How Pathfinder Vacations Protects Both Property and Community
Founder Joanna Woods explains why comprehensive screening protects more than just your investment.
The Woods family’s path to short-term rentals began with frequent travel between the UK and US for their son Tomas’s WCMX competitions.
“It was that Christmas in Grapevine, Texas, when we decided to buy a place to reduce our travel expenses and Airbnb it to pay the bills. That’s how Pathfinder Vacations came to life in 2023.”
Protecting investment and neighbors
“I didn’t want to put my community, property, and investments on the line… I don’t want to put other people’s families at risk when it’s where they live full-time.”
As Joanna planned to launch direct bookings alongside their Airbnb listing, she realized the financial risk she was taking with her investment property. A conversation with neighbors about not wanting Airbnbs in the area made her determined to be a responsible operator.
“The main benefit of Truvi’s platform is my own peace of mind. If you think about it, as a property owner and manager, I’ve put a lot of my invested money on the line. So if anything bad happens to my property, I need to know who my guests are.
Logically, I was looking for an alternative to OTA insurance, knowing how guest-focused they can be. In the meantime, I was building and launching a direct booking website for our business.
What convinced me further to use Truvi was a conversation with our neighbours, who said they wouldn’t want an Airbnb in the neighborhood. I didn’t want to add to that issue. I wanted to make sure my guests wouldn’t disturb them.
I heard about Truvi on a podcast, and immediately knew that we could use your services to both protect the community, my house, and my peace of mind.”
Comprehensive protection approach
Pathfinder Vacations uses Truvi’s full suite of services to maximize protection. Guest Screening and ID Verification help identify who’s actually staying, while the Sex Offender Check protects the broader community.
“Now, I can see if the guest has been screened, and if they’ve used their ID. So if anything bad happens, I can call the police, I have proof that these people were staying on my property. That’s also how we filter out underage guests and prevent parties in our quiet neighborhood.
Not to mention the Sex Offender Check. I don’t want to put other people’s families at risk when it’s where they live full-time.”
Guest acceptance of damage waivers
“My guests quite like the fact that they can use the damage waiver. It saves them a fortune.”
Joanna was concerned about guest resistance, but found that guests actually prefer the Damage Waiver option versus traditional deposits.
“We have had one guest who chose not to continue with a last-minute one-night booking, which looked like a major red flag anyway. None of my other bookings have had an issue with it at all — and neither would I.
My guests quite like the fact that they can use the damage waiver. It saves them a fortune. They don’t have to have a hold placed on their account, and if they’ve invited friends, they don’t have to worry about being financially responsible if something goes wrong. With a Damage Waiver, guests know they’re protected either way. We’ve had a very positive response to date.”
Continuous learning enabled by peace of mind
“In the course of these two years, I’ve learned so much about guest communication, security, management, cleaning, and calendars simply by listening to podcasts. I’ve recently finished a bootcamp for hosts, and it’s been a life-changing experience for me and makes me confident about expanding my portfolio.”
With her properties protected by comprehensive screening, Joanna can confidently focus on growing her expertise — and scaling her business.
Ready to protect your investment and peace of mind like Pathfinder? See pricing and get started today.
