Exploring Life & Business with Taylor Castranova of Nautical Properties

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Castranova.

Hi Taylor, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
In 2019, we made what felt like a crazy decision to buy a vacation rental cleaning and maintenance company.

We felt confident with our combined 40+ years of experience in Corporate America, that we could take the company to the next level and create even more success. Our plan was a simple one…to use the voice of the customer and employees as the North Star in making improvements. It worked so well that we started having customers come to us and ask us to take over their property management responsibilities as well.

There was only one problem with that…we were not a property management company. So, we went right back to our roots and solicited feedback from our customers. We asked them why they were seeking new property management. We dug into what the current property management companies weren’t providing. We had our customers create wish lists for what the best-in-breed property management would look like, what would they do, how would they communicate with their owners, etc.

And in November 2021, we started a property management company with that feedback and those wishes as the foundation of everything we do. We decided to hit the market and simply offer all the things that other property management companies were not. You see companies go to market all the time with a product or service they think consumers want…but how many stop to ask instead of assume? And how many of those, follow through with actions? We did.

That model has led us to grow this company from 2 properties under management in Nov. 2021 to 152 currently while retaining 96% of our original employees. The best part about that is not the growth in sheer numbers, but that 87% of that new business is through owner referral. The greatest compliment we can receive is an owner telling someone about us. It is our sole barometer of success and what we strive for in every interaction we have.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. Running a hospitality-based business during the pandemic created a unique set of challenges and almost forced us to close the doors to the business completely.

Our business only works if people are vacationing and booking rooms, which of course no one was doing in 2020. So, we went back to our roots and thought “What can we do that no one else is willing to do” and came up with a new level of cleaning. We would get certified and buy the equipment necessary to disinfect and clean all public areas and rooms to the new required levels.

We went to local businesses and began working with them to disinfect common areas to ensure the public’s safety as much as possible. This new level of cleaning was applied to rooms at resorts and short-term rental properties as well.

We’ve been impressed with Nautical Properties, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Nautical Properties is a boutique vacation rental company that provides a concierge/white-glove approach to both our owner relationships and our guests who stay at any of our properties.

We aim to go above and beyond in every interaction we have whether it is leaving uniquely crafted welcome baskets for arriving guests, sending monthly market/trending reports to our owners, or even helping with design and property readiness before the listing goes live – we take pride in providing a high tough experience that guests will remember and will ensure we maximize the investment our owners have made.

We are proud that we have several employees who have been with us for 10+ years.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The desire to travel and have a “home away from home” experience is not going anywhere. Where I do see a shift in the future is to more experience-based travel. People can lay their heads anywhere but because of social media, they also want that Insta-worthy or TikTok-able experience.

You will see owners and property managers leaning into the bigger bolder designs that stand out. I also think you will see travelers venture further out of their normal vacation spots. Whether it is for a discount, an event, a festival, a European trip, or something they saw an influencer post, folks are switching up from the norm.

The reality is, that the short-term rental market is becoming far more saturated than it once was, so anything you can do to make your property stand above the rest, whether it is decor or location, will help!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nauticalproperties.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thenauticalproperties?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenauticalproperties?mibextid=LQQJ4d