To Scale to 1,000 Listings, Haven Chose the AI Platform Built for Growth

For years, Haven built its reputation on delivering the kind of warm, reliable hospitality you’d expect from a seasoned local host. But as the company expanded beyond Knoxville and into the Smoky Mountains, growth came with new challenges. Managing 230 properties was one thing—scaling to 1,000 while keeping the same high-touch experience was another.

By early 2023, review scores had started slipping, and the team knew something had to change. “We had listings that had been running for years with 300+ reviews and a 4.9 rating,” said Jordan Lynde, Haven’s Director of Operations. “But as we grew, we hit those scaling pains—guest messaging, cleaning, and consistency all started to feel harder to control.”

The Challenge

Like many growing hospitality brands, Haven faced the risk of expansion outpacing its ability to deliver a great guest experience. Initially, guest messaging was handled stateside, but high costs and inconsistent coverage led them to transition to a remote team. While this improved efficiency, gaps in communication and operational oversight remained.

Meanwhile, with cleaning as one of the most volatile aspects of short-term rentals, ensuring quality across hundreds of properties became a moving target. Without real-time visibility into guest issues, problems often surfaced in reviews rather than being resolved in the moment.

The Turning Point

Instead of focusing solely on expansion, Haven took a step back and zeroed in on what mattered most: guest satisfaction. The team made review scores their North Star, implementing a series of operational changes to improve consistency, from stricter cleaning accountability to rebranding guest communication under a more personal identity.

This led them to HostAI. Initially drawn in by the potential of AI-driven messaging, they quickly saw it as a way to bring order to their scaling operations.

“In the beginning, we weren’t just looking for AI. We needed a system that made guest communication feel personal while also giving us visibility into guest issues,” Jordan explained.

Within three to four months of rolling out HostAI, Haven saw a measurable impact:

• A jump from a 4.7 to a 4.8-star Airbnb rating across all properties
• Superhost status secured across all accounts
• Improved response time and resolution tracking, making issues easier to catch before they impacted reviews

“Our reviews improved, and it wasn’t just about AI handling messages. It was about how we could use it to ensure that the guest experience we promised was actually being delivered,” Jordan said.

Looking Ahead

With 230 properties under management and their eyes set on 1,000, Haven is focused on smart growth. That means expanding into sister markets like Blue Ridge, Georgia, and exploring high-density opportunities like condo buildings.

HostAI has become a central piece of their scaling strategy—not just for guest messaging but as part of a broader vision for operational efficiency.

“We’ve used a lot of tools, and HostAI is by far the most user-friendly and flexible,” said Jordan. “It’s been a game-changer, not just for our guest comms team, but for how we manage operations overall.”

As they push toward their goal, Haven is proof that scaling doesn’t have to mean sacrificing quality. By keeping guest satisfaction at the core of their strategy and leveraging technology to drive efficiency, they’re setting the stage for the next phase of their growth—without losing what made them great in the first place.

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