Hosting With Heart

Susan Weil is a true pioneer of the hosting space, having managed multiple accommodation offerings in and around her home town of Bellingen, NSW for 22 years.

A qualified marriage counsellor, Susan moved to the area with her daughter following the dissolution of her own marriage many years ago, and shortly following stumbled on the 8 acre property that would ultimately evolve into what is now known as Weilhouse Living.

Weilhouse Living comprises four unique dwellings that embody Suz and her family's love of nature, beauty and timeless simplicity, three of which are set on a biodynamic working farm and the fourth only an hour's drive away in a similar environment.

From the sprawling, beautifully rustic Bellingen Farmhouse to the cosy ambience of the Hernani Wilderness Hut, this is a host who has aimed to craft an accommodation offering for everyone.

Suz is an avid, unapologetic believer in repurposing, sustainability and the slow stays movement - a philosophy and values system that has directly informed her extensive use of vintage materials and furnishings throughout each dwelling.

I've been wanting to get Suz on the podcast for a chat for some time now and it was a real pleasure to finally do so last week. I'm sure you'll enjoy our catch up.

Jane Cay is an Australian entrepreneur and founder of the fashion retailer, Birdsnest.

She launched the company in 2004 from her hometown of Cooma in rural New South Wales, and it has since grown into one of Australia's most successful e-commerce businesses, with a strong focus on customer service, personal styling and body positivity.

In mid 2022, Jane and the team at Birdsnest opened Nest Stays, two lovingly renovated, sustainably-minded heritage terrace homes, each accommodating up to 6 guests, also located in Cooma.

The properties are designed to provide guests with a comfortable and stylish home away from home, drawing on Birdsnest's signature modern, understated aesthetic.

In a relatively short period of time, Jane has achieved more than most could expect to achieve in a lifetime, and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with her earlier this week.

Ally Oyston is a woman on a mission.

The former lawyer turned disability advocate, along with her husband Matt, earlier this year purchased Bimbala Cottage, a 100-year-old, lovingly restored, meticulously decorated house located in Jervis Bay, New South Wales.

Having purchased it from another highly successful host, Ally and Matt were fortunate enough to acquire all of the furniture in the property as part of the sale, making the process of marketing it and opening it to the public enviably expedient.

Once they opened however, Ally's aims were way broader than that of an average newbie host. Having seen and experienced first-hand the rate of burnout amongst Australia's enormous community of full-time carers, she wanted to offer up the property as a place where they could take some much-needed time-out for themselves and properly relax and recharge.

As part of this, she and Matt offer 'sponsored stays', whereby a short break at Bimbala can be purchased as a gift for a carer in particular need of respite.

Ally is one of those people whose generosity and compassion knows no bounds. She is every bit the heartful host, and it was a total pleasure to have a chat with her recently.

In 2013, Sam Bloom, an avid traveller, keen sportswoman, nurse, wife and Mum to three young boys, was holidaying in Thailand with her family when in a literal split second, she fell six metres through the decayed railing of an observation deck fence, landing on concrete.

As a result of the fall, she suffered devastating injuries, including severe damage to her spinal cord that left her paralysed from the chest down.

The personal journey and unexpected bond with an injured magpie her sons named 'Penguin' that followed her accident went on to be documented in a hugely successful book named 'Penguin Bloom', photographed by Sam's husband Cam and written by acclaimed Australian author Bradley Trevor-Greive.

But what followed that went beyond Cam and Sam's wildest dreams. Actress Naomi Watts soon came calling, wanting to produce and star in a movie version of the book, which was released internationally in 2020 to critical acclaim.

If this wasn't enough to cultivate a prolific public profile for Sam, she also went on to take up kayaking and became a two-time World Parasurfing Champion.

I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with Sam about her experiences as a traveller both before and after the accident recently. Her insights proved to further fuel my drive to do as much as I can to increase the amount of high-quality accessible accommodation both here and the world over.

I hope you enjoy this very special chat between myself and Sam today.

Amanda Bertoldi-Ward and Gareth Ward have a mindset and approach to hosting that is thankfully becoming more and more commonplace as time goes on.

An architect and a carpenter respectfully, they started out with an ethos centered on sustainability, wellness, quality and charity, and have carried on in the same vein ever since.

Having started the building process of what would become the first two of Homeostasis Retreats' evolving stable of properties in 2018, Amanda and Gareth, along with their 3 young kids, eventually opened the doors to their house and cabin, situated in the lush surrounds of Queensland's Mount Tamborine, in late 2020.

Since then, they have created an adaptable property catering to both couples and families that enables guests to effectively tailor their own holiday experience, be it a health and wellness focused recharge, or simply relaxing, doing nothing and enjoying some local wines and Netflix.

It was a complete pleasure chatting with this warm and industrious couple. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.

Liz Hayes and her husband Andy have created something so desperately needed in this ever-demanding day and age; a sustainable retreat that encourages guests to reignite their childhood sense of curiosity.

Set amidst the trees of Million Springs Farm, overlooking the glorious Hakataramea Valley, smack-bang in the middle of New Zealand's South Island, Nest Tree Houses is the realisation of a long-held dream for Liz, a qualified journalist and writer and self-confessed childhood treehouse lover.

Starting out with one treehouse, Liz and Andy opened their doors to guests just as Covid hit, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise given the vastly increased appetite for unique and remote local escapes that ensued.

Such was the level of success of their first treehouse, they sometime later decided to construct a second one, enabling them to develop a thriving accommodation business which is today fuelled entirely by direct bookings.

And if the treehouses themselves weren't enough of a treat, guests are able to explore the incredibly historic, six-generation old family farm and surrounds during their stay, including the option of heading to a neighbouring whisky bar by helicopter or milking one of the property's many resident cows.

Liz and Andy have cultivated such a rewarding life for themselves and their three kids and it was an absolute pleasure to hear about their journey when Liz and I caught up a short time ago. Please enjoy our chat today.

Yael Katz is one of those rare people that absolutely radiates strength and goodness.

Having spent her early life in Israel where she worked in training, she went on to travel to Australia where she ultimately wound up working with indigenous communities helping to establish new businesses, predominantly in the tourism space.

It is this shared passion and respect for Indigenous knowledge and culture, and love for the Australian bush, that brought Yael and future husband Rob together, eventually resulting in them realising their dream of embarking on an experiential nature-based tourism business of their own.

Flash forward a number of years and Yael, Rob and their two young daughters are now the proud owners of Ecopia Retreat, two luxuriously appointed rammed earth eco villas - and an occasionally available larger residence - situated on 60 hectares of pristine native bushland on Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast, now classified as a wildlife sanctuary.

Since opening the doors to the retreat in 2018, Yael and Rob have experienced phenomenal success and an abundance of 5-star reviews, yet they've also had to endure an assortment of challenges, including withstanding the ups and downs of Covid and the threat of bushfires.

That said, this is a couple whose life and business is fiercely driven by their values and you can't help but think that for them, the best really is yet to come.

Please enjoy my chat with Yael today.

Carrie Donaldson has come full circle in her life more than a handful of times.

Having spent a couple of decades in the tourism, events and marketing sector, in Tasmania, Victoria and internationally, she has a masterful grasp on the various factors that need to come together to make a destination 'sing' to prospective travellers. She also knows how vital it is to involve and consult local communities in the process.

Flash forward to 5 or so years ago, when Carrie, her husband Luis and their teenage son found themselves with a small portfolio of properties on Yorta Yorta country in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria.

Having recently embarked on Sarah Andrews' Hosting Masterclass, she went on "level up" two of these properties into phenomenally successful short-term rentals, with the second of the two - the captivating Storekeeper's House in the Victorian township of Tatura - going on to feature on the June, 2022 cover of Country Style magazine.

More recently, in response to floods that have permeated that same region, she opened up both properties to displaced local community members to take refuge in, a decision made in alignment with her ethos that what you give to your local region as a host or business owner, you ultimately get back.

Carrie has long been on my wishlist of podcast guests and it was a real honour and a privilege to chat with her last week. Please enjoy.

Gabi Thorn and Gabbie Gagne are the epitome of young, innovative, conscientious and hard-working entrepreneurs.

Arriving on the NSW South Coast from the UK about 7 years ago, Gabi Thorn quickly spotted a gap in the market for an eco-friendly, sustainable, high-end housekeeping service, so decided she would start one.

She wasted no time getting busy writing a business plan, cultivating a brand and getting word out about the business to the conglomerate of local holiday property owners, meeting her now Head of Operations Gabbie Gagne along the way.

Flash forward to today and the business, which Gabi named The Clarity Co, employs 19 staff in various capacities and has gone from strength to strength. So much so that the ladies have recently established a second complimentary business, Late Checkout, providing a tailored property management service to owners wanting to be as 'hands-off' as possible.

It was a total pleasure having a chat with Gabi and Gabbie earlier this week. I hope you get as much as I did out of today's episode.