Building Employee Culture in Rural Markets with Amanda Look

Amanda Look built Salt Air Properties from one house in 2009 to 100 properties with a fully employed staff of 30 people in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her journey started while working full-time at a bank, and when her first vacation rental booked solid within three days of going online, she knew she was onto something special. In this episode of The Vacation Rental Show hosted by Lynell Gordon, Amanda shares why she chose to hire all cleaners as employees rather than subcontractors, how she maintains team culture through daily appreciation programs, and the creative ways she keeps seasonal workers engaged and supported. She discusses her rule about never onboarding properties after June 1st, why she broke that rule this year, and the consequences that validated her original instinct. Amanda also reveals how she's transitioning from operator to owner through leadership training programs, why she still picks up trash occasionally to stay grounded, and how she built proprietary service programs when national vendors wouldn't service her rural market. This episode is sponsored by Streamline.

In this episode of The Vacation Rental Show, host Lynell Gordon speaks with Amanda Look, founder of Salt Air Properties, about building a 100-property portfolio in Bar Harbor, Maine with a fully employed team rather than contractors, maintaining culture in seasonal markets, and learning when to say no to growth opportunities.

What You'll Learn:

Why hiring cleaners as W-2 employees costs more but delivers stronger reviews and higher quality control
How to solve the isolation problem that drives turnover in cleaning positions
Creative employee appreciation programs that build loyalty in seasonal markets
The suggestion box system that captures frontline insights from 100 properties daily
Why Amanda refuses to onboard new properties after June 1st in her market
How leadership training programs prepare seasonal workers for expanded management responsibilities
Building proprietary trash and concierge programs when national vendors don't service rural markets
The transition strategy from owner-operator to CEO with delegated daily operations
Why running occasional field shifts keeps you connected to operational realities
How to become selective about growth after proving your business model
Managing compressed booking windows that shift from 180 days to 36 days
The support systems required to balance business scaling with family and personal sanity

Amanda Look is the founder of Salt Air Properties, managing 100 vacation rentals in Bar Harbor, Maine with two office locations and a staff of 30 people. She started in 2009 while working full-time at a bank, managing long-term rentals on the side before testing short-term rentals with her first property. When it booked solid within three days, she knew the model worked. By the time she attended her first major industry conference, she had grown to 40 properties and realized she could transition to full-time property management. Amanda made the strategic decision early to hire all cleaners as employees rather than subcontractors, believing that presentation and quality control are everything in this industry. She now focuses on leadership development for her management team, building proprietary service programs, and transitioning from day-to-day operations to strategic ownership while staying grounded through occasional field work.

This episode is sponsored by Streamline.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to:

Subscribe, rate, and review
Share this episode

👉 Apple - https://apple.co/3lYc2gU
👉 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3InYanV
👉 Fame Host - https://bit.ly/hwg-podcast
👉 iheartradio - https://ihr.fm/3Z8qqlg
👉 RSS - https://feeds.fame.so/the-vacation-rental-show

The Vacation Rental Show is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Lisa Stinnett of Inhabit, and many more.

Check out the three most downloaded episodes:

Are you a vacation rental industry leader looking to share your expertise? We're seeking innovative voices to join our conversation about growing and scaling vacation rental businesses.

The Vacation Rental Show reaches thousands of property managers worldwide. We're particularly interested in perspectives on:

Scaling your vacation rental portfolio
Optimizing guest experiences
Revenue management strategies
Industry trends and market insights

Express your interest in being a guest →