Meet Caroline Ramos | CEO of Host and Keep – Vacation Rental Investment Firm

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

Hi Caroline, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting Hostand Keep was: If I can somehow marry the things I love and enjoy into a solution to people’s problems– I may be onto something.

I learned through my own travels that staying in Airbnbs around the world is a risk. There are different standards for accomodation in every country. I experienced this first hand. From the 4 story walk up apartment in Cinque Terre with no AC. None of this was disclosed in the listing, of course. To the flat in Paris with secret passageways  built into the walls in which we accidentally discovered a box of human teeth and what looked like a slave quarter – yes, you read that correctly. That was fun.

Here is the problem I quickly saw; The vacation rental world is run by mom and pop hosts and there are big discrepancies with standards and quality of stays for the price. When people like myself travel, we avoid hotels because we prefer the local feel, uniqueness and homey vibes of a short term rental. But there are certain things that are a must. Things like impeccable white linens and toiletries that will meet your needs and allow you to now have to run to the store for necessities the day you arrive. These are basics, no matter where you are from or where you are traveling to.

I decided to take it upon myself to buy a few airbnbs when I moved from NJ to Miami and actually make my guests feel what I’d like to feel when I travel the world. I Designed them in a way that spoke to the local style and culture but most importantly, told a story. To my surprise, guests became repeat guests.  This inspired me to set up shop with a vision and the name: Host and Keep.

My whole corporate career was spent working in sales and marketing. These two skill sets served me well as we started from ground zero with the company. Focusing on the brand and the internal and external clients was always a priority. Monetization and returns for our clients is the name of the game. We need to 3X what they would generate in yearly rentals- and we do. Consistently.

Once we launched, operations, accounting, HR and everything else just had to catch up with me. That’s pretty much how we operated our first year.

The three things that I enjoy the most, and could talk about all day long are travel, real estate and design. I somehow get to work with these 3 things. I consider myself very lucky for that.

From representing my clients in buy or sell transactions, to monetizing their real estate with vacation rentals, to hosting guests looking to discover this city, all the way to picking color palettes and decor accents for a new property launch. It all just flows.

The key to growing your business is consistency and the easiest way to be consistent is to do something you love –or maybe 3 things! Host and Keep is the blend of these things for me and the relaxed, fun and flexible work environment I always wish I had in Corporate America. Half the time it doesn’t feel like work at all, and that is also how you know you’re onto something special.

I also can’t say enough about our team. We have such hard working talented people around us that help keep us going. From property inspection, to accounting and operations, every role is critical. I’m grateful I get to work with such amazing people. This is by no means a one person job and we all lean on each other, pivot when needed and stay solutions driven and focused to handle things quickly and efficiently.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Host and Keep was born from an “aha”moment and the realization that we could help raise the bar for guest stays but most importantly raise the bar for our seasoned clients and investor’s returns. Our clients are well versed real estate investors that know the value of short term rental properties. They respect the process and trust us. We acquire, design, set up and market their properties while running all operations in a seamless way.

Our growth and projects are syndications and funds where we can source out the deals, purchase them and run the full show as we know how to do, with passive investors reaping the benefits they already know of. Through the fund model we have much more buying power and can acquire a diversified portfolio of single family, condo and multi family properties. This is where the true magic happens. We have a few projects in the works.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have a love affair with this city. Miami is full of life, it’s bright, it’s modern, its beachside and it has a great mix of local flavor with international culture and diversity.

My perfect night in Miami for me would include some kind of Asian food, like sushi, dim sum or noodles, and a great cocktail bar. From there I’d be on to something cultural or arts related like live music or some kind of performance. After that I’d end the night on the beach, taking in the waves and night sky.

Some of my favorite places for sushi are Wabi Sabi, Mr Omakase, Hiyakawa, Yasu Tanaka and Kojin. The Perez Art Museum is a go-to, the Micro Theaters are always a hit.  We seem to always discover some quaint place for live music that we haven’t been to before. The beauty of Miami is that it’s growing, and with that growth are so many new places to discover popping up daily. Michelin is a huge deal and I’m super excited to see so many Miami restaurants making the list. I like living in a city that I need to keep up with, and Miami keeps you on your toes.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Shoutout to my Husband Vincent for always going along with my crazy ideas and supporting them fully! It’s hard to find people like him who love and support you in new ideas helping and encouraging every step of the way. Even when it’s uphill, raining and you’re wearing the wrong shoes.

Shoutout to the Host and Keep team! You guys made the magic happen every day.

Website: www.hostandkeep.com

Instagram: @hostandkeep

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/79812533/admin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HOSTANDKEEP/