Airbnb - Guest Relations & Operations Specialist

Job Title: STR – Guest Relations & Operations Specialist
Schedule: Monday–Thursday and Saturday, 10:00 AM–9:00 PM Eastern Time, with a 1-hour lunch.
Hours: 40–45 hours per week expected; up to 50 hours when business needs require it, with approval.
Pay: $6–$8 USD per hour depending on experience, communication ability, judgment, and property-management experience.

About Us:
Key Getaways is a premier property management firm founded by a former futures trader who traded the chaos of the Chicago markets for a passion-driven mission: creating first-class travel experiences for families. We specialize in transforming vacation rentals into high-performing assets across national markets, currently anchored in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Our culture is built on the "family-style" values of kindness and leadership, yet we operate with the precision and scalability of a high-growth tech company. We are a lean, execution-focused team that rejects micro-management in favor of individual ownership, and we are looking for a visionary partner to help us build the systems that will support our goals.

Accountability:
1. Guest Experience Ownership
*Own guest communication from pre-arrival through checkout, including questions, concerns, complaints, and urgent issues.
*Respond quickly, professionally, and empathetically while protecting the company and property owner’s interests.
*Use sound judgment to resolve routine guest issues independently and escalate higher-risk situations with a recommended solution.
*Follow issues through to completion rather than simply handing them off.
2. Maintenance & Vendor Coordination
*Serve as the primary coordinator when a guest reports a maintenance, housekeeping, pool/hot-tub, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lock, internet, or other property issue.
*Contact the appropriate maintenance person or vendor, clearly communicate the problem, coordinate access, and track the issue until resolved.
*Keep guests informed while work is underway and confirm the repair or service was completed successfully.
*Source new vendors when necessary and help maintain a dependable vendor network in each market.
*Identify repeat property issues and bring patterns to management’s attention.
3. Operational Ownership & Decision-Making
*Take ownership of assigned operational issues from discovery through resolution.
*Make informed decisions with limited information while balancing guest satisfaction, urgency, cost, and owner impact.
*Escalate thoughtfully with context and proposed solutions—not just problems.
*Document important i ---------- , actions taken, vendor outcomes, and follow-up items.
4. Process Improvement & Systems
*Identify recurring guest or operational problems and recommend ways to prevent them.
*Help create and improve SOPs for guest communication, maintenance escalation, vendor dispatch, refunds/credits, and emergency situations.
*Maintain accurate notes and task tracking so another team member can quickly understand the status of an issue.
*Help improve workflows as Key Getaways grows.
5. Team Communication & Leadership Readiness
*Communicate proactively with management and other team members about urgent issues, risks, and unresolved items.
*Work effectively with cleaners, maintenance technicians, pool/hot-tub companies, handymen, and other vendors.
*Support onboarding and training of future guest-relations team members as the company grows.
*Model accountability, professionalism, urgency, and high-quality work.

Tasks:
*Monitor and respond to guest messages across Airbnb, Vrbo, direct bookings, and the property-management system.
*Handle same-day guest needs including check-in problems, access issues, missing items, cleanliness concerns, amenity questions, and property malfunctions.
*Troubleshoot issues remotely when possible and dispatch the correct vendor when on-site help is needed.
*Coordinate maintenance and vendor schedules, provide access information, and follow up until completion.
*Keep guests updated during active issues and document the final resolution.
*Review open operational tasks and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
*Communicate significant i ---------- , potential refunds, property damage, safety concerns, or owner-impacting issues to management.
*Help identify reliable replacement vendors and obtain pricing when needed.
*Review upcoming arrivals for known property issues that could affect the next guest.
*Assist with operational projects and process improvements during lower-volume periods.

Expectations:
1. Required Traits
*Excellent written and spoken English; communication quality is critical.
*Strong ownership mentality—you see an issue through to resolution.
*Calm and professional under pressure, including when guests are upset.
*Resourceful problem solver who can make reasonable decisions independently.
*Strong follow-up skills and ability to manage several open issues at once.
*Comfortable communicating firmly but respectfully with vendors and holding them accountable.
*High attention to detail and accurate documentation.
*Reliable during scheduled hours and responsive to time-sensitive guest issues.
*Comfortable working in a fast-changing small-business environment.
*Attention to detail is mandatory: secret code = KGGROS0826
2. Leadership Mindset
*Treats guest and maintenance problems as issues to solve, not simply messages to forward.
*Looks for root causes and ways to prevent recurring problems.
*Takes initiative without waiting for step-by-step instructions.
*Can respectfully challenge a vendor, cleaner, or teammate when work is incomplete or below standard.
*Wants increased responsibility as the company and guest-relations function grow.
3. Tools (Experience Preferred, Not Required)
*Airbnb and Vrbo
*Guesty or another vacation-rental property management system
*Breezeway or similar maintenance/operations software
*Slack
*Airtable
*Google Workspace
*Dialpad or similar phone/text system
*AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude for drafting, troubleshooting, and process improvement
4.Nice-to-Have
*Previous guest-services, hospitality, vacation-rental, hotel, or property-management experience.
*Experience coordinating maintenance technicians, cleaners, contractors, or vendors.
*Experience handling difficult customers and resolving complaints.
*Experience managing multiple properties or multiple simultaneous service issues.
*Prior informal or formal leadership experience.
*Experience creating SOPs or improving operational workflows.

Salary (Dollar Rate):
Position & Length: Remote contractor; initial 12-month engagement with the opportunity to continue indefinitely.
Rate of Pay: $6–$8 USD/hour depending on experience.
Scheduled Hours Minimum: 40 hours per week; hours must be tracked.
Scheduled Hours Maximum: Up to 50 hours per week; hours above the normal schedule require approval.
Agreed Schedule: Tuesday–Thursday and Saturday, 10:00 AM–9:00 PM Eastern Time, with a 1-hour lunch.
Pay Schedule: Twice monthly (15th and 30th of the month) via Wise or another agreed payment method, with submission of hours worked.
Performance Bonus: Optional performance bonus may be offered based on agreed KPIs at the end of the year.

TO APPLY:
Subject Line please add: KG GROS
Please have an ID score of 70+
Please provide the secret code in the message
Application Deadline: 08/31/26