ABOUT DONNA

It’s live!  The Hosting Hero Blueprint is available for all those people who want to up their hosted accommodation game.

Hosted accommodation refers to a type of accommodation where guests stay in the home or on the property of a host rather than in a traditional hotel or rental property.

It is a form of accommodation that offers a more personal and intimate experience for travellers.

Like us, the host typically lives on the premises and shares common spaces with the guests, such as living and dining areas. The guests have their own private bedroom and in most cases, bathroom.

Hosted accommodation can take various forms, including bed and breakfasts, holiday homes, inns, homestays and even may be only listed on a OTA like AirBnB or Booking.com. 

The host will provide additional services such as cleaning and local guidance to enhance the guest's experience. Some like us, will provide breakfast.  Many provide other dining experiences as well.

For those that have known me for a while, you will understand that I built the Hosting Hero Blueprint for thirsty-for-knowledge entrepreneurs. I hate to let the grass grow under my feet.

I built it for the sort of person that like me, has always had an eager taste for starting a business or wanted to level up and really learn what it takes to become successful in their business.

The kind of person that will not rest until they have reached their goals and are living a life designed on purpose.  A life like we have gained from working in our dream place … by the sea.

With so much information out there, it's so hard to know where to start and what to trust.  As a person who is walking the talk, well I kinda feel that I have something to say. 

Sunlover Retreat, here in NZ, was my first attempt at hosting people in my home.  But I came from a wealth of experience in the accommodation area of the tourism industry.

I started as a sales manager in a five star hotel in Auckland, NZ.  What a change from teaching that was!

A role as a national conference sales manager called.  This was for a group of hotels based throughout NZ.  Working with a variety of hotels, that certainly broadened my overview of the industry.

That same hotel chain then sought my expertise as Director of Sales of a brand, spanking new hotel they were building in the heart of Auckland.  I couldn’t turn that role down!

And to finish my corporate life, a life that had seen me involved for many years, I became the Director of Sales and Marketing for another five star hotel.  The cut and thrust of keeping that hotel full was an exhilarating ride!

Actually, it was a ride that I wanted to develop for myself and my family.  A new business was born for me, providing sales and marketing strategies and skills for businesses throughout NZ.

But what brings me here … to you!  When I started, I had no background in home hosting but had plenty of experience in large corporate hotels.  I knew the language of the industry but no idea how to run a small accommodation business. 

I joined a NZ Association called the Bed and Breakfast Association NZ.  Well, what a wealth of information that was!  I was so enamoured with what this group could offer, I joined their Board and have been President for three years of my seven year tenure.

So I’ve spoken to oh so many hosts along the way with so many views, ideas and challenges.

For a few years now, I’ve been asking the same questions you will want answered on the journey to building an extremely successful business.

I have been on the front lines facing the same daily battles you are:

·        How do I get more customers? Where do I find THAT market?

·        How do I scale my business?

·        I want to start a business, but where do I start?

·        How did this person get to a stage where they could charge that?

I created Hoster because I was continually sick and tired of hearing stories of hosters who weren’t making it in their business, either financially or just simply not living their dream. 

So, I set out to discover what it takes to be a fabulous Host and run a profitable business so I could share that with the rest of the world.

In many ways Hoster is a reflection of my own thoughts and discoveries as a person wanting to host guests in her home.

My goal with Hoster is to put a dent in the universe with the goal of impacting the lives of 1000 people within the next 5 years. That's what brings us here - to the Hosting Hero Blueprint.

I'm not sure I'll ever reach a thousand people on my own.

But if there’s one thing I do know – it's that collectively, the world’s 10 million hosted accommodation providers certainly can.

What we tourism entrepreneurs have in common is that we’re driven to work around challenges and lead the way to a better world.

I live and breathe this belief everyday and it's what fuels me to make the Hosting Hero Blueprint, the best resource for business owners in the hosting business that it possibly can be.