Silverkey’s short-term rental success with Guesty

Meet Silverkey

Silverkey is a family business with deep roots. The Bravo family set it up in 2016, building on a real estate group with more than 40 years’ track record. Today, it’s one of Gibraltar’s leading property, estate, and short-term rental management providers. Silverkey manages more than 300 properties and oversees 11 residential estates with over 750 units, for institutional owners, private landlords, one of Gibraltar’s leading banks, and mixed-use developments.

Short-term rentals are the newest part of the business. Most of Silverkey’s apartments sit in Gibraltar’s Town Area, within walking distance of the main attractions, the business district, restaurants, shops, and transport links. Guests range from leisure and business travelers to families, digital nomads, contractors, and people relocating to Gibraltar.

The challenge of launching a new line of business

Silverkey moved into short-term lettings to diversify its portfolio and respond to changing market demand. That meant building an operation from zero: new channels, new guest expectations, and a pace of communication that long-term residential management never required.

Response times were the clearest early pressure point. Guests in short-term rentals expect fast answers, and in the beginning, slow replies led to complaints. Silverkey needed a platform that could bring every task, channel, and message into one place, and help the team get good at a new sector quickly.

Why Silverkey chose Guesty

Guesty was Silverkey’s first property management system. What stood out was the marketing and a clearly explained integration process, which gave the team confidence they could get up and running without guesswork.

“Guesty is very intuitive and predictable to use. The platform is well structured, which makes day-to-day operations straightforward.”

Mayo Sanchez, Lead Portfolio Manager, Silverkey

Strong account management, training videos, and AI-powered tools helped the team learn the platform fast and keep improving as the portfolio grew.

The results of a centralized operation

Bringing every task, channel, and system into one platform improved communication across departments and cut the fragmentation between tools. Silverkey’s results have beaten its initial projections.

• Grew from 0 to 35 short-term listings: Built a full short-term rental portfolio since joining Guesty in 2023.
• Increased occupancy by 20%: Optimized performance across listings for more consistent bookings.
• Raised ADR by 20%: Grew nightly rates alongside occupancy.
• Grew total revenue by 15%: Turned higher occupancy and stronger rates into revenue growth across the portfolio.
• Responded to guests 50% faster: Turned response times from a source of complaints into a strength, with automated workflows, centralized messaging, and GCS.
• Saved 20+ hours every week: Handed messaging, calendar management, and pricing to automations.
• Onboards a new property in under an hour: Adds listings fast enough to support steady growth.

“Having all key tasks, channels, and systems consolidated into one platform has allowed us to streamline operations significantly.”

How Silverkey runs day to day

Silverkey’s in-house maintenance and cleaning teams work from the same centralized operation as the guest-facing team. Messages from every channel land in one inbox, and automated workflows keep guests informed from booking to checkout, which means smoother check-ins and fewer delays.

For property owners, clearer reporting makes performance easy to understand. That transparency builds trust and supports Silverkey’s plan to offer short-term management to outside owners and family offices.

“It provides a strong balance between automation and control, allowing us to efficiently manage operations while maintaining high service standards.”

Looking ahead to steady, controlled growth

Silverkey plans to add about five apartments every six months. Several developments in the Town Area are being designed specifically for short-term letting and will join the portfolio as they complete. The team is also adding shared spaces in its closest buildings and exploring cross-border growth into Spain.

The long-term goal isn’t size for its own sake. Silverkey wants to become a benchmark for quality, professionalism, and operational excellence in serviced accommodation.

“We are genuinely excited about growing alongside Guesty and continuing to develop the partnership as both businesses scale.”

Asked to describe Guesty in three words, the team chose: trust, growth, and opportunities.

“In this industry, becoming an expert is not only about personal commitment but also about using the best tools available.”

Standard features

Channel manager | Unified Inbox | Automation workflows | Owner reporting | Guesty Communication Services (GCS)