When we first set up our Airbnb business, we had no idea how it would impact our lives as personally as it has.
We have formed connections with folks that have gone far beyond a smooth and simple check in, check out automated process. Our business is family run and while we have had anniversaries, birthdays, marriage proposals, children recovering from life threatening surgeries etc, one of these most special connections began when a couple messaged us this heartbreaking note...
Hi Shaun. My husband, Nathan, and I live in WV and have three girls: Lucy (3 years), Dorothy (18 months), and Betty (6 months). On August 31st, our sweet Dorothy passed away in her sleep. We are heartbroken and are coming in to our first season of “firsts” without her. Lucy is really struggling, so we wanted to take her somewhere warm where she could have a big, new, happy memory. Although spending Christmas away from our home sounds sad, waking up Christmas morning to not having one of our girls would be too hard. Thank you so much for having somewhere where families like ours can go to heal. We are very grateful!
We were in tears while reading their note and Immediately sprung into action. We called our girls and together we said we have to do something for them.
It was Christmas time and they needed a place to heal.
Because They have two little girls, they rented one of our beach units. We have them themed and they chose our Let’s Flamingle one which is bright, pink and colorful with huge flamingo wallpaper and it’s just so happy, cute and feminine and they were drawn to the interior for their little girls.
They needed to make some new happy memories at Christmas time for the girls away from the home where they lost the baby and we were so honored that they chose us to do that with.
We bought a white Christmas tree with twinkle lights and decorated it with beautiful bright colors and pinks as well as with flamingos. We bought the two little girls a stuffed flamingo each and various Christmas gifts which we placed under the tree for them upon their arrival to make it special for them. We also did a care basket for mom and dad.
Their eldest daughter had mentioned that she thought her lost sister has now become a star, so we found a children’s book called How to catch a Star to read every Christmas going forward. When this family left us, they wrote the most beautiful cards to us and enclosed a photo of the little girls too, thanking us for making things just a tiny bit easier for them.
To be honest, we thought of them on Christmas Day and said a heartfelt prayer for them, that they would all be okay
We can’t explain how deeply and profoundly the Gregory family affected us and our business going forward
They changed the way we approach our Airbnb's to date. The people that pass through our properties are never mere numbers on a page or the bottom line on a spreadsheet, they are souls that are brought to us for a reason
We are so grateful to Airbnb for the “everyday” blessings we get to have and not-so-ordinary moments too
Of course the Gregory family booked Let’s Flamingle again this past Christmas, but had to cancel due to Covid and travel restrictions.
We will be waiting for our special family with open arms in December this year for sure