This week, we’re highlighting Alece, founder of Come Visit Nashville and Rest Easy Nashville. After years of leading a nonprofit organization in South Africa, Alece brought her passion for meaningful guest experiences to Nashville and began renting rooms in her home. Today, she runs a boutique management firm built on strong systems and purpose-driven hospitality, with a portion of every stay supporting nonprofit organizations that fight human trafficking and empower women survivors through healing and employment.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history?
Looking back, I’ve always worked in hospitality, just not in the traditional sense. I founded and led a nonprofit in South Africa for 13 years, focused on leadership development and AIDS prevention education. Alongside that work, we hosted thousands of travelers from around the world, and I developed an unexpected love for shaping meaningful guest experiences. After relocating to Nashville, I ran a nonprofit consultancy, providing communications and strategic support to mission-driven organizations. In 2015, I began short-term renting the guest rooms in my Nashville home and quickly discovered how much I loved hosting. I also became involved in advocacy efforts supporting fair and responsible short-term rental legislation.
Through those experiences, I met homeowners who were interested in hosting but felt overwhelmed by the regulatory complexity and operational demands. That led to launching Rest Easy Nashville in 2017, our boutique management firm serving homeowners, along with Come Visit Nashville, the guest-facing brand behind our thoughtfully hosted stays. We intentionally remain small and selective because excellence requires margin; space for focused attention, responsiveness, and maintaining the level of service our homeowners and guests rely on.
Why Nashville, and what do you like most about building your business there?
I swapped the savannah for the skyline when I moved to Nashville, and the choice was intentional. After years of rural life in South Africa, I was ready for an urban chapter with more opportunity and energy, but I didn’t want to lose the sense of community I’d come to value. Nashville feels like the rare city that offers both: vibrant and growing, yet still relational and deeply connected.
That balance has shaped how I’ve built my business. What I love most is helping guests experience Nashville in that same way: not just enjoying the neon lights and well-known attractions, but discovering the neighborhoods, restaurants, and local spots that give the city its heartbeat. I want people to leave feeling connected to Nashville, not simply entertained by it.
What do you love most about the vacation rental business?
I love that it blends connection, operations, and purpose. There’s something deeply meaningful about welcoming people during moments that matter, from celebrations to medical stays and everything in between. Our homes quietly become part of those stories and memories. I love curating experiences that feel intentional and personal; spaces where guests feel genuinely cared for. Perhaps most importantly, this business allows me to integrate purpose into profit. A portion of every stay supports The Exodus Road, which works globally to fight human trafficking, and Thistle Farms, which empowers women survivors through healing and employment here in Nashville. After two decades in nonprofit leadership, it’s essential to me that my company reflect the values I’ve carried throughout my career. Every booking helps fund freedom, dignity, and hope, both locally and globally. That’s incredibly meaningful to me.
What’s the most challenging part of running your business?
The stakes are high. When something goes wrong, it matters immediately. It impacts guests’ trips and homeowners’ investments. That level of responsibility requires vigilance, responsiveness, and an almost obsessive attention to detail. I take that seriously. I’m naturally a problem-solver, an over-communicator, and unapologetically detail-oriented, because in this line of work, sweating the small stuff prevents the big stuff.
What advice would you give to new short-term rental operators?
Decide early what kind of operator you want to be, and build around that. There’s a difference between chasing scale and building with excellence. Growth without margin often erodes the very standards that create long-term success. Protect your standards fiercely. Build systems before you scale. Be selective about the properties and partnerships you take on. And never underestimate how much communication matters; guests remember how you made them feel far more than your amenities or décor. I’d also encourage new operators to be clear about their “why.” This business is demanding, and having a deeper purpose keeps you steady when things get complicated. For me, that includes building a company that supports causes I care deeply about. That bigger vision shapes every decision I make. Build something you believe in. When your standards and your purpose align, you won’t just create a business, you’ll create something that endures.
How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?
OwnerRez is the operational backbone of our business. It doesn’t just help us manage bookings; it helps us scale standards. The platform gives structure to everything we do, so nothing slips through the cracks. It allows us to operate with consistency and precision while preserving the warmth that defines our brand. Excellence depends on strong systems. OwnerRez provides the framework that allows us to deliver at that level, stay after stay.
What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?
Where OwnerRez truly shines for us is in the workflows and automation. We’ve built communication flows that are warm, thorough, and highly intentional. Guests often respond as though each message was written just for them, which is exactly the goal. That strategic automation allows us to deliver high-touch hospitality with consistency and clarity across every property and stay. We’re also in the early stages of training and testing Rezzy AI, exploring how it can strengthen responsiveness, structured task management, and intelligent revenue optimization within our systems, always in service of elevating the guest experience, never replacing the human element. That balance of customization and control within OwnerRez is what enables us to operate at the level we do.
Alece has built a strong model for purpose-driven hospitality in the vacation rental industry. We’re excited to continue supporting her vision through powerful messaging tools and automation.