Meet Melissa Garcia, owner of My Guanacaste Vacation and an OwnerRez user for over five years. With more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, Melissa has built a thriving vacation rental business in Guanacaste focused on helping guests experience the best of Costa Rica.
Can you tell us a little bit about your history?
I have been in the hospitality industry since 2005. I started my career in the hotel industry and later specialized in concierge and guest management services. After several years of working in hotels and resorts, I decided to start my own business, focusing on vacation rentals and property management within a luxury golf and beach resort in Guanacaste, on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Starting my own company has allowed me to combine my hospitality background, knowledge of the area, and passion for guest service.
What is your background?
I studied Public Relations and have been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. Throughout my career, I have specialized primarily in luxury golf and beach resort properties, guest services, and creating memorable experiences for travelers.
Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located?
I am originally from San Jose but moved to the Guanacaste area before I started working in vacation rentals, so I consider myself from the area where the properties we manage are located. Guanacaste, and especially Playa Conchal, is home to me, which gives me a very personal connection to the destination and to the experience we want our guests to have when they visit.
What do you love most about the vacation rental business?
What I love most is meeting people from different parts of the world and learning about different cultures. I also love having the opportunity to help our guests experience the best of Costa Rica. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful country with incredible nature, beaches, wildlife, and so much to offer. Being able to help families create amazing memories together in this special piece of paradise is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.
What do you dislike the most about it?
Probably dealing with difficult/challenging guests who do not appreciate the culture or the country. At the same time, I have learned to see that as part of the business and even as an opportunity for growth. Over the years, those experiences have taught me a lot about communication, problem-solving, patience, and relationships, not only in business but in life as well. At the end of the day, hospitality is very much about people and relationships.
How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?
OwnerRez is at the center of our reservation management. We currently manage more than 40 properties, so having our reservation information organized in one place is extremely important. My team and I use OwnerRez every day to manage reservations, guest communication, payments, property information, and many of the day-to-day processes involved in operating our vacation rental business.
What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?
For me, one of OwnerRez’s biggest strengths is how user-friendly it is. When you have different team members working within the same system, that is extremely important. I also appreciate that OwnerRez continues to evolve and add new features as the vacation rental industry changes. Having a platform that grows along with the needs of our business has been very valuable to us.
Melissa has done a standout job of building a vacation rental business with a strong team and strong operations in place. We’re proud to support My Guanacaste Vacation and are excited to continue building tools that help her team manage the day-to-day as the business continues to grow.
