Fountain City Airbnb host sets her properties apart — in U.S. and in Mexico

When Veronika Palova became an Airbnb host five years ago, she confessed she started out small — renting out a room in her home and sharing a bathroom with guests.

“I pushed through and was able to save enough money to purchase and renovate properties on my own,” said Palova, who is now a Superhost and splits her time between Mexico and Knoxville.

“I love interior design and photography and decided to make it my full-time job,” said Palova, who has worked for Tesla and Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions. “The ability to be creative, the freedom to use your time as you want, it was just really refreshing,” she said. “I love knowing I can control every aspect from marketing and advertising and get to run it as my own business. It is just a rewarding and humbling experience.”

The next property Palova tackled was a single-family home in Tacoma, Washington.

“It needed work and was really outdated and small,” she said. “But there was also a lot of wasted space, so I decided to create a second entrance and blocked off a large separate room with a laundry room. I converted that room and added an ensuite wet room with a soaking bathtub. It allowed me to still live in the house and not see my guests.

“You would never have thought you could have a business here,” Palova said. “I had to look outside the box. The budget was so tight, but I knew I would do so well that I used my credit card to pay for renovations and paid them off within three months.”

The Airbnb Superhost said she has strived to create quality accommodation that reflects her personal style — although, there have been some hard lessons along the way.

“I experienced people trashing my home and stealing. It was a learning curve to understand why it was happening and to learn the legal stuff,” she said. “Now it is seamless; it is a really fun way to make passive income and talk to cool people.”

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Palova has overseen eight Airbnbs but has sold three of them, including the original place in Tacoma and two 1930s Bungalows in Idaho. She still has five active listings, two of them in Tacoma. There is one in Tulum, Mexico (Sunset Studio) and two in the Fountain City area (Coco North End Home and Cottage on Maple).

“I am currently working on my next one in Mexico,” she said. “I have one already here, but I’m looking for land to build the next one.

“I have a background in the hospitality industry. I was a director of sales for Marriott,” Palova said. “I pay attention to special occasions. If it’s somebody’s birthday or anniversary I will always put out little extra goodies, chocolates and a card with their name on it, thanking them for staying.”

All of Palova’s properties have a soaking tub, and she keeps the Airbnb stocked with essential oils, bath bombs and bath salts. “I don’t want them to feel as if they have to go out and get it,” she said. “I also put out a tray with a teacup and chocolate.”

Knoxville is still an untapped market, according to Palova.

“I was very surprised at some of the Airbnbs. I thought if they can rent, I can for sure rent out mine,” she said. “They all look very similar, and I wanted to shift away from that, give them some oomph. I think the market is there; the biggest thing is to make sure you come off as professional.”

Palova focuses on providing good amenities and cleanliness. “Knoxville is a college town; I want to make sure they feel at home when they visit,” she said. “All of my amenities are up to date, nothing is broken, it’s clean and I have white sheets like in a hotel. These are the things people are looking for.”

Her Airbnbs are probably booked 24 nights out of the month.

“Knoxville reminds me a bit of Boise, Idaho, where I went to school and started out,” she said.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Fountain City Airbnb host sets her properties apart