Charli and Natalie, founders of Wildcat Interiors, have found their passion in the fast-paced world of short-term rentals with over 9 years of experience in the industry. Their favorite project to date is the Taylor Swift-themed “The Cardigan (Taylor’s Version),” which was extremely detailed and challenging, but well worth it. As the girls from Thanks for Visiting say, “It’s part-time, all the time,” and Charli and Natalie couldn’t agree more – they’ve learned to roll with the unexpected in this line of work!

When it comes to vacation rental needs, they highly recommend exploring the many resources available to you, including HostGPO discounts.

How many years have you been in the short-term rental industry and how did you get started?

Charli (speaking) has been in the STR industry since 2014. I got started by renting out a spare bedroom in my home to females and couples and thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality side of the business. Since then, my husband and I own two non-owner occupied STRs in Nashville, TN, and I enjoyed the styling and stocking aspect of it so much, I started an STR styling company with my BF (who I grew up with) here in Nashville in late 2022! 

What do you find most rewarding about your career?

Well, first and foremost, getting to do what we love (interior decorating) and bringing out the potential in seemingly boring spaces-  it’s amazing what can be done to 4 white walls! In addition to that, seeing or hearing the clients’ reactions – it’s SO rewarding! And for my (Charli’s) own STRs, we get to hear that kind of feedback from guests over and over again because it’s always their first time seeing the space – it never gets old! 

What is your favorite rental property you have and why do you love it?

Well, our favorite rental we’ve DESIGNED has been the Taylor Swift one – it’s called The Cardigan (Taylor’s Version). It was EXTREMELY detailed (there are even 13 planted easter eggs guests get to discover throughout the home) and definitely a challenge, but well worth it. We’re so happy with the outcome, and the clients loved it so much that they asked us to do another Taylor Swift theme in one of their units, ha! 

My favorite rental property that we OWN is the Stone Fox.

What’s the craziest story you have from hosting?

Oh man…you sure you want to ask that question? ; ) I’ll go with a happy one that won’t give your readers night terrors. When I first started hosting, I had this beautiful Swedish girl/performer stay with my roommate and I for about two weeks. We became surprisingly close in that amount of time and stayed in touch – so much so that a couple of years later, she flew back to Nashville to sing (pro bono) at my wedding! We remain great friends to this day, despite being a world apart from each other.

What’s one “pro-tip” you’d be willing to pass on to the community?

Prepare for the unexpected and train yourself to just roll with it. STR hosting is not a relaxing gig and it can be [very] stressful at times, but odds are things are going to work out just fine (even if it feels like a blazing fire in the moment).  As the girls from the Thanks for Visiting podcast say, “It’s part-time, all the time.” 

What’s the most recent item that you can remember that you’ve ordered from HostGPO?

An awesome snake rug!

What would you tell others about whether to join HostGPO?

There’s literally no reason not to!! It’s SO worth it!