Seth’s story started as a weekend experiment.
He wasn’t trying to build a business – just support his young family in Lexington, Kentucky. By day, he ran the family’s lawn care company. The idea of managing vacation rentals? Nowhere on his radar.
Then came the Breeders’ Cup horse race.
Locals were renting their homes to tourists, so Seth gave it a go. They moved out for a few days. Made a few thousand dollars. It worked.
The following year, he tried again. This time for five weekends. One baby later and over $25,000 in earnings, Seth realized this wasn’t just a side hustle. It was a business opportunity.
The turning point: scaling fast but losing control
As Seth expanded to eight properties, the bookings continued to roll in. But behind the scenes, things were getting messy: guests wanted to book direct. But every time Seth bypassed Airbnb, he lost the automation that made everything work.
“I was using sticky notes to track bookings,” he said. “Once I started taking direct bookings, I lost the auto-messages and reminders. It got stressful fast.”
Then Airbnb suspended his account. No warning. No backup plan.
“That was the wake-up call. I realized I didn’t own the relationship with my guests. I needed something I could control.”
Taking control with Boostly
Seth tried Fiverr. Looked at the free one-pager from his Guesty PMS. Nothing felt right.
Then, at a short-term rental conference, he saw a Boostly website in action: “It looked like a Four Seasons site. Clean, professional, and on-brand. I was sold.”
He still had questions. Would it take weeks of meetings? Would they get the brand right? Boostly made it simple — one detailed questionnaire, a straightforward process, and a live site in weeks.
“When I saw the first version, I couldn’t believe it was mine.”
Results that speak for themselves
Direct bookings didn’t flood in overnight. Seth focused on consistency, especially in email marketing, utilising templates from the Boostly CRM (included in the package).
Three months later, it paid off: a $6,000 direct booking covered the entire cost of the site.
Today, Six Gen Rentals has:
- 15 properties
- Over $2 million in annual revenue
- 20% direct bookings and climbing
Why the right partner matters
Boostly wasn’t just a website provider. For Seth, it was a turning point. It gave him:
- Full control of his guest experience
- A brand he was proud to share
- Systems that scale with growth
- A website that actually converts
“I’m building something for my family. This isn’t just about revenue. It’s about freedom.”
Final thoughts
Seth’s story shows what happens when hosts take control. OTAs helped him start, but direct bookings helped him grow.
With Boostly, Seth built a strong foundation. With consistency and smart systems, he turned it into something lasting. For hosts looking to reduce reliance on OTAs and build something real — this is what’s possible with the right partner.
Want to see what’s possible?
Visit boostly.co.uk/call to explore real client sites and schedule a call.
Guesty users get an exclusive 30% discount on Boostly’s setup fee – just mention Guesty when you book.