Meet donald hopkins | Short term rental host

We had the good fortune of connecting with donald hopkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi donald, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It really wasn’t supposed to be a business. We bought the 8′ x 20′ shipping container, tinyhouse as a guest house for relatives and friends when they came to visit. We realized it stayed empty a lot of the time so my husband suggested I rent it on short term rental websites.. I didn’t even know what STR’s were back in 2017 but quickly found out. I listed it on a few different sites and had my 1st guest in March of 2017. From there, it just took off to the point that our tinyhouse/arcade was 60% booked in 2021!

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
It’s not actually physical art that I create. But being a short term rental host is like more like art than the other choices I think. A great host has to create a unique space that people want to come to (I have many repeat guests) and an environment where people can truly be themselves. Each guests experience has to be special & incredible for a host to continually receive the 5 star reviews that drive more people to want to come.

When I was on the largest short term rental site (you know their name), I was a “superhost” for 5 years in a row. Over that time, I received 703 five star reviews & maintained a 4.99 rating out of a possible 5. I don’t mention their name because I refuse to use them any longer due to their ridiculously high fees and their attitude that hosts are dispensable and not important enough to treat with dignity and respect.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This has happened a few times with family and friends. We love to take them to the battery and walk around. For breakfast we’ll go to Reveille in Marietta, for lunch we would go to My Parent’s Basement in Atlanta for great food and PINBALL games! For dinner, I’ll cook for them at home on the BBQ and then we’ll play pinball and video games in our private arcade.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband deserves the shoutout. He believed in me & my vision enough to help fund this endeavor and he stood behind me throughout the extensive learning curve of becoming a successful short term rental host.

Website: www.oasisarcadeairbnb.com

Instagram: oasisarcadeLLC

Facebook: OasisarcadeLLC

Other: https://www.hostzaver.com/tiny_house_huge_arcade_just_miles_t_e331