Hidden Gems: Meet Krystal Meyer of Meyer Southern Rentals LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystal Meyer.

Hi Krystal, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Every year for my birthday I enjoy going to a quaint mountain town, renting a cabin, relaxing in nature and exploring the area. In 2019 I was inspired by one we were renting in Blue Ridge and started day dreaming about owning one of my own. My husband and I ran basic numbers and realized it could work…but like most dreams, it stayed a dream until COVID in 2020 and we both found ourselves furloughed from the same company. This was eye opening and life changing for us. We knew we had all of our eggs in one basket and needed that shock and scare to push us towards my dream. That year we looked for our first property and found my dream cabin in Ellijay, GA. In February 2021 I closed on my little A frame, on a creek, nestled in the woods. I poured my creativity, hospitality and love of connection to people into that property and it became a success and a launching pad to further my love of owning and operating Airbnbs. Knowing we wanted a family and knowing we wanted me home with the children in their younger years, this was the perfect blend of still having a business and keeping my main priority of raising my children. It is a dream to run up to the mountains for a day with my two children. They love splashing in the creek, being on the lookout for deer and bear, and picking out new decor for the cabin. I love sharing my work and passion with them.

Fast forward to 2026 I now own and manage 5 Airbnbs. My original one in Ellijay and 4 in the Helen area and have big dreams of continuing to grow my business.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The first cabin was a dream. Easy purchase, recently renovated, and I had all the time and energy in the world to make it my own. The next three were more challenging. We knew we wanted to purchase two of them off market but our money was tied up in a cabin we were renovating to flip. The third one was a curve ball in the best way. It popped up on Zillow and it was on the same street as the other two, with a quick call to my investor friend, he was in. I had my real estate license at the time and in between juggling my full time job, the flip, being heavily pregnant, I now needed to win the bidding war on this cabin. Once the cabin was purchased it was off to the races to get it renovated, furnished and published on Airbnb and navigate my first management property.

With a deadline of purchase looming over our heads and needing to sell the flip home in order to close on the two cabins we were stressed and the cherry on top of me giving birth in a matter of 8 weeks. It was all hands on deck to get that cabin done and ready to sell. My husband and I were helping stain the deck hours before a showing, I was incredibly pregnant, I was getting more stain on my large belly trying to reach the deck than actually helping.
The first two offers never made it to closing and it was devastating. Starting to owe a mortgage payment on the flip, hoping we could find a buyer, still wanting to hold up our agreement on when we would purchase the other cabins in a matter of weeks now and my due date quickly approaching, we were stressed. The flip cabin finally sold and we could breathe just a little easier, quickly getting everything lined up to purchase the two cabins that were in desperate need of renovations before we could publish them on Airbnb. In a mad dash we got them purchased and renovated. The week before I gave birth, my husband and myself along with my wonderful parents got to Helen in the wee hours of the morning with a massive U Haul truck filled with furnishings. We spent all weekend running between the cabins, furnishing, decorating, and staging them. I was still working full time as a personal trainer at this point and I was physically starting to feel worn down.

Once we had the cabins staged, they were photographed and I started working on creating the story of them on Airbnb, they went live on Airbnb 4 days before I gave birth to my first child, my son. There was an overwhelming sense of joy, peace and pride at seeing my son. Knowing how hard we worked, stretched, dreamed and hustled to make sure everything was in order before his arrival and seeing my beautiful, healthy son was worth it all tenfold.

The latest cabin I began managing in March. My neighbor in Helen was feeling frustrated with his current management company and asked if I would take over the reigns. Now having all 4 Airbnbs on the same street in Helen under my management, feels like a dream come true. I was more than happy to assist, knowing my cabins were thriving, I was confident with light renovations and decorative upgrades his cabin would be a success as well. I am happy to say once we went live on March 1st, we received 26 new bookings in 48 hours and are booked out for the rest of the year into 2027.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Meyer Southern Rentals LLC?
My business is centered on hospitality. I take great pride and care in making all of my guests feel welcomed and taken care of, responded to promptly if they need anything, and knowing I am always available to ensure their vacations are exactly what they envisioned.

What sets me apart is my care factor. Yes I am running a business, but I am nothing without the wonderful guests who choose one of my properties to make memories at. I try to think in terms of what a hotel may offer, late check outs, early check ins if I can make it happen, ease of cancellation or trip change if needed and priding myself on my properties and all supplies looking “like new.” I also love personal touches, banners to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays if a guests happen to mention it in a message to me, if it is a repeat guest I have a gift for them or around the holidays I always have a wrapped gift under the tree that is from a local store.

I want readers to know that I care. Their experience from the moment they book to the moment they check out. The excitement I show upon them booking, letting them know my favorite restaurants and wineries to helping plan extra special surprises, leaving a handwritten postcard to thank them for booking and to reach out of they need anything. The connection with people is my brand,

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see a trend in wellness, luxury offerings, and higher end design taking charge in the next few years. The Airbnbs that can adapt, stay on top of trends and continue to improve and upgrade their properties will be the ones that stand the test of time.

We are already thinking of where we can add saunas, improve landscaping design, add water features, ect.

Standing out from just being “another cabin in the woods” is always on my mind and I love to see where my creativity takes me,

Pricing:

• Cabin prices vary seasonally, understandably, but as I have stated, my connection with people and fairness on pricing is always a factor. I do not overcharge.

Contact Info:

• Other: https://www.airbnb.com/users/profile/about?context=host