Amidst the financial tzuris of last week there was one moment of glee. After barely a year of being in the hospitality business, my Airbnb house, formerly my uncle's incredibly ugly house, was awarded (hence the trophy icon) the prestigious Guest Favorite moniker.
Had you told me that 5 years ago, when I was cleaning out the unbelievable detritus and old lady furnishings from the place, I would not have believed you. The running joke was that my uncle was the only gay man in Palm Spring's with no sense of design.
Or irony.
The smallish house with the huge private backyard was a mess. And required a total re-haul, inside and out. That included a new kitchen and appliances, two bathroom remodels, new furnace, new air conditioning, new pool equipment, paint (inside and out), a new garage door and the removal of close to a ton of extension chords, drill bits and wire hangers.
Not to mention the countless reams of paper.
My uncle, also in possession of an outsized sense of justice, was an inveterate letter writer. Sound familiar? He had enough paper to dash off a missive to every resident of Southeast Asia. If he had a beef with them, legitimate or imagined, he would have.
That was then, this now.
Since retiring, I have made the operation of the rental house my full time gig. Well, part time. I am limited by the restrictive Short Term Rental laws in Palm Springs (ironically instituted in part to my uncle's Nagawriting™ to city officials) I only have a Junior STR certificate. That means I can only rent the place 6 times a year.
Last week a woman from Toronto, as well as her mother and a friend, were there for 9 days. And on none of those 9 days did she text me with a question or a request. I must be doing something right and have successfully worked out the kinks. That includes the funky electrical wiring that is endemic to all Palm Spring houses built in the 1960's.
When they left, she penned a lovely 5 star review for the Mojo Dojo Desert Casa House, a name that was scorned by my two daughters, who wrongfully believed I was going about this Airbnb thing all wrong. This latest 5 star rating is in addition to all the other 5 star ratings and has qualified me for the Guest Favorite status.
The only question that remains is where the next 5 star rating will come from. It might even be you. And you might, just saying, qualify for a discount given that you know (or read) the owner.
Here's the magic link: airbnb.com/h/mddch