Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Todd.
Hi Debbie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My husband and I own The Woodlands at Hocking Hills. We actually got into the short-term rental business by accident. My husband wanted a place close to home, for our family to easily get away from the hustle and bustle of life. I was definitely leary due to cost and lack of time. He researched homes for 3 years and finally found the perfect one. Little did we know this would be the beginning of our next journey, managing short-term rentals. We found partners that were also interested which helped from a risk and financial standpoint. We bought our first vacation home in April 2020, the beginning of Covid, not having a clue what to expect. Our goal was to use it, then attempt to rent it, hoping to cover expenses. This is when I discovered my newfound love for short-term rental management and hospitality. Less than a year later, Jeff and I found our second short-term rental consisting of 14 acres. We are proud of what we have created and excited to see what’s to come of The Woodlands at Hocking Hills.
We simply started our new adventure at The Woodlands at Hocking Hills as an opportunity to work together as a family renovating our new home and investment property. Our vision was to create a space and experience where guests could come together and make lifelong memories. After 5 months of providing our home for others to enjoy, I had a deeper feeling of purpose for Woodland Lodge, that was bigger than the 5 of us. I wasn’t exactly sure what this entailed but knew in my heart, we were blessed to bless others. My initial inspiration started by entering the Joanna Gaines $50,000 new business startup giveaway. The application process along with reading the winner’s bio and heart for giving back inspired me to dig deeper. What are our goals, purpose, vision, and mission? What is our Why? We were given this opportunity; now what? How can we use our lodge to GIVE BACK?”
After hours of self-reflection, creativity, thoughtfulness, intentional reasoning, prayer, and research, we came up with our first opportunity to use Woodland Lodge to GIVE BACK. Our kids each chose a charity that was important to them, and we decided to GIVE BACK 5% from each rental to one of the 3 charities having our guests choose which organization their funds would support.
We then decided to have people on social media nominate health care heroes in need of rest and relaxation for a 2-night stay at Woodland Lodge with restaurant gift cards during their stay. This was the 1st Annual Woodlands at Hocking Hills GIVES BACK event.
We were not ready to stop there. We wanted to provide additional amenities for guests to make their stay more enjoyable. We made it our mission to find products that also had a heart for GIVING BACK. We are currently providing the following:
1. Torke Coffee donates 5% back of Woodland Lodge coffee purchases to the Southeast Ohio Food Bank.
2. Soapbox Soaps donates 1 bar of soap from every purchase to those in need.
3. Evolve vacation rental, our management/OTA company, gives back 1% of each rental to Rebuilding homes.
We are hoping to provide an opportunity for other short-term rental owners to also purchase GIVE BACK amenities to join us in making a larger impact in our community.
We decided as a family to donate our 5% July profits to the Southeast Ohio Food Bank. We wanted to include other businesses in the Hocking Hills area to increase the impact of making a difference in our community. We recently concluded our 1st Annual Hocking Hills GIVES BACK the month of July campaign benefiting the Southeast Ohio Food Bank and had 8 businesses join forces with us. We are currently waiting on the final donation amount from the Food Bank.
We are currently planning for our 2nd Annual; Woodlands at Hocking Hills GIVE BACK event in Nov for someone in need.
Our vision for the next 2-3 years is to add additional amenities to our lodge while partnering with businesses that have a passion for GIVING BACK. We are also in the beginning stages of building smaller, intimate, private luxury cabins on our property.
Woodland Lodge is just a piece of who we are. It has become our platform to make an impact and difference in the lives of others, 1 rental and 1 product at a time. Our goal is to find intentional and creative ways to Give Back while including our guests and community in the process. Our ultimate goal is to integrate our Home in the Hills with our passion for people.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the struggles along the way:
1. It was a huge financial risk for us from purchasing the property to renovating and paying bills.
2. It took 5 months of working with the seller to finally come to an agreement on the property.
3. We renovated the home in 3 months along with managing our full-time jobs and caring for 3 active kids.
4. We are constantly learning new things every day regarding managing and upkeep of a vacation property.
5. Not having a marketing, business, design, or hospitality background has made the process more difficult, but it has been fun learning new things along the way.
6. It is frustrating to be excited about new possibilities when others do not feel the same. This can be discouraging but can be turned around as a challenge to think outside the box.
7. Keeping on a specific time frame and reliability of others has been challenging at times.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Wife, Mother of 3 (14, 13, and 10), and Physical Therapist. I am extremely proud of my children and the individuals they are becoming. As I continue to guide them through life, they are constantly teaching me new things about myself and helping me to become a better person.
I have worked as a PT now for 19 years. I have worked in multiple settings including outpatient, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health. I am currently working in the prison system, rehabilitating inmates with various diagnosis. I love dancing, serving others, and absolutely love people’s stories. I am known for being intentional, optimistic, open to new ideas, and having a passion to live life to the fullest. What sets me apart from others, especially in my current work environment, is bringing light into a dark place. I believe in meeting people’s needs where they are. I truly try to live by Love God, Love People.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
A childhood memory that immediately comes to mind is our 1 and only family trip to Disney World. I was about 10, and I can still remember the excitement and awe of walking into the front gates of Magic Kingdom. The entire trip and every detail about it was memorable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thewoodlandsathockinghills.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewoodlandsathockinghills/ (@thewoodlandsathockinghills)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072403310165 (The Woodlands at Hocking Hills)
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkRNs8sJJ6viTzqVVI6NcWw (The Woodlands at Hocking Hills)
- Other: https://www.sponstayneous.com/behind-the-stays/episode-42?hsLang=en (Sponstayneous Podcast)
Image Credits
Evolve Vacation Rental
