
How to Choose a Design Style for Your Airbnb and Why It Matters
In a minute, you‚Äôll meet Valerie Malone — Creator and Founder of Quill Decor, a design consultancy that specializes in short-term rentals.
Valerie studied interior design at Auburn University, but always had a knack for entrepreneurship. After running a successful Airbnb out of her basement in Bloomington, Indiana, Valerie fell in love with the Airbnb community and felt a calling of sorts to make an impact in the budding short-term-rental economy.
After she landed her first Airbnb design gig, Valerie decided it would be worth documenting the entire process so that she could one day teach current and aspiring hosts how to successfully design their homes to stand out.
As fate would have it, her husband landed a professorship at Cambridge and Valerie’s family moved to the UK…but not before she produced one of the most comprehensive, inspiring, and user-friendly e-courses on Airbnb design on the market.
During our conversation, Valerie outlines several helpful frameworks for how to think about the design style of your Airbnb, and shares advice on how to effectively and efficiently craft a memorable experience that compels a 5-star rating.
One last thing before I introduce you to Val…Quill Decor is offering a free Airbnb Design Master Class on Wednesday, July 7th. So, if you’re listening to this before the 7th, be sure to sign up!
Valerie is also offering Sponstayneous subscribers and Behind the Stays listeners a special offer on her Airbnb Design E-course. Visit the links below more information. Airbnb Design E-Course Quill Decor's Short Term Rental STYLE QUIZ A Free 3 Day Email Course
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Behind the Stays Podcast
The stories behind your favorite stays — and the hospitality entrepreneurs who’ve made them memorable.

Episode 341
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Episode 340
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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