‘We used Truvi's safety features to scale direct bookings’ - COO at Sojourn

Nicole Pace, COO of Sojourn, a hospitality company managing 350+ properties in the mid-Atlantic, knows firsthand the challenges of running a successful short-term rental business. Before starting Sojourn with her friend, and now CEO, Dunniela Kaufman in 2019, Nicole was a bartender in Washington, DC.

“A single Facebook ad and a weekend working as a property manager ignited Nicole’s passion for starting her own business.”

‘With the beginning of COVID 19, the quality of guests plummeted’

As Sojourn’s portfolio of properties grew, so did the associated challenges. The surge in short-term rentals during the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges, including a rise in problematic guests. “The quality of the guests plummeted, especially in urban markets”, Nicole recalls. “People were looking for places to squat, have parties, and cause damage.”

“At first, we used one company that only provided screening services but quickly realized that we can’t grow our direct bookings if we can’t both verify our guests and protect our properties. Airbnb protects and reimburses homeowners for the cost of the guest’s damage. And we needed the same level of protection for our direct booking homeowners which led us to Truvi.”

 

Sojourn uses a bundle of services including guest verification, damage protection, and damage waiver to step up their direct booking game.

“Truvi services allow us to fend off the bad actors, especially in the markets with high rates of malicious actors. That’s what sets us apart from our competition — the extra layer of protection.”

 

We are quite vocal about the guest verification and damage protection in the STR, especially when it comes to conversations with the city council or STR businesses. There’s a very simple way of minimizing the risks in STR: verify the guests, sign a guest contract, and let them know that if they damage a property, there will be consequences. And that’s exactly what Truvi does.

‘Now we can drive more direct bookings without worries’

We were drawn to Truvi’s damage protection that they could help us and the homeowner in case of incidents during direct bookings,” Nicole says. “No one else was offering that level of protection.

By implementing Truvi’s services, Sojourn has significantly improved its operations:

• Advanced guest screening: Truvi’s ID verification technology helps identify potential risks before check-in, reducing the likelihood of negative guest experiences.
• Damage protection: Truvi’s damage deposit guarantee provides peace of mind, streamlining the claims process and minimizing financial losses.

‘Direct booking guests understand why they should pay for a damage waiver’

“I’d say that it’s the Airbnb guests who ask us why they should pay for a damage waiver but we always explain that they’d pay the same damage waiver while booking with Airbnb. The waiver is included in the booking fee. However, the majority of the guests who come from direct booking platforms are more willing to pay the fee.”

And what about ID verification? “Yes, some of our Airbnb guests who have already completed the booking process can be asked to run another check. Especially when they are new to the platform or were never screened by Truvi. Although, we have enough flexibility to choose who gets screened and who doesn’t.”