Meet Emma Watson | Owner of South Coast Villas Ja

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Watson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Greetings!

My name is Emma Watson, owner of South Coast Villas Ja, a luxury villa rental agency based in Jamaica.
Born to a Jamaican father and an Irish-American mother. I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts where I lived for 10 years before making the move to Jamaica. The transition was challenging but played an intricate part in who
I am today. I completed high school at an all-girls boarding school before returning to Boston to earn a degree in Communication with a concentration in PR.
After finishing up college I decided I needed a change of scenery and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I met an amazing woman who ran a boutique marketing and staffing agency. She was her only employee at the time and I was eager to learn more about the industry. It was here that I got my first taste of the world of luxury living. I focused on planning events for the residents of Atlanta’s most luxurious high-rise apartments. I was also responsible for creating partnerships with local vendors and forming relationships with clients.
I worked here for a year before finding out that I was pregnant with twins. I decided moving back to Jamaica would be the best option to raise my boys. I remember not knowing what I would do for work and writing down in my journal that I wanted to find something where I could work from home (before the whole work-from-home thing became the norm).
My mother had just finished 4 condos on the beach near my hometown in Jamaica and said I could help her with the marketing and reservations. Two months later the pandemic hit and no one was leaving their homes. Everyone was at a standstill. However, I didn’t back down. My friend Christoff Studniczka, who lived about 15 minutes from me had a camera and would often take photos of the beautiful women of Jamaica and make vlogs about his adventures around the island. I asked him if he could start taking photos of the property so I would have content to post on my socials and he agreed. Before I knew it Ivy’s was getting booked out more than ever. It worked out well that people were wanting to get out of the house but not be around other guests like they would in hotels. Other homeowners in the area started asking for my help in promoting their villas as well and just like that, I had added 8 properties to my account. Fast forward 2 years later and we have 18 properties on the account and 12.2k followers. I believe the key to my success was taking the opportunity to be efficient when everything was slowing down, being authentic in the way I present the villas, and making good use of the resources I had at the time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I believe what sets us apart is that we started off showing a collection of villas in an area that not too many people knew about, and if they knew about it, they definitely didn’t know that villas of that caliber were there. I’m a millennial, so I definitely took a more youthful and authentic approach to the way our website is designed and the photos we post on social media. All of the villas on our account have their own charm and characteristics that set them apart in their own way. We offer a new avenue of travel for the adventure that isn’t afraid to go on the off-beaten path while still enjoying luxury. We want our clients to experience authentic Jamaican culture during their stay with us. Our guests can feel good about their stay with us knowing they are also helping the communities in which they are visiting. All of our staff members are from the area and the produce is all sources from our local markets. Guests can even pick their own fish from the fishermen who will come right to the shore.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting we would definitely stop for freshly caught fish at “Border” one of the most authentic spots in Whitehouse, Westmoreland. We would visit Pelican Bar, which is a bar that is literally in the middle of the Sea for drinks and lobster. YS Falls is also a must-see for one of the most beautiful waterfalls on the island. To add a little adventure, we’ll go to Jam West for ATV riding that leads to a beach, Ziplining, and horseback riding along the coast. For night-life, we will go to the hottest nightclub in Negril, The Jungle, for drinks and dancing (They also have the best after-hour food at the restaurant downstairs). For the rest of the trip, we’d probably just have our own vibe at the villas and eat amazing food prepared by the chef.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out to my mom for giving me the opportunity to market her villa and introducing me to many homeowners in the area. If it weren’t for her I would be nowhere near where I am today. she is a tyrant in her industry and I admire how well she balances her life. I also need to shoutout Christoff, if he weren’t there to help me promote my business through photography I wouldn’t be able to show the world the beauty of the south coast and Jamaica.

Website: www.southcoastvillasja.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southcoastvillas.ja/?hl=en

Image Credits
Headshot- Azi Photography
Christoff Studniczka