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25% savings on utilities with Hostfully Devices
How Hostfully Devices cut utility spending and enabled a better guest experience for a growing STR company.
Mike and Tammy Louderback run NexAero Vacation Rentals,
a boutique vacation rental company.
Operations: 14 properties across Arizona and California
Overview
Before
- Clunky, unreliable third-party automation tools
- Stressful guest complaints about temperature, locks, lights
- High propane bills (up to $800/month per property)
- Operational stress
After
- Centralized and simple control
- Automated smart locks, thermostats, and lighting
- Guest-facing control with the Set App
- Proactive property readiness with real-time monitoring and fallback codes
Impact
- 25% reduction in energy costs
- Higher guest satisfaction and 5-star reviews
- Time saved & lessened stress for operations team
- Scalable solution to support continued growth
“It’s not just what you can do with Hostfully Devices—it’s how you can build guardrails into a broader ecosystem.”
Mike Louderback, NexAero Vacation Rental
Before
Since founding NexAero Vacation Rental in 2000, owners Mike and Tammy Louderback have expanded their business from one property to 14 across Arizona and California. But with growth, they faced the critical STR challenge: “How are we going to scale around managing all these properties?”
Managing homes located at elevations of 7,000 feet or in secluded wooded regions came with the occasional dreaded complaints: guests locked out of remote homes, travelers walking into properties just as cold inside as out, newcomers stumbling in the dark to find a door. Any mistake wasn’t just unpleasant—it threatened reviews and repeat business. Reactive service recovery wasn’t sustainable.
After
NexAero now utilizes Hostfully Devices’ smart home integration to manage smart locks, thermostats, and lighting across the company’s growing portfolio. Hostfully Devices sync with Hostfully’s Property Management Platform and Digital Guidebooks in one centralized platform.
NexAero implemented Hostfully Devices across:
-
- Smart locks: Hostfully Devices auto-generates unique pin codes for each booking, even during outages, and alerts Mike’s team when batteries run low.
- Smart thermostats: Mike has set temperature schedules, so when homes are vacant (before check-ins and after checkouts), thermostats automatically push to his away mode setting. In doing so, NexAero saves huge on propane costs, cutting bills by 25% (while still protecting pipes!). Additionally, guests can adjust temperatures for their own comfort within pre-established safe limits.
- Smart light switches: Smart switches and motion floodlights ensure key areas stay lit before, during, and after stays—even if guests turn them off.
- Set App: Guests and cleaners can control devices via Hostfully’s guidebook-integrated app, while Mike manages access and settings.
Hostfully Devices’ incredible electric and propane cost savings benefit managers and their homeowners. And if that weren’t enough, since implementing his Hostfully Devices, Mike’s guest experience and subsequent reviews have been phenomenal. “Now I don’t have to use that bottle of wine we left out as an exchange for forgiveness!” Mike jokes. As most vacation rental managers know, giving guests a truly memorable stay (no forgiveness required!) is its own reward.
Thanks to Hostfully Devices, NexAero scaled its business without compromising on quality, turning automation from a headache into a competitive advantage. For Mike and Tammy, it’s more than managing properties—it’s about curating experiences and delivering trust at scale. “It really came down in the end needing every stay to be a 5-star from the start,” Mike said. And with Hostfully Devices, it’s more than that— it’s a smart 5-star stay from the start.
