From Fixer-Upper to Airbnb Superhost: The Journey of Brandon Christensen

The special guest of our new Hospitable Hosts podcast is Brandon Christensen, a passionate entrepreneur, and a successful STR host. He and his wife Cassie (who is an Airbnb Superhost) run a cozy log cabin in the Poconos, PA, United States. Cassie and Brandon use their Instagram account to document their hosting journey. They officially launched on Airbnb in February 2024, and now, their listing stands out on the platform as one of the highest-ranked homes based on ratings, reviews, and reliability. So, what is the secret of their success?

Press play now to discover how Brandon and Cassie renovated their log cabin to turn it into a memorable getaway for guests, how they market their property, and what technology they use to streamline their operations so they can do more to provide an exceptional experience for guests.

Do you prefer to read the highlights? We’ve got a summary of the key takeaways below.

How Brandon and Cassie Got into the Hospitality Industry

Brandon admits that he never anticipated owning an Airbnb or getting into short-term rentals. He and his wife Cassie started a mental health care company, and when COVID hit, they worked remotely and had an opportunity to travel to 49 states. They stayed at many Airbnbs and hotels, so they learned a lot about hospitality by doing that.

Then Brandon’s father purchased a home with a garage rental apartment in the back of it, and he allowed Brandon to list it for him on Airbnb. “Within the first hour of listing it, I think we got three bookings, and I was hooked. I heard those little dings and felt like my love for travel and business collided here. So that’s how we got into the industry,” Brandon explains.

Brandon and Cassie started looking for a property they could renovate and put on Airbnb, and they found a cabin in the Poconos. Managing the renovation project was challenging since they live in New Jersey. “We had one of my dad’s workers with whom I have a relationship. He would come out and help and take the drive, but it’s probably one of the reasons why the project took so long. It was difficult, but we did it,” Brandon explains.

Owning a STR Property Is about Hospitality

Brandon thinks that many people view Airbnb as just a real estate investment and a way to get a passive income. However, owning an Airbnb is more than just collecting rent—it’s like running a hospitality company. “You’re competing to provide an exceptional experience to guests. So, we always looked at it from that perspective. And I think that helped with how we designed the place.”

Brandon thinks their previous work experience in software sales and mental health helped them create a system that works and uses technology to their advantage. “It just allows us to do more and better in a way that makes everything streamlined,” Brandon emphasized.

What Tools Do They Use?

Brandon underlines that they heavily lean on technology. They use the PriceLabs dynamic pricing tool to ensure their prices are competitive at any time of the year. StayFi helps them collect the guests’ email addresses who stayed at the cabin so they can build a list and “hopefully keep in touch with them through email marketing.”

Regarding running their cabin and managing their daily tasks, Brandon points out that Hospitable has been the pillar of how they built their business, and it’s a system you can grow on.

“It probably saves us 10, 15 hours a week, and it integrates with a lot of stuff like our smart lock—the codes get generated automatically. We don’t have to deal with guests checking in; it’s all automated. When somebody books, the messaging feature automatically sends out the welcome message with our electronic guest book that we made,” Brandon clarifies.

Short-Term Rental Marketing on Social Media

“Instagram has been a game changer regarding the success of our cabin and the building of our network,” Brandon underlines. Cassie and Brandon decided to create an Instagram account when they bought their cabin to build their audience while renovating it and turning it into a dream Airbnb. The plan was that when they launched, people would have followed their journey and may have wanted to stay there.

“We just documented everything, the renovations—whenever we would go out there, we would take content. I didn’t expect the community that was going to be built through the process and all the other added value aside from just getting bookings,” Brandon points out.

The Instagram account helped them connect with 50+ short-term rental owners in the Poconos. “Everybody shares resources. Everybody shares advice. We have that to go to when situations arise where we’re not sure how to handle.”

Brandon also talked about what they do to ensure a positive guest experience and shared their plans to start a new renovation project for the tiny house they recently bought.

Listen to the full episode of the latest Hospitable Hosts podcast to get inspired by a success story of Cassie and Brandon’s journey to hosting the romantic log cabin of their dreams.