The Haven WNC Doubled Occupancy in a Market That Lost 80% of Its Tourists
Julie and Ken Malette opened The Haven WNC in September 2024.
Twenty-four days later, Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina. Regional tourism dropped to about 20% of what it had been the year prior. Hosts across the area scrambled — dropping rates, pulling listings, waiting for things to recover.
Julie and Ken kept booking double and triple what their local comps were doing.
Here's what they didn't do: panic and race to the bottom on price.
Here's what they did: build something guests couldn't find anywhere else.
“The Host Co did all the hard work for me. They already had vendors in place. I just joined and there were already experiences being offered.”
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Size
The Haven WNC is a two-cabin couples retreat tucked 45 minutes outside of Asheville, deep in a national forest in Western North Carolina. Julie and her husband Ken own and operate both units — top 5% of listings on Airbnb, guest favorite designation — alongside several other small businesses, including CPA firms in Tennessee and Georgia.
Results
2–3x the occupancy of comparable local listings — during a regional tourism collapse
Consistent five-star reviews citing host responsiveness and experience quality
Guest referrals generating direct bookings by name
One of The Haven’s many beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A Perfect Fit with The Host Co
When Julie started building out The Haven's guest experience, she wasn't starting from scratch on vendor relationships. She didn't have to cold-call local businesses or negotiate her own contracts. The infrastructure was already there.
"The Host Co did all the hard work for me," she said. "They already had vendors in place. I just joined and there were already experiences being offered."
That's the part most hosts underestimate when they look at what it would take to build a curated guest experience: the vendor side is genuinely hard. Sourcing, vetting, coordinating, handling fulfillment when something falls through. The Host Co had done that before Julie ever logged in.
She did add vendors specific to her market — a local tea room, fly fishing trips, alpaca yoga, a wine cellar that runs private chef dinners — but even that process was streamlined. She submitted requests. The Host Co concierge team vetted them for insurance, licensing, and reviews, then added them to her storefront.
READ MORE: DON'T BUY A HOT TUB UNTIL YOU READ THIS
Building Experiences That Guests Actually Talk About
The products that moved the needle for The Haven weren't complicated. They were specific to exactly the kind of guest Julie was targeting.
A pop-up hilltop picnic with charcuterie and bubbly. A romance package — flameless candles staged around the hot tub, flower petals, chocolate-covered strawberries — that takes about 15 minutes to set up and became one of their best sellers. A brunch-for-two setup. All of it available through the Host Co storefront, bookable before guests ever arrive.
"Every time we post about a picnic or a romance package on social media, or when one of our clients posts about them, we sell more," Julie said.
That's the compounding effect that's harder to quantify on a spreadsheet but shows up in the booking calendar. Guests don't just leave reviews. They post on Instagram. They tell their friends. They come back.
Part of a stunning romance package offered by The Haven.
“I got a booking last night where the person said, ‘A friend of mine who stayed with you told me about this spot.’”
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The Results: Doubled Occupancy While Comps Tanked
When regional tourism in Western North Carolina collapsed after Hurricane Helene, hosts without a differentiated experience had one lever: price. Julie didn't need that lever.
The Haven was running 2–3x what comparable listings in the area were doing. Not because the hurricane didn't affect them — it did — but because their bookings weren't primarily driven by destination traffic. They were driven by reputation, by referrals, and by an experience guests couldn't easily replicate somewhere else.
"The Host Co allowed us to drive additional revenue seamlessly," Julie said. "And we needed that, especially with the dip in tourism."
Five-star reviews referenced the host's responsiveness, the picnic setup, the romance package. Guests booked proposals on the hill. A honeymoon guest left a review calling Julie's responsiveness and above-and-beyond effort the defining feature of the stay.
That's what happens when the experience is the product.
Fancy a brunch package to start your day? You can order one at The Haven.
Host Co Store Sharing Tips
Julie plugs her Host Co store into every touchpoint in the guest journey. Packages go out in the initial booking confirmation, in pre-arrival messages, and in the week-before follow-up when guests are actually thinking about their trip.
A few things she'd tell hosts just getting started:
Invest in professional photography for both your listing and your social content — lifestyle shots, not just interior angles. Let guests see themselves in the experience.
Research your local vendors like it's a project. Go to the restaurant. Do the fly fishing trip. Know what you're recommending. That credibility shows up in how guests receive it.
Know your guest before you build the menu. Julie wasn't selling hunting packages or adventure sports. She was selling romance, seclusion, and connection — because that's who was coming to The Haven.
“Research and curate. Know who your target market is. People are coming for the experience.”
Ready to Build Something Guests Talk About?
If you want to run a guest experience that drives referrals, pulls repeat bookings, and holds firm on rates when your market gets soft — this is how you do it.
