Sitting on 4.5 private acres with a 360 view of the Ouachita National forest greenbelt is an architectural masterpiece cabin known as the Hill House, owned by HostGPO Members Nikki & Jake. Nikki and Jake recently did our member spotlight, sent in some fabulous pictures of their vacation rental and told us what they find the most rewarding about hosting. Using HostGPO’s Public Goods discount program, she purchases toiletries for guests that are sleek and sustainable!
How many years have you been in the short term rental industry and how did you get started?
We are pretty new to the short term rental industry and have been in for about 6 months. We have loved the Broken Bow area for such a long time and had been searching for the perfect place for a few years. When we found Hill House we just knew that it was time to invest!
What do you find most rewarding about your career?
The guest experience. There are so many people who can’t wrap their heads around owning a space that you open up to other people to come and stay. But we absolutely love that our guests get to come and make amazing memories. In some way we feel like we get to be a small part of that and it makes hosting such a joy!
What is your favorite rental property you have and why do you love it?
We only have the one rental property currently but I think the best thing about it is the peacefulness it offers. We own nearly 5 acres of forest that Hill House sits on. Throughout the cabin you have wall to wall windows that bring in the forest views and it’s a very calming space.
What’s the craziest story you have from hosting?
We had a crazy snow storm in February with several days at zero degrees. In this part of South East Oklahoma the homes aren’t built for that kind of weather because it’s highly unusual to drop below freezing for more than just a few days here and there. We had guests that were there and were able to let the water drip, open up the cabinets under the sink and wrap our outdoor faucets! It was an amazing feeling that our guests were able to help us, we were unbelievably blessed.
What’s one “pro-tip” you’d be willing to pass on to the community?
We are new as hosts but have also stayed at a lot of STR’s and I think the thing that matters MOST to me is knowing what my coffee situation is, hahaha. We offer high quality Keurig coffee pods and the mixings for our guests throughout the duration of their stay. Not just as a starter. Yes, it’s extra, but I know our guests really appreciate it.
