaining. You guys are paying a good deal of money for your stay, and you shouldn't have to be worried about little issues when it comes to the cleanliness of the cabin. Can you tell me again where you found the sock and the hair tie yesterday. I want to make sure I point all this out to our cleaning staff.

I'm really sorry you've had these issues as we have really taken a lot of pride in the cleanliness of our cabin. What I'd like to do is refund your cleaning fee for the visit. I will check to see if I can do that through AirBnB. If I can't, if you have a PayPal account, I will refund it to you that way.

Thank you for letting me know

I then sent all that to my cleaners asking for their thoughts...What's happened is our cleaning staff is growing and the couple we hired and have the relationship with have their sub cleaners which did the clean. I'm hoping our cleaners want to make it right with us! 

I'm thinking this may bring us a 4 star on cleanliness...We'll see

All the best

Paul

I pay a flat fee per clean, whether it takes them an hour or two hours or more. We have developed a great relationship with our cleaners, so if they feel they need to be compensated more, I would expect them to tell me. I feel they win far more than they lose on time taken to clean the cabin. If they do something extra for me as far as having to make a stop by the cabin with regards to a maintenance issue, etc. I'll throw an additional $20 their way for the time.  In the end, they are a large part of what helped us to get to super host status twice on AirBnB, so I definitely want to keep them happy!

@Rachael Wood, we live in the Manassas area, a little bit aways from VMI

@Michael Baum, trust me when I say that was one of the better ones we took🙄