Fireside Chat with Berry Springs Lodge
Welcome to our latest Fireside Chat! In this hospitality owner interview, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Trae Robrock, co-owner of Berry Springs Lodge, to talk about his journey into hospitality, the challenges he faced as a new property owner, and the creative solutions he has implemented to make Berry Springs Lodge stand out. Here's what we learned!
Background: Day-in-the-life.
Berry Springs Lodge is a 13-room boutique property located in the Smokey Mountains, near Gatlinburg, TN.
Trae initially set out to buy a single-family bed and breakfast hotel but found Berry Springs Lodge through a realtor, and it was already suited for running a small lodge.
Over the years, Trae has stepped back from the day-to-day operations thanks to finding a fantastic GM. Now, he spends more time on new initiatives like obtaining a liquor license and other requirements to expand the lodge’s amenities.
They also implemented a new amenities fee, which has helped diversify revenue streams and contributed to improving the guest experience.
Life at Berry Springs Lodge is about providing a relaxing, nature-focused getaway for guests, especially couples looking for a peaceful retreat.
A little bit about Trae Robrock
Got into hospitality somewhat by accident – started by searching for a single-family B&B as a fun and interesting real estate investment.
Former background in tech, which gave him the skills to enhance the business operations with some additional technology solutions.
Committed to providing a high level of guest service, with an emphasis on reputation management to drive repeat guests and higher profit direct bookings.
About Berry Springs Lodge
Berry Springs Lodge is a serene retreat nestled close to the hustle and bustle of Gatlinburg, TN. Guests love it for its perfect combination of seclusion and accessibility to the area's attractions like Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. From watching the sunrise over the mountains to cozying up in peaceful surroundings, Berry Springs Lodge offers an escape from everyday life.
Key ingredients to their success include:
- Dedicated General Manager: Finding, hiring and training a full-time professional GM to assume responsibility of the daily operations allowed Trae to focus on other projects and maintain a work-life balance.
- Optimal Technology Solutions: Leveraging a modern property management system like rezStream Cloud that is specifically designed for small lodging has allowed Trae to simplify operations and drive more bookings. Additionally, Trae's tech background helped him create Comfortly, a tool he has integrated with rezStream’s PMS for additional seamless management and automation of housekeeping, inspections, shift notes, and other tasks.
- Reputation Management: They prioritize gathering guest feedback and have climbed to the top of local listings on TripAdvisor by actively responding to reviews.
Challenges: We all have them.
Running a lodge comes with its unique set of obstacles. Here are some challenges Berry Springs Lodge has faced along the way:
🙋♂️ Staffing.
Being located in the second most visited wine country outside of Napa, they have seen an increase in guests overindulging, leading to more incidents of disrespectful behavior.
🛡️Remote Ownership.
Operating a property while living remotely presented challenges in staying on top of day-to-day issues, especially during the first years.
🧐 Guest Experience Gaps.
Without a detailed housekeeping system in place, it was hard to remotely monitor if rooms were being cleaned on time or if all tasks were completed as expected.
🤖 Technology.
Inherited paper-based operations for housekeeping that lacked deeper insight into daily tasks or room statuses.
Solutions: What are you getting from rezStream?
Trae shared how rezStream Cloud has been instrumental in overcoming many of their property's challenges and enhancing operations overall.
- Intuitive Operations Management: rezStream's easy-to-use platform allows their team to manage reservations and daily tasks effectively.
- Guest Messaging Integration: Adding text messaging capabilities via Akia allowed Trae to streamline communication with guests.
- Data Insights and Visibility: Moving from paper to digital provided full transparency into daily tasks, room statuses, and key operational metrics.
- Gift Certificates: The built-in gift certificate feature was a major reason Trae chose to stick with rezStream when other PMS options lacked this crucial function.
- Automation to Streamline Processes: Automated guest communication and revenue management features help Berry Springs Lodge keep operations efficient while maintaining a focus on providing an outstanding guest experience.
Join the Conversation
We love celebrating the success of our customers like Berry Springs Lodge and sharing their journey. Have questions about how rezStream Cloud can help elevate your property management? We'd love to hear from you!
Stay tuned for more Fireside Chats with incredible properties like Berry Springs Lodge. Let's keep the conversation going – leave us a comment or reach out directly!