PRACTICING WHAT I PREACH AS AN EXPERIENTIAL DESIGNER

When I first stepped foot into the vacation rental landscape AND launcHED The Olive Jar, I was entering as an experiential designer with decades of MARKETING experience IN the corporate brand sector.

Pivoting from years in live event work, I transitioned to serving vacation rental hosts exclusively. Now, just five years later, hosting our own STR has given me a chance to live out The Olive Jar philosophy firsthand.

This is my most personal project yet—and the ultimate way to practice what I preach.

Today I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how this opportunity to host from my own property is only deepening my passion for experiential hospitality. I’m testing every detail and crafting a one-of-a-kind storied stay that wasn’t just pulled from Pinterest.

But I didn’t get here by accident.

At 20, I left the East Coast and made my way out to Los Angeles. Over the next 15 years while I was storytelling in film, television, and live event spaces, I was opening my own home for themed meal gatherings, creating stories there too. I loved prompting connective moments…the exchange of food around the table came with laughter, little pauses of anticipation, eyes lighting up at small surprises along the way. The parting gifts (sometimes given upon arrival as a part of the entire experience) were even layered into the storytelling of the night.

Hosting out-of-the-box experiences has always been the joy in my bones.

In what felt like a natural extension of that joy, I launched The Olive Jar to create what we call Getaways to Reconnect. Our philosophy isn’t about perfection—it’s about designing experiences that foster connection, wonder, and belonging.

The truth is, I carry it with me in daily life: in the things I teach my kids, the ways I host friends and family, and even in the air I breathe. I can’t stroll my neighborhood, shop local or hit the trails without finding hospitality inspiration all around me.

A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT

In an instant, a new horizon appeared, perfectly aligned with The Olive Jar’s expanded vision.

Over four years ago on a Christmas vacation home in Atlanta, Georgia, we popped up to a small mountain town with friends for a couple nights. As we drove the hills of Blue Ridge, we made our way through Ellijay.

I fell in love with the area and said out loud, “If we ever own a cabin, I’d want it to be in Ellijay.”

Then, last year in the most unexpected moment, a divine opportunity came to us. I was reaching out to a former filmmaking collaborator in Nashville when I found out that he & his wife were selling their vacation rental cabin to start a preschool. I asked him where the cabin was located…

“In Ellijay, Georgia,” he said.

It was a full circle moment.

To this I replied: Please don’t put that cabin on the market yet.

In an instant, a new horizon appeared, perfectly aligned with The Olive Jar’s expanded vision: launching our own line of Getaways to Reconnect.

Oh, and by the way, the timing felt unmistakably meant to be, too, as our family had just made the decision to move cross country to Atlanta (just 90 min. South of Ellijay).

At The Olive Jar, our approach to STR marketing goes far beyond design aesthetics or SEO. Every experiential touch point is designed to create core memories—those small, sensory moments that linger long after a stay ends.

Experience Differentiator: Many hosts excel at DIY design or operations, but few have the capacity to offer thoughtful, interactive mini experiences within the home that turn ordinary getaways into unforgettable journeys. Our experiential marketing model helps hosts deliver branded experiential stays that put the traveler in the driver’s seat, as co-creators of the brand itself.

The creative process designing The Ellijay Olive wasn’t going to look any different than what I’d do for my own clients.

Today I’m framing out that process…

STR EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: HOW WE DO IT

FIRST COURSE: The Branding Guide

Following our first onsite visit, we build a written & visual narrative of your guest experience from listing view to check-out and beyond. In story format, we define key pillars like brand personality, ideal guest, aesthetics, guest touch points.

Think of it like a blueprint—would you build a home without it?

It’s storytelling on the page hosts can use in their listing, in socials, printed materials, guest messaging, you name it.

While our Branding Guides usually run 20-40 pages (depending on the size of the property), here are just a few words pulled straight from The Ellijay Olive Branding Guide:

Branding Guide

The Ellijay Olive is the quiet life of the party that dwells deep in the wooded hills of Ellijay, Georgia.
Celebration here feels more like lingering on a “meant to be” moment, attuned to unexpected abundance in understated moments. Think full spice rack not just with spices, but a collection of sprinkles too.

This getaway is designed for breathing room from the challenges—sometimes heartbreaking moments—of life that we all face.
So when guests check in, it’s a comfort to see golden sunlight streaming in from expansive windows above, adorning the living & dining room, ready and waiting to offer the warmest welcome moment. When they step out onto the forest deck, that same sun peaks its way through the trees like it was born to play.
This cabin glows with hope without having to try, telling every guest…
“When life hands you a lemon, make a charcuterie board.”
BRAND FILTERS: *Slow; Soulful; Celebration; Whimsy; Golden*

SECOND COURSE: Inviting Design

Once the Branding Guide is complete, all decisions ladder up to it like it’s your North Star. The guide directs your attention to the property components (and local experience) that tell the most compelling story, so that we are intentionally drawing your traveler’s attention to the features that will strike an emotional chord and call them to lean in more.

We begin implementing the brand story with a foundational layer we call inviting DESIGN.

We create high-touch, curated spaces that inspire togetherness and encourage meaningful connection.

For The Ellijay Olive, we describe the aesthetics with story travelers can feel, not just designer speak. We name key spaces of the cabin with intention, too.

DESIGN

*A modern cabin with rustic touches and botanical whimsy, creating an uncanny warmth that glows inside and out.* Rustic touches like a stone fireplaces and live edge dining table contrast in the most complimentary of ways with clean wood paneling and modern light fixtures that softly glow up each space.

Layered throughout the dwelling, guests find soft textures, ample throw blankets to curl up in, beds with top of the line mattresses and feather down pillows you can melt into.
The artwork builds character: *an olive motif is dotted throughout the property, and deer show up too—a nod to the families of them who roam the property from sunrise to sunset.*

THIRD COURSE: Unforgettable Amenities

The guest journey continues through unforgettable AMENITIES. To be clear, we really describe these as guest TOUCH POINTS because these details become the context—and gentle prompt—for interactive moments, where the deeper memory-making builds. When we think of amenities, it includes:

IN-HOME FEATURES: Permanent, intentional design components (i.e. water features, game rooms, chef’s kitchen tools, etc.)
SERVICES & GUIDED ACTIVITIES: Experiences led by local guides or built for guests as self-guides (in-home or offsite)
TAKE HOME GIFTS: Sourced or fabricated offerings for guests to enjoy during their stay and keep forever

As an example, here’s how we describe The Ellijay Olive KITCHEN in our listing (plus a DIY mini experience we’re delighted to offer):

AMENITIES

We’ve named a few key spaces: The Olive Grove (primary bedroom); The Olive Jar (second bedroom & loft); and The Olive Press (the kitchen), a home cook’s haven. Guests cook and serve to their heart’s content with everything from a KitchenAid standing mixer & Our Place “Always” Pan to curated designer goods, like the clay potted herb stripper, olive wood accoutrement bowls and a collection of charcuterie boards.

*Cooking a meal here isn’t about presentation, it’s about atmosphere.*
A SPECIAL NOTE SHARED WITH GUESTS:
“Celebrating an occasion? No moment is too small. Look for our “Celebration Kit,” where we’ve gathered a few pieces of decor to help you celebrate whatever brought you here—or whatever unfolds while you’re here. String the lights, hang the garland, make it yours.
We kindly ask that everything find its way back to the bin for the next guests to enjoy—but keep the “Sleep Guide” travel journals! Our parting gift to you.
Now, without further ado…have fun giving any moment an extra touch of special, your way.”

FOURTH COURSE: Engaging Media

We pride ourselves on the fact that we help hosts meet their travelers on a journey of transformation. Your ideal guest is already living in a compelling story, but they’re looking for getaways that will change them forever. Your stay truly can have that kind of power. But from a traveler’s POV, you as host must give them a glimpse of that transformational stay within every photo frame.

We produce compelling photography and videography that draws an emotional connection with viewers—professional content creation that sparks dialogue and engagement, keeping guests and traveler audiences connected to the story of your brand.

The interactive experience of The Ellijay Olive doesn’t just live in the kitchen. Every space offers plenty of room for slow moments where guests can curate their own special moments.