Heart of Hospitality
Over the past 20 years of marriage, we have welcomed countless guests into our home—ministers, missionaries, family, and friends. We’ve long dreamed of owning a bed and breakfast once our children are grown. However, with several moves in the past five years, we haven’t always had the space to host as much as we’d like.
In 2017, we purchased a cozy cabin in a local lake town—a little oasis that also became a new business venture. As avid Airbnb guests ourselves, we’ve always preferred the charm of vacation rentals over hotels.
Our two-bedroom, one-bath cabin underwent months of renovations, with every detail carefully considered to enhance our guests’ experience. At the heart of thinking through all these little hospitality details is this: We want to answer the question before the guest ever has to ask it. We approach every space as if we were the guest, anticipating their needs and addressing potential questions before they arise.
Just as you wouldn’t want a guest in your home to have to ask where the extra toilet paper is, we ensure that essentials are placed in obvious, accessible locations—eliminating any awkwardness or the need to rummage through unfamiliar cabinets. We believe a truly welcoming space is one where guests feel at ease, effortlessly finding what they need.
We know how frustrating it can be to arrive at a rental only to find a poorly stocked kitchen—limited cookware, missing utensils, or not even basic seasonings like salt and pepper. That’s why we go the extra mile to ensure our guests have everything they need, from a well-equipped kitchen to a thoughtfully curated selection of seasonings and essentials.
More than just providing convenience, we want our guests to be able to focus on their reason for being there, not stress about whether they have what they need for basic functions. We want them to feel at home. We want their time of rest to be truly restorative. Whatever their reason for needing a rental—whether it’s a vacation, a work trip, or a personal retreat—we hope to make being away from home an easy transition for them.
At our Airbnb, we intentionally chose not to include a TV or WiFi. Our hope is that guests will unplug, be present, and truly connect with their loved ones. We make this clear in our Airbnb listing, so guests know what to expect before they arrive. In our eight years as Superhosts, only one guest has ever mentioned wishing those amenities were available. Most, however, find they didn’t realize how much they needed the chance to disconnect. Many have expressed gratitude for the opportunity to slow down, play board games, and spend quality time with their children—without technology at the center.
At the very heart of our goals as hosts is this simple truth from Proverbs 14:30:
“A heart at peace gives life to the body.”
More than just providing a place to stay, we want to create a space where peace, rest, and connection can flourish.