“Phil never planned to become a host…”
Phil Chaves had a comfortable full-time job in data management and a family country house outside São Paulo that he visited every weekend. But when his job moved the family to Rio, their weekend home sat neglected.
When his wife suggested they put the house on Airbnb for a bit of extra cash, Phil wasn’t keen. Like many new hosts, he worried his family home would get wrecked.
He eventually agreed — and got his first booking just a few days later. By the second month he was taking 2-3 bookings a month, enough to cover his expenses.
The more Phil researched, the more he understood what Airbnb wanted. And the more bookings he got. It wasn’t long before he was making a profit, which he poured straight into adding 9 more properties to his portfolio — all while still working his day job.
Breaking Free From The OTAs
Phil knew he was far too reliant on the OTAs. He was desperate to reclaim his profits by getting more direct bookings, but every time he tried, he hit the same wall: every website he tried wasn’t up to par.
He tried cheap templates that failed to showcase his properties’ amazing features.
He even hired a local web developer to build the site for him… but Phil didn’t have the time, knowledge or desire to maintain a website.
- “In Brazil, we don’t have direct booking developers.”
He needed a site built for short-term rental owners, run by people who know how to get direct bookings.
That’s what led him to Boostly.
“The Most Expensive Websites In Brazil?”
Phil admits that Boostly is expensive for Brazil’s economy. But since Boostly offers a 6-month guarantee, he figured he may as well try:
- “It was pretty expensive, but I bought it with the expectation of ‘I’m just going to test it out. It’s probably not going to be that great.’”
Thankfully, Phil was wrong.
Within a month, Phil’s Boostly website was up and running: www.araucariarefugios.com.br
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The support he got was unparalleled:
- “Traditionally, when I see email support, I get scared. I’m like, this is going to take SLAs of a week or 10 days. No, these guys answer me in hours!”
He had the power to customise his site to suit his vision:
- “In one part of the flow, a prospect would pick their dates, and a bunch of my listings would show up. I asked them to add the number of people too, so guests can filter even more and the experience is more objective. Immediately, they said, ‘That makes sense,’ and they did it!”
And then there were all the extras he got as a Boostly member:
- “What really makes you guys stand out is everything that happens around the website. The weekly calls, all the data and information you bring so we can learn on demand.”
This meant Phil could confidently run his business alongside his 9-5, knowing the help is there when he needs it.
From 0 to 25% Direct In Under 5 Months
Phil has already begun saving thousands in OTA fees — thousands that are going straight into his pocket to fuel his eventual escape from his 9-5.
And the best part? He’s not even tapped into his full potential yet.
In fact, the main change he made to get to 25% direct bookings was simply to message guests after they check out:
- “Thanks for staying with us. Here’s my website. Next time, come direct.”
While not record-breaking results, the last 5 months have given Phil real confidence in his future:
- “It gives me even more safety, more sure that if I quit my job and focus 100% on doing this, it’ll take off.”
Phil’s Advice To Brazilian Hosts
When other hosts ask him about Boostly, Phil compares the investment with hiring help — not with doing nothing:
- “What you’d spend hiring somebody to operate this for you, since you can’t or don’t know how, is probably going to be more expensive than just paying Boostly instead.”
You can find the time to build and run a website yourself, pay someone else to do it, or work with a team that has already done it for over 2,000 hosts.
You don’t need to quit your job before you’re ready. You can scale your STR business on the side with Boostly.
