
He Built a Story in the Form of a House —¬†Meet the Creator of The Nook, a Hyperlocal Airbnb in Asheville
Meet Mike Belleme — the creator of The Nook, an obsessively handcrafted Airbnb just outside Asheville, NC.
Growing up, Mike loved to skateboard — at one point he even thought he might go pro.
But as he grew up, another craft he had dabbled in began to pique his interest even more.
And that craft was photography.
Mike’s incredible focus and unrelenting pursuit of perfection has landed him gigs with media companies like National Geographic, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.
And while his passion has been, and continues to be, storytelling through the medium of still images, Mike recognizes that photography has its limits when it comes to evoking emotion and changing perspectives.
And it was this recognition, in part, that inspired him to build a story in the form of a house, which became The Nook.
Tune in to hear how Mike and his wife Kristen created a tiny home where Japanese aesthetic intersects with Anthropologie-esque accents and where everything from your coffee mug to the tile in the bathroom is handmade by a local artist.
This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts.
It’s 11:32 pm on a Thursday night and you wake up in a panic.
You forgot to send your guests the custom lockbox combination for your Airbnb, and you missed the 17 messages they sent saying they couldn‚Äôt get in because you enabled ‚Äúsleep mode‚Äù on your iPhone — you know, to try and cut down on screen time before bed and all.
After apologizing profusely and sending them a bottle of bubbly — in hopes they won‚Äôt leave you a 1-star review — you think to yourself, ‚Äúhow do other hosts stay on top of guest communications?"
The answer? They use Guesty For Hosts — an easy to use rental management platform. With features like Automated Messages that send important communications to guests at the exact right times‚Ķyou'll never have to jeopardize your beauty sleep again.
Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay.
The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more.
Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it.
While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year."
Behind the Stays is brought to you each week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com
Welcome to the
Behind the Stays Podcast
The stories behind your favorite stays — and the hospitality entrepreneurs who’ve made them memorable.

Episode 341
How an Engineer-Turned-Michelin-Chef Built Epicurate, the Experience Platform for Luxury Stays

Episode 340
This Week in Hospitality: The World Cup Bust, Spirit's Collapse, Priceline is Back, and Aman's Move in the Texas Hill Country

Episode 339
This Week in Hospitality: Uber Becomes a Hotel Platform, TikTok Outperforms OTAs, and Hotels Still Don’t Own the Customer

Episode 338
He DJ'd for Jay-Z and Kanye — Now He's Rewiring Sound for Aman, Hyatt, and Jose Andrés
Recent Episodes
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Episode 341ListenHow an Engineer-Turned-Michelin-Chef Built Epicurate, the Experience Platform for Luxury Stays
Episode 340ListenThis Week in Hospitality: The World Cup Bust, Spirit's Collapse, Priceline is Back, and Aman's Move in the Texas Hill Country
Episode 339ListenThis Week in Hospitality: Uber Becomes a Hotel Platform, TikTok Outperforms OTAs, and Hotels Still Don’t Own the Customer
Episode 338ListenHe DJ'd for Jay-Z and Kanye — Now He's Rewiring Sound for Aman, Hyatt, and Jose Andrés