STR Operations VA (Hostaway) – Guest Messaging + Turnovers (5 Homes)

We manage 5 high-end vacation rentals in Sonoma Wine Country using Hostaway (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and direct). We’re hiring a long-term STR Operations VA focused on ONE core job: guest communication + turnover coordination.

This is not a marketing/SEO/design role. If you’re looking for social media, ads, or graphic design work, this is not the job.

SCHEDULE / COVERAGE (PST)
• Fixed schedule: Thursday–Monday (Tue/Wed off)
• Coverage window: 8:00 AM–4:00 PM PST (Saturday + Sunday included)
• During scheduled coverage: target ---------- )

Turnovers / Cleaners (Critical)
• Coordinate with cleaners (Turno + messaging) and confirm schedule alignment
• Follow up when needed to keep turnovers on track
• Review cleaning photos for consistency; flag damage or issues promptly

Monitoring / Compliance (as needed)
• Use Ring/Blink/Minut checks when triggered (noise complaint, arrival verification, etc.)

Escalation
• Lockouts, no hot water, major maintenance, very unhappy guests: escalate fast with a concise summary + what you recommend doing next

TOOLS
Hostaway, Turno, WhatsApp/online messaging, Google Workspace, Ring/Blink/Minut.
(Hostaway experience is strongly preferred.)

OPTIONAL (not required; only after you’re strong in the core role)
• Listing optimization / pricing support / reporting dashboards

COMPENSATION
• $900/month USD (full-time, 40 hrs/week)
• Paid trial/training period: first 2 weeks are paid

TO APPLY (answer all)
1) STR experience + portfolio size + tools used (Hostaway/Turno?)
2) Example: a turnover/calendar mistake you prevented or fixed
3) Scenario (day of checkout): Checkout is 10:00 AM. Cleaner arrives at 10:00 and guests are still inside. At 10:30 the cleaner enters and finds the home very messy and notices possible damage to the garage door.
A) Exact message you’d send to the guest now (avoid accusations; keep it professional and firm)
B) List your next internal steps in order (be specific)
4) Scenario (1 week out): guest requests 1:00 pm early check-in.
A) Exact guest reply you’d send now (not only “I’ll check/depends”; don’t promise)
B) Next internal checks/steps you’d take
5) Include the word “Theodor” in your application so we know you read this.