Whether you’re a property owner with experience managing a personal rental or you’re simply a business-minded individual with a knack for strong customer service, Grand Welcome is, quite fittingly, a welcoming franchise opportunity for just about anyone. By Tamara Rahoumi
Whether you’re a property owner with experience managing a personal rental or you’re simply a business-minded individual with a knack for strong customer service, Grand Welcome is, quite fittingly, a welcoming franchise opportunity for just about anyone.
Because of the robust support system for franchisees – a system that includes handling all of the heavy backend, marketing and reservations, as well as providing ongoing support and training – the opportunity is quite flexible when it comes to the ideal professional background or skills that would ensure success. That said, there is one characteristic that is invaluable for Grand Welcome franchisees: strong people skills.
“It’s a personal business,” said Kevin Drudge, vice president of franchise development at Grand Welcome. “Not only are you maintaining long-term relationships with property owners, but you’re also providing great customer service to traveling guests, so the right franchisee has to be a people-oriented person.”
Drudge also noted that, beyond helping franchisees maintain relationships with property owners, strong personal skills will help them build additional partnerships that could boost their business over time. For example, a franchisee might have a lot of success securing new properties within their protected territory by generating partnerships with individuals in the real estate community.
“We have referral programs for real estate agents and brokers who are helping people buy properties that could be utilized for short-term rentals, and we can become the local property manager of record for a local builder or developer and provide a great service,” said Drudge. “We’ve built a business model around being very competitive and offering a 15% management fee for our services as well, which is unheard of in the industry.”
So whether it’s providing exceptional guest relations or building a network of Realtors and developers, being able to come in with a relationship-focused mindset will quickly make any franchisee feel right at home with Grand Welcome.
Tamara Rahoumi