From guesthouse staff to franchise GM to operator-owner, CHLOE traces what separates properties that stay booked year-round from those that never quite click—and why location alone won't save you.
11. Success Finds Its Way? Good Properties Make It Happen
Writer: CHLOE, Chief Operating Officer, Accommodation Power Plant (https://brunch.co.kr/@merrychloemas)
Editor: ONDA Manager Somora
CHLOE, Chief Operating Officer, Accommodation Power Plant
Hello. I'm CHLOE, co-founder and COO of Accommodation Power Plant, which specializes in guesthouse management and training.
I first entered the hospitality industry as guesthouse staff, then broadened my perspective as general manager of a franchise guesthouse chain and working in sales and partner support at ONDA, an integrated booking management service. Now I'm back focusing on guesthouse operations—working hard inside that world as a property operator myself. I want to share the operational know-how I've built from playing diverse roles in accommodations and running properties with different concepts.
Photo by Minh Pham on Unsplash
Those destined to succeed, succeed. It's a Korean saying that means people bound for success will make it no matter what obstacles they face. But the same law applies to accommodations. Properties destined to thrive will thrive in any situation. Just like restaurants and cafes rumored to be the best in the country stay busy 365 days a year, successful properties stay fully booked and chaotic year-round.
New guests arrive the moment others check out. The day's too short to handle the endless stream of laundry and trash. Sure, it's exhausting—but it's the dream every accommodation owner chases. Anyone who's felt the agony of an empty property knows how sweet the problem of "being too busy" really is. The most painful moment in running an accommodation isn't just when yours isn't doing well—it's when you can't find a way to fix it.
I haven't always maintained enviable occupancy rates and revenue running my own properties. Simply put: I've had home runs and flops. When a property was booming, 24 hours wasn't enough—I was constantly tending to the place, but watching occupancy and revenue climb month after month made me scream with joy. When things went south, I'd stay up all night combing through booking sites, checking how many rooms competitors had left.
"What's the difference between this property and mine? What are we missing that travelers aren't choosing us?" Many sleepless nights wrestling with that anguish. And when I looked at successful properties, I couldn't always spot a clear playbook. Copying what looked good didn't magically make our property better or get us chosen. For example, swapping out bedding doesn't bring a surge of bookings the next day. But I couldn't just sit idle either. To make our property succeed and attract guests, we had to keep trying things. In the process, I realized successful properties share common traits. Having managed seven properties and toured hundreds nationwide, I found that thriving properties do three things consistently: they study other successful properties relentlessly, they reinvest revenue back into the property, and they value people.
These three behaviors were universal across every property you'd call "good." They're the elements I've tried hardest to practice myself. If someone asked me the secret to running an accommodation, I'd answer with these three. Let's look at each in detail.
To make our property succeed and attract guests, we had to keep trying things. (Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash)
First: They study successful properties relentlessly
Like the saying "the heavier the grain, the lower it bows," thriving properties never stop learning to become even better. I organized several networking meetups for property operators, and nearly everyone who attended was already running properties with decent results.
Yet they were people constantly researching and learning how to operate even better—or at least maintain their success. We discussed everything from booking systems and staffing to guest communication and facility management, sharing operational insights you can only gain through hands-on experience. It was invaluable—knowledge you can't just Google.
Some properties requesting consulting were fully booked night after night. Yet they still asked: is there anything we're missing? Anything to improve? A better way to serve guests? Watching them constantly examine and reflect made me think, "Of course this property succeeds." That's why, even though it's hard to carve out time while running a property, I make it a point once a month to visit great properties, stay overnight, and write reviews. To become a good property, you need the discipline to study and learn continuously.
To become a good property, you need the discipline to study and learn continuously.
Second: They reinvest revenue into the property
The primary reason to run an accommodation is absolutely "profit." In other words, if someone asks "Why operate a property?" the answer is obviously "To make money." So many owners obsess over making money—but don't think as hard about how to spend it properly. Unless you're planning to run a property for a year or two, cash out on goodwill, and leave, you should seriously consider "how to spend the money."
Properties aren't like homes—countless items wear out fast. Bedding lasts a year to 18 months. Mattresses, about a year. Towels, hairdryers, and other high-touch items break constantly. Beyond that, wallpaper, flooring, lighting, decor—anything affecting ambiance—requires steady investment.
Successful properties reinvest revenue to maintain conditions like a brand-new property as facilities and items age. Saying a property is dirty and run-down because it's old isn't a valid excuse. Leaving broken, moldy bathroom tiles or providing stained linens is a fast track to failure.
As I said upfront, running an accommodation is a business to make money. Personal profit must be secured—but set aside a maintenance budget religiously, like paying insurance premiums. Good properties are constantly filling gaps to deliver a consistent quality of rest.
Successful properties reinvest revenue to maintain conditions like a brand-new property.
Third: They value people
Successful properties all have "long-tenured staff." The reason beloved old restaurants endure is consistent taste and service over time. Accommodations aren't so different. Good properties deliver consistently maintained conditions and service. That consistency requires "seasoned employees."
Properties typically have lower repeat visit rates than restaurants or cafes—especially those in tourist areas. But there are always loyal guests who return because they love a property. They come back because of the "hospitality" that makes them want to. No matter how nice the facilities, if you don't feel comfortable using them, you won't want to return. But if someone's there to welcome you every time? That place becomes somewhere you always want to go back to.
When I ran a guesthouse in Chungmuro, there was a Chinese guest who visited twice a month. I asked why they came so often, and their answer—"Because you're here"—was an epiphany. Similar facilities and prices are everywhere. But no two properties are identical because the people are different. An accommodation is a "home" even for just one night. The staff are the ones who make it comfortable. Great properties radiate this comfort everywhere. You feel the thoughtfulness that helps any guest relax. Valuing people naturally leads to caring for them.
Some people are naturally considerate, but most give back what they receive. Respect and care from owners motivate staff to voluntarily study and work toward making their property better. In properties that value people, everyone—guests, staff, and operators—feels at ease. This signature comfort draws people in.
In properties that value people, everyone—guests, staff, and operators—feels at ease. (Photo by Ali Yahya on Unsplash)
The three points above aren't a formula for success. Every property's situation is different, so you must find the right solution for your property right now. You can't blindly invest money without building systems first. Knowing where investment is needed vs. spending randomly on anything that looks good is completely different.
After establishing a solid framework so your property runs smoothly—once it reaches a certain trajectory—then start thinking about what's needed to keep growing as a thriving property. The key is that successful properties don't miss this moment. They don't get complacent or arrogant just because they exceeded expectations in a short time.
Is your property becoming one of the winners? Or is it fading back into just another option among thousands? I hope every reader's property becomes the protagonist of its own success story.
[Series Index]
(People Stories from Guesthouses) 01. Prologue + I Am a Guesthouse Staffer 02. A Day in the Life of Guesthouse Staff: 25-Hour Close-Up 03. Why Do Guesthouses Have "Guest-taff"? 04. The One Thing Guesthouses Need Most: People
(Operations Stories from Guesthouses) 05. Challenges Guesthouse Owners Face 06. There Are Many Good Guesthouses and Many Bad Ones 07. Properties That Operate Well Have 'That Thing' 08. The Guesthouse Standard
(Guesthouse Startup Stories) 09. Is a Guesthouse Hospitality, Service, or Real Estate? 10. DNA of a Guesthouse Operator 11. Success Finds Its Way? Good Properties Make It Happen 12. Despite Everything, I Love Guesthouses
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