{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"EP 236: Designing for Experience (and ROI): How Altitude 22 Hit $100K in 60 Days with Yash Bhatt","description":"$100K in bookings in the first 60 days. Not from luck. Not from \u201cjust listing it on Airbnb.\u201d But from building something intentionally different. In this episode of Branded and Booked, Steph sits down with Yash Bhatt to break down what happens when you approach your short-term rental like a hospitality brand instead of just an investment. After launching their property, Altitude 22, in December 2025, Yash shares that they secured over $100,000 in bookings within the first 60 days and are now on track to exceed $200,000 in their first year, outperforming their original goal of $175,000. Yash walks through his journey from real estate investing into short-term rentals, starting with converting a Scottsdale home into an STR, then taking on a full gut renovation in Sedona, and eventually building Altitude 22 in Maine as a fully realized, design-forward, brand-led property. Throughout the conversation, it becomes clear that these results didn\u2019t come from following the standard STR playbook\u2014but from intentionally doing things differently. We dive into why design is not just aesthetic but directly impacts performance, why doing things the standard way leads to average results, why being local does not make operations easier, and why systems matter more than most hosts realize. Yash shares how the biggest shift came from moving out of an investor mindset and into an operator mindset, where every decision is made through the lens of guest experience. From what guests see when they sit in the hot tub, to how the home flows from space to space, to what the first five minutes of the stay feel like\u2014every detail was designed with intention. And that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s reflected in their bookings. Yash shares that every guest who has booked so far fits their exact ideal guest avatar and recognizes the level of thought that went into the experience. We also break down what experiential hospitality actually means. Not just adding more amenities\u2014but creating moments that don\u2019t show up on a spreadsheet, yet completely change how a guest feels in your space. From custom lighting in the theater room\u2026 To guided amenity cards\u2026 To thoughtful details like white noise machines and full-size cribs\u2026 These are the things that build trust, drive better reviews, and ultimately lead to stronger long-term performance. If you\u2019ve been focused on optimizing your listing but feel like something is still missing, this episode will show you exactly what that is. If you\u2019re a short-term rental owner trying to figure out where your marketing efforts should actually go, I\u2019m breaking it all down inside my free 3-day workshop, STR Marketing Simplified. From April 7\u20139, we\u2019re diving into the marketing strategies that lead to more bookings, increase guest loyalty, and give you more control over your STR business. We\u2019ll cover how to build a profitable STR brand, the email marketing strategies that convert to bookings, how to make social media work without posting every day, and the truth about influencer marketing for short-term rentals. Save your seat here: https:\/\/www.theweberco.com\/str-marketing-simplified The workshop is free, but spots are limited. Connect with Steph: theweberco.com, @theweberco Follow Altitude 22: altitude22maine.com, @altitude22main ","author_name":"Branded & Booked","author_url":"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/astoldbyus","html":"