8 Years, 6 Years Unpaid, Zero Shortcuts: Introducing Pedro Reis - The Hotel Manager Who Built Wales' Most Selective Vacation Rental Company

Why the founder of Guesture spent six years working for free—and what it means for your property - we will tell you what means to have a property managed by Pedro Reis

The Night Shift That Changed Everything

It was 2016. Pedro Reis was managing the Manor Hotel in Crickhowell—a respected boutique property in the Brecon Beacons where guests paid £150+ per night and expected perfection. During the day, he orchestrated housekeeping teams, resolved guest complaints, and maintained the hotel's 4-star standards.

At night, after his shift ended, he'd drive home to Newport and manage a small portfolio of short-term rental properties. Not for a company. For himself. Testing an idea.

He didn't take a single pound from this side business for the first six years.

This is the story of how Guesture was built—not with venture capital, not with shortcuts, but with hotel-trained discipline, Welsh hospitality values, and the kind of stubborn dedication that only makes sense when you genuinely believe in something.

And why, eight years later, that origin story is the single most important thing to know about why Guesture operates the way it does.

The Hospitality Professional Who Refused to Call Himself a "Property Manager"

Building a Reputation, One Hotel Guest at a Time

Before Guesture had a name (it was originally called AirFreedom), before it had a website, before it had a single employee, Pedro was already well-known in South Wales hospitality circles.

His CV tells the story:

• Nantyffin Cider Mill Inn (Crickhowell) - A beloved gastropub where Pedro learned that hospitality isn't about properties, it's about people. Locals still remember his name. He brought the site to first place on tripadvisor within months in a very competitive market. His PR outreach was incredible, as he got the place featured on several magazines and industry leading content creators.

• Manor Hotel Crickhowell - A 22-bedroom boutique hotel where Pedro managed operations as Hotel General Manager. This wasn't a budget chain—this was the kind of property where wedding parties paid £8,000+ for exclusive use, where breakfast was cooked to order, where TripAdvisor ratings mattered more than occupancy percentages. While Pedro managed it, the hotel hosted 65 weddings a year.

  
  

The critical difference: At the Manor Hotel, if a guest's shower broke at 11 PM, Pedro didn't send them an automated message saying "We'll look into it tomorrow." He found a solution that night. That was the standard.

When he started managing vacation rentals in Cardiff and Newport as a side project in 2016, he brought that same standard with him.

The problem? Hotel-level service requires hotel-level systems. Professional cleaning protocols. 24/7 availability. Preventative maintenance. Contractor relationships. Guest experience choreography.

All of this takes time. And money. And sacrifice.

Six Years of Nights and Weekends (And Zero Salary)

Why Pedro Kept His Day Job

From 2016 to 2022, Pedro lived a double life:

By day: Full-time hotel management. Paid employment. Stable salary. Benefits.

By night and weekends: Building the systems, processes, and reputation that would eventually become Guesture.

Every pound of revenue from those early vacation rental properties went straight back into the business:

• Professional photography (£200-£400 per property)

• Building relationships with electricians, plumbers, cleaners who could meet his hospitality standards

• Absorbing the cost of mistakes (and there were mistakes—every business has them)

• Slowly, methodically refining the playbook

  
  

He didn't pay himself a salary for six years.

Why? Because he was still employed. He had bills to pay. He had a family. And he wasn't willing to cut corners just to take money out of the business faster.

The Turning Point: Hiring Dino (2022)

By 2022, the portfolio had grown to a size where Pedro physically couldn't manage it alone while still working full-time. The choice was simple:

1. Stop growing (safe, but it meant abandoning the vision)

2. Lower standards (could grow faster, but it would become just another property management company)

3. Invest in the first employee (risky, expensive, but the only way to scale without compromising)
   

Pedro hired Dino.

It was a leap of faith—payroll is a fixed cost that doesn't care about occupancy rates. But Dino was trained in the same hospitality-first approach. Clean between every guest like it's a hotel checkout. Respond to guest messages within 15 minutes. Inspect properties in person, not just trust photos.

A few months later, Pedro Reis employed himself.

After six years of building, testing, and refining while keeping a safety net of full-time employment, he finally went all-in on Guesture.

What Eight Years of Bootstrapped Growth Actually Means for Your Property

Why This Story Matters (Beyond Inspiration)

You might be thinking: "That's admirable, but I'm looking for a property manager. Why does Pedro's personal sacrifice matter to me?"

Because everything that makes Guesture different traces back to those six years of unpaid, obsessive, hotel-trained refinement.

Let's be specific.

1. We Don't Cut Corners (Because We Never Learned How To)

The Hotel Standards That Most Property Managers Never See

When you've spent years managing a hotel where guests pay £150/night and expect perfection, certain things become non-negotiable:

Every Property Gets a Post-Checkout Inspection

• What most property managers do: Trust the cleaner's photos. Assume it's fine.

• What we do: Someone from Guesture physically inspects the property after most checkouts. We check for damage, missing items, maintenance issues, and cleanliness standards. Every single time.

Why? Because at the Manor Hotel, Pedro would walk rooms after housekeeping. It's the only way to catch problems before the next guest arrives.

24/7 Guest Communication (With Actual Humans)

• What most property managers do: Automated messages. "Office hours" response times.

• What we do: Guests can reach a real human 24/7. Because hotel guests don't have emergencies only during business hours.
  

Example: A guest's heating failed at 10 PM on a January night in Cardiff. We had an emergency heating engineer there by 11:30 PM. Not "We'll send someone tomorrow."

Preventative Maintenance, Not Reactive Firefighting

• What most property managers do: Fix things when they break.

• What we assist scheduling: Annual boiler servicing. Quarterly deep cleans. PAT testing. Fire alarm checks. Gutter clearing. We maintain properties like commercial hospitality assets, not like residential rentals.

  
  

Why? Because at the Manor Hotel, you don't wait for the boiler to fail during a wedding weekend. You service it in advance.

These standards aren't "premium add-ons" at Guesture. They're the baseline.

Because Pedro spent six years building a system where cutting corners wasn't an option—he had to prove the model worked at hotel quality before he'd let it become his full-time career.

2. We're Selective About Properties (Because Reputation Is Everything)

Why We Turn Down 40-50% of Property Inquiries

Here's an uncomfortable truth: We don't accept every property that contacts us.

Most property management companies will take on anything with four walls and a door. More properties = more commission = more revenue. Simple math.

We're different. We turn down 40-50% of properties that inquire about our services.

Why would a business turn down revenue?

Because Pedro spent six years building a reputation in South Wales hospitality circles. When your name is attached to every property—when locals know you from the Manor Hotel and Nantyffin Cider Mill—you can't afford to manage substandard properties.

We say no to properties that:

• Can't meet our minimum quality standards (even with investment)

• Are located in areas with weak short-term rental demand

• Have landlords who want to micromanage daily operations

• Would require us to compromise on guest experience to make the numbers work

  
  

Why this matters to you: When we accept your property, it means we've assessed it against the same criteria we use for properties that get approved by Plum Guide (3% acceptance rate) and Marriott Homes & Villas. We're not building a high-volume, low-quality portfolio. We're building a selective collection.

Your property isn't just another unit in a spreadsheet. It's part of a reputation that took eight years to build.

3. We Invest in Our Team (Because We Remember What It's Like to Work Alone)

The Family Business That Operates Like a Professional Company

Today, Guesture is a family business—but not in the "chaotic, unprofessional" way that phrase sometimes implies.

The team:

• Pedro - Founder & Managing Director (finally on payroll as of 2022)

• Nia Reis - Operations Manager and communications leader

• Harita - Operations outsourced member (bringing a younger generation's perspective to guest experience)

• Dino - First employee (2022), now a senior team member trained in the same hospitality-first approach

  
  

Why the family structure matters:

When Pedro worked alone for six years, he experienced every role:

• Coordinating maintenance at 11 PM

• Responding to "Where's the WiFi password?" messages at 7 AM

• Sourcing replacement bedding after a guest spill

• Negotiating with contractors

• Writing property descriptions

• Taking guest calls during his birthday party

  
  

He knows exactly how hard every role is. So when the business finally could afford employees, he built a team structure that doesn't burn people out:

• Rotating on-call schedule (no one is "always on" anymore)

• Clear processes and checklists (so nobody has to reinvent solutions)

• Investment in training (Dino was trained for months before managing properties solo)

• Competitive pay (because the race-to-the-bottom pricing model breaks teams)
  

What this means for your property: You're not dealing with an overworked, understaffed team that cuts corners because they're managing 200 properties with 3 people. You're working with a team that has capacity, systems, and support.

4. We Understand Sacrifice (So We Protect Your Investment Like Our Own)

The "Skin in the Game" Mentality

When you've spent six years building a business while paying your own bills, risking your own reputation, and sacrificing weekends and evenings—you develop a very specific relationship with risk.

Pedro's mindset, learned from those years:

• Your property is someone's life savings. It's not just an investment. It's their pension. Their kids' inheritance. Their financial security. We treat it accordingly.

• Small problems become big problems if ignored. A £50 leak ignored today becomes £2,000 of water damage in three months. Hotel managers know this. Most property managers learn it the expensive way (with your property).

• Guest experience = property protection. Happy guests don't trash properties. Angry guests (who feel neglected, who had issues unresolved) do. Pedro learned this managing the Manor Hotel: invest in the guest experience upfront, prevent 90% of problems downstream.

• Reputation takes years to build, minutes to destroy. One viral bad review can tank a property's bookings for months. We respond to guest issues with the urgency of someone who's spent eight years building a reputation we refuse to lose.
  

Real Example: The Burst Pipe Decision

Last winter, a property in Cardiff had a pipe burst while vacant between guests. The damage was contained, but the boiler needed replacement (£2,800).

What many property managers would do: "Contact your insurance. We'll deal with it once the claim is approved."

What we did: We had a new boiler installed within 48 hours (before the next guest arrival), coordinated the insurance claim afterward, and ate the cost of an emergency callout to ensure no booking was cancelled.

Why? Because Pedro remembered being the hotel manager who had to tell a wedding party their heating wasn't working. That memory never fades.

We have skin in the game—even when it's your property.

5. The Plum Guide & Marriott Partnerships Make Sense Now, Don't They?

Why Premium Platforms Trust a Small Welsh Company

Here's a fact that surprises most people: Guesture has partnerships with both Plum Guide (3% property acceptance rate globally) and Marriott Homes & Villas.

These aren't platforms that work with just anyone. Plum Guide rejects 97% of properties. Marriott hand-selects management partners.

How did a family-run business in Cardiff get these partnerships?

Because when Plum Guide's Home Critics visit, they're looking for hotel standards:

• ✅ Professional cleaning protocols (learned from managing hotel housekeeping teams)

• ✅ Guest communication systems (24/7 availability, learned from hotel front desk operations)

• ✅ Maintenance standards (preventative, not reactive—learned from hotel facilities management)

• ✅ Interior design quality (learned from competing with boutique hotels)

  
  

When Marriott evaluates property management partners, they're looking for operational excellence:

• ✅ Proven track record (8 years, not 8 months)

• ✅ Systems and processes (learned from hotel operations manuals)

• ✅ Guest satisfaction scores (hospitality-trained team, not property management admin staff)

• ✅ Financial stability (bootstrapped businesses that survive 8 years are stable—VC-funded companies that burn cash aren't)

  
  

Pedro's six years of unpaid, hotel-trained refinement is the reason these partnerships exist.

Most property managers can't get their properties accepted to Plum Guide because they never learned hotel standards. We can—because we've never operated any other way.

The Guesture Model: What You're Actually Paying For

Why Our Pricing Reflects Eight Years of Investment

Let's talk about money—because this is a business decision.

Guesture's commission structure:

• 10% for exposure only (we list your property on premium platforms, you handle operations)

• 15% + VAT for full management (we handle everything—guest communication, maintenance coordination, compliance, inspections)

Some property managers charge 8-12%. Why are we sometimes higher?

Because you're not just paying for someone to list your property on Airbnb and forward guest messages.

You're paying for:

✅ Eight Years of Systems Refinement

Pedro spent six years (unpaid) building the processes, contractor networks, and operational playbooks that make hotel-level service scalable. You benefit from that accumulated expertise from Day 1.

✅ Hotel Management Standards

Your property is managed by someone who trained in boutique hotels, not property management call centers. The standards are different. The outcomes are different.

✅ Access to Premium Platforms

Your property gets listed on Marriott Homes & Villas (access to 150M+ Bonvoy members) and can be evaluated for Plum Guide (3% acceptance rate). Most property managers can't offer this.

✅ A Team That Doesn't Cut Corners

Post-checkout inspections after every stay. 24/7 guest support. Preventative maintenance. These aren't "premium add-ons"—they're baseline standards. But they cost money to deliver.

✅ A Reputation You Can Trust

When something goes wrong (and in STR, sometimes things go wrong), you're working with a company that's spent eight years protecting its reputation in a small Welsh hospitality community. We can't hide behind anonymity. Our name is on every property.

The value calculation:

A property managed at 8% commission with:

• Reactive maintenance (things break, guests complain, reviews suffer, bookings drop)

• Automated guest communication (guests feel neglected, leave poor reviews)

• No premium platform access (limited distribution, lower nightly rates)

...often earns less total income than a property managed at 15% with:

• Preventative maintenance (fewer emergencies, happier guests, better reviews)

• Human guest communication (guests feel cared for, leave great reviews, return for repeat bookings)

• Premium platform distribution (access to Marriott's 150M members, Plum Guide's affluent travelers)

• 
  

Example:

Property Management Style	Commission	Monthly Bookings	Avg. Nightly Rate	Monthly Revenue	Your Net Income
Budget Property Manager	8%	18 nights	£95	£1,710	£1,573
Guesture (Hotel Standards)	15% + VAT	22 nights*	£118**	£2,596	£2,206

More bookings due to better reviews and premium platform distribution*Higher nightly rates due to hotel-quality presentation and Marriott/Plum Guide listings

You pay more in commission percentage, but you earn more in total pounds. That's the hotel management difference.

The Questions We Know You're Asking

"Is Guesture Right for My Property?"

Honest answer: Maybe not.

If your priority is paying the lowest possible commission percentage, we're probably not the right fit. There are plenty of property managers who charge 8-10% and do a perfectly adequate job for standard properties.

Guesture is right for you if:

✅ You own a property that could be exceptional (3+ bedrooms, desirable location, interesting character)

✅ You want hotel-level guest experience, not just "someone to manage the Airbnb listing"

✅ You're interested in premium platform distribution (Marriott Homes & Villas, Plum Guide)

✅ You value preventative property care over reactive firefighting

✅ You appreciate working with a team that has genuine hospitality expertise

✅ You're comfortable paying for quality and expertise, not just cheap admin

We're not right for you if:

❌ You want the absolute lowest commission percentage (we're not the cheapest)

❌ Your property is a basic flat in a weak demand area (we probably wouldn't accept it anyway)

❌ You want to micromanage daily operations (we need operational freedom to deliver hotel standards)

❌ You expect instant results (building hotel-quality reviews takes 6-12 months)

"Why Should I Trust a Small Family Business Over a Big Property Management Company?"

Because big property management companies optimize for volume, not outcomes.

The typical model:

• Acquire 200+ properties

• Hire a small team of low-paid admin staff

• Use automated messages and systems as much as possible

• Accept that some properties will fail (but the averages work out)

• High employee turnover, inconsistent quality

  
  

The Guesture model:

• Selective portfolio (we turn down most inquiries)

• Small team trained in hospitality, not just property admin

• Human communication, hotel-trained systems

• Every property matters (because Pedro's personal reputation is attached)

• Low turnover (Dino has been with us since 2022, family members are long-term, our cleaners are with us since 2018...)
  

Big companies can afford to lose your property. If your bookings drop, if you get a bad review, if maintenance is delayed—it's a rounding error in their portfolio.

We can't. Your property is part of a carefully curated collection. If you fail, we fail.

That's the advantage of working with someone who spent six years building this without taking a salary—because they genuinely care, not because a McKinsey consultant told them "hospitality" was a profitable market.

The Pedro Guarantee: Eight Years, Zero Shortcuts

What You Can Expect When You Work With Us

Here's what we promise—backed by eight years of proof:

📋 Transparency

We'll tell you honestly if your property is a good fit. If it's not, we'll explain why and suggest what would need to change. No sales pressure.

🏨 Hotel Standards

Your property will be managed with the same standards Pedro used at the Manor Hotel. Post-checkout inspections. 24/7 guest support. Preventative maintenance.

💬 Direct Communication

You'll work with the same team members throughout (not a rotating call center). You can reach Pedro directly if needed.

📊 Real-Time Reporting

You'll have access to our property management dashboard showing your calendars and a monthly booking log. No chasing us for updates.

🛡️ Property Protection

We'll treat your property like the life investment it is—because we remember what it's like to risk everything on a business.

🎯 Selective Growth

We won't take on more properties than we can manage to hotel standards. If we're at capacity, we'll tell you honestly and suggest when we might have availability.

Why We're Telling You This Story

The Marketing Strategy You Can See Right Through

Let's be honest: this blog post is marketing.

We're telling you Pedro's story because:

1. It's true

2. It differentiates us from competitors

3. It builds trust

4. It hopefully convinces you to choose Guesture

   
   

But here's the thing: Even knowing that this is a marketing strategy, the facts remain true.

• ✅ Pedro did work for six years without taking a salary

• ✅ He did manage respected hotels (Manor Hotel, Nantyffin Cider Mill)

• ✅ We do have partnerships with Plum Guide and Marriott Homes & Villas

• ✅ We do turn down 40-50% of property inquiries

• ✅ We do inspect properties after every checkout

• ✅ We are a family business (with all the advantages and quirks that entails)
  

Transparency is part of the brand. We're not pretending to be a massive corporate operation. We're not hiding behind stock photos and generic "professional property management" language.

We're a small, family-run, hospitality-trained company in South Wales that spent eight years building a model we're proud of.

If that resonates with you—if you value expertise, dedication, and hotel standards over cheap commission rates and corporate efficiency—then we should talk.

If it doesn't, that's okay too. Not every property owner wants what we offer, and that's why there are hundreds of property managers to choose from.

How Pedro's Story Ends (Or Rather, Continues)

The Next Eight Years

It's now 2026. Guesture is eight years old.

Pedro finally pays himself a salary (as of 2023). Dino is still with us, trained in the same hospitality-first approach. Nia is part of the team. The portfolio includes properties accepted to Plum Guide and listed on Marriott Homes & Villas.

The business is stable. Profitable. Growing.

But Pedro still walks properties after checkouts sometimes. Still responds to guest messages personally when needed. Still treats every property like it's his own reputation on the line.

Because once you've spent six years building something without taking a salary, you never forget what it took to get here.

That's the difference between a business built on sacrifice and expertise, versus a business built on venture capital and acquisition targets.

That's the difference between a property manager and a hospitality professional.

And that's why, eight years later, Guesture still operates like Pedro's spending his own money on your property—because for six years, he did.

Ready to Experience the Difference?

How to Work With Guesture

If this story resonates with you—if you value hotel standards, hospitality expertise, and working with people who genuinely care about your property—here's what happens next:

Step 1: Property Assessment (Free, No Obligation)

Please email Pedro at Pedro.Reis@airfreedo.net We'll review your property's location, size, features, and current status.

Honest reality: We'll tell you if we think your property is a good fit. If it's not, we'll explain why and suggest alternatives.

Step 2: Consultation Call (30 Minutes)

If your property looks promising, we'll schedule a call with Pedro. We'll discuss:

• Your goals and expectations

• Our service model and pricing

• Premium platform opportunities (Marriott, Plum Guide)

• Realistic revenue projections

• Any property improvements needed to meet our standards
  

Step 3: In-Person Property Visit

If we mutually agree to move forward, we'll visit your property in person. We'll assess:

• Current condition and any needed improvements

• Photography and staging requirements

• Maintenance status

• Market positioning and pricing strategy
  

Step 4: Onboarding (2-4 Weeks)

If we accept your property (remember: we turn down 40-50% of inquiries), we'll begin onboarding:

• Professional photography

• Property listing optimization

• Platform distribution setup (including Marriott/Plum Guide evaluation)

• Contractor and compliance coordination

• Pricing strategy and calendar management
  

Step 5: Launch & Ongoing Management

Your property goes live across our platform network. From that point:

• We handle all guest communication (24/7)

• We coordinate all maintenance and cleaning

• We inspect the property after every checkout

• You receive real-time financial reporting

• We optimize pricing and distribution continuously
  

Contact Guesture

Website: guesture.co.uk Email: info@guesture.co,uk Phone: 02921200119

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 6 PMGuest Support: 24/7/365

Areas We Serve:

• Cardiff & South Wales

• Newport & Gwent

• Bristol & Surrounding Areas

• Portugal (for UK investors seeking overseas property management)

Final Thought: The Hospitality Professional vs. The Property Manager

There's a reason Pedro spent six years working for free while employed at respected hotels.

He wasn't just "building a side business." He was testing a hypothesis:

"What if vacation rental properties were managed with the same standards, systems, and guest obsession as boutique hotels?"

Eight years later, the answer is clear: It works.

Properties get better reviews. Guests have better experiences. Owners earn more income. Platforms like Plum Guide and Marriott Homes & Villas take notice.

But it only works if you never cut corners. If you treat every property like it's part of your personal reputation. If you invest in your team. If you're selective about what you accept.

That's not a business model you can teach from an MBA textbook.

It's a business model you learn by spending six years sacrificing evenings and weekends, risking your reputation, and refusing to take a salary until you're absolutely certain the model works.

That's the Guesture story.

That's why we're different.

And if you're looking for someone to manage your property with the same dedication Pedro showed for eight years—we should talk.

End.