How the Netflix TV Show “Stay Here” Helped Us Take Our Jamaica Vacation Rental From Nice to Fantastic!
Stay Here
Have you seen the Netflix Series Stay Here with Genevieve Gorder and Peter Lorimer?
Well, if you haven’t, you have to check it out.
Season 1 of Stay Here has 8 episodes each of which takes an underperforming vacation rental in the US, brings in some style and business know-how, and voila! – a magical transformation.
Make sure you check out my favorite episode – the amazing transformation done with the Yellow Block House BnB in Brooklyn, New York in Episode 4. The back story which gave the property its name is heartwarming and the sincerity of the owner, Gordy, in providing his guests with the best experience comes across loud and clear.
Well, we know that’s not the real world.
It is reality tv; but, it sure was fun dreaming up what we could do to kick things up a notch at our Jamaica vacation rental, Mais Oui. It certainly gave us the courage to think outside the box.
Why did we want to make changes at Mais Oui Villa?
Our guests absolutely love Mais Oui and we have a string of 5-star reviews to prove it.
A most memorable stay at Mais Oui Villa! Your team is Exceptional! Thoughtful! And Fun!! Our meals were fabulous, delicious and 6 stars ****** awarded. The villa, the grounds, movies outdoors, hours of tennis, billiards, ping pong, trip to Dunns River Falls and evening dance parties will be forever in our collected memories.
But, we are always asking ourselves, “How can we enhance the guest experience? What could we improve?”
As we watched the Stay Here series, our creative juices started overflowing as we made a few key observations.
1. It seemed odd to us that the new butler avoided the dining area by the bar, opting instead to use the more formal dining room. As it turns out, he felt the arrangement was too crowded to serve food to large groups easily.
2. Guests always hung out in the family room while other areas went unused.
3. Guests rarely used the formal living room
4. The upstairs library lounge was also hardly used.
So now we had a starting point.
What did we want to achieve?
After seeing the changes that they went through during the Stay Here series, we asked ourselves, what is our goal?
Well, Mais Oui is known for having amenities galore, providing fun activities for guests of all ages.
We wanted the villa to be fun and airy, luxurious but comfortable and welcoming for families and large groups.
And, equally important, we wanted the entire villa to be used with no dead spaces.
What were we not willing to do to achieve our goals?
On Stay Here, some serious cash must have been spent to transform some of those properties.
We didn’t want to do any new construction.
We had recently painted the interiors so we weren’t eager to repaint.
What did we do to get the Stay Here “touch” at our Jamaica vacation rental?
We used the Stay Here episodes for inspiration.
Most of what we did involved either repurposing furniture or changing the function of rooms.
We made four major changes:
1. We made the living room more functional by changing the layout of the seating and adding a 55 inch TV making it more welcoming to both kids and adults
2. The former family room became a multipurpose dining area and games room which improved food service by being closer to the kitchen and offered more space to seat large groups comfortably.
3. The previous bar area became more of a sports bar with direct access out to the pool.
4. Some of the furniture from the original living room got a new home in the upstairs library lounge.
Once we did the changes, we couldn’t imagine why we hadn’t made them before. The place looked even better than before. And is so much more functional!
Well, you saw some of the before pictures early on in the post.
You be the judge….
What do you think of the new updates? Would you “Stay Here”? (I couldn’t resist the pun.)
Come visit us soon to see the changes in person!
If you haven’t seen the Stay Here series, have a look. Yes, it’s a reality show; but, thankfully there haven’t been any crazy people, not one. I think you’ll enjoy the series and, as a bonus, you’ll get some inspiration to help you update your own space.
‘Til next time.
Think and dream Jamaica!
Sherry, Darrell, and Darrian
Considering a visit to Jamaica with a group? Contact us today for more information about Mais Oui Tennis & Spa Villa, our boutique 8-BR ocean view Jamaica villa rental experience in beautiful Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Perfect for multi-generational families and groups, retreats, bachelorette getaways, and intimate destination weddings and vow renewals.
Visit our website: http://www.MakeItJamaica.com
Give us a call: 833.MAISOUI (624.7684) toll-free or 914.709.0457
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