If you’ve read or seen Eat, Pray, Love, you’ve probably considered vacationing on the beaches of Bali. René Theil fell in love with Indonesia long before Julia Roberts, and he has owned his own ‘little escape’ on the island for 17 years. When he wasn’t using the property, he rented it out to friends and friends of friends.
In 2011, René was living in Hong Kong, and he had just started both a business and a family. With fewer and fewer opportunities to use the vacation home himself, he decided to renovate the villa in Sanur and list it on Airbnb. Now René is scaling up, managing five properties in Bali—with nine more on the horizon in the coming year.
René has been a Superhost for the last ten quarters, and today he is sharing his vast experience with the Get Paid for Your Pad Audience. He explains the process of leasing a villa in a country where foreigners are not allowed to own land and the concept of having a staff, which is common in Bali. Listen in for René’s insight on providing guests with a stellar under-the-roof experience and leveraging technology to manage multiple properties remotely!
Topics Covered
The lucrative vacation rental market in Bali
- Eat, Pray, Love put on map
- Popular vacation spot
How René got into hosting
- Purchased vacation home in Sanur
- Rented to friends, friends of friends
- Renovated for safety to list on Airbnb
- Perfect space for family, two couples
How René is scaling up
- Expanded to five properties
- Adding nine in new year
- Started managing friends’ investments
- Leverages technology to scale up
René’s insight around investing in Bali as a foreigner
- Not allowed to own land
- Can buy villa on 35 + 15 lease hold agreement
- Option to extend once lease term is up
- Landowner not obliged to extend, but usually do
What René has learned as a host in Bali
- Focus on under-the-roof guest experience
- Replicate five-star hotel service
The concept of a staffed villa
- Common in Bali to have staff
- Make breakfast, shop, babysit, etc.
- Guests grow into comfort of having staff
- Staff won’t disturb if guests want privacy
How René manages remotely from Hong Kong
- Very colorful Outlook calendar
- Uses Vreasy to sync calendars, communicate
Connect with René
Resources
Connect with Jasper
Email: jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com
Twitter: @GetPaidForUrPad
Instagram: @GetPaidForYourPad
Facebook: www.facebook.com/getpaidforyourpad
This episode is sponsored by Hostfully.com where you can create a custom digital guidebook for your guests!
To subscribe to the podcast, please use the links below
Click Here to Subscribe via iTunes
Click here to Subscribe via Stitcher (Android users)
If you like the show, please consider leaving the show a review in iTunes or Stitcher. A couple minutes of your time can help the show immensely! Thanks!