Inspiring Conversations with Stoney DeGeyter of Villa Chiaroscuro, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stoney DeGeyter.

Hi Stoney, 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 backstory with our readers?
I got started in hospitality somewhat by accident. I had a secondary building on my property that I originally used as the office for my digital marketing agency. After selling the company, the building sat mostly unused. I decided to renovate it by separating the upstairs and downstairs into two independent living spaces. My plan was to use one as a long-term rental and, on a whim, list the other as a short-term rental on Airbnb. That’s how Villa Chiaroscuro was born.

The building itself had an interesting history. It started as a garage and, before I purchased the property, had been used as a machine shop. We leaned into that industrial heritage—along with the exposed steel beam running across the ceiling—and transformed the lower studio apartment into an STR we call The Industrial. It quickly became a must-stay location for couples visiting the Canton/Akron area.

What surprised me more than anything was how much I enjoyed the hospitality business. Creating memorable experiences, paying attention to the small details, and seeing guests genuinely enjoy the spaces was incredibly rewarding.

As I started looking for another investment property, I realized the home I was already living in—a beautiful house built in 1875—had tremendous potential as a short-term rental. I purchased a new home, moved out, left nearly everything behind, and transformed the property into a luxury STR now known as DuskHaven 1875.

Several months later, I was downsized from my digital marketing position. Rather than return to a traditional corporate role, I decided to pursue hospitality full-time. Drawing on my experience operating multiple short-term rentals, I founded Turn Hospitality, a company focused on STR management and host support.

As the businesses grew, I noticed that one of my largest expenses (and one of my biggest operational challenges) was cleaning. Finding reliable cleaners who consistently met the standards our guests expected was difficult. That led me to launch Bright Sky Cleaners, serving residential and commercial clients throughout Stark County. Shortly afterward, I acquired Cleaning with Care to expand our services into Summit County.

Today, I operate four businesses that all stemmed from a simple Airbnb experiment. What connects them is a passion for hospitality and a commitment to creating exceptional experiences, whether we’re serving guests, supporting property owners, or helping clients maintain their homes and businesses.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing worth building is ever smooth. At least not in my experience.

The biggest challenge was starting multiple businesses with almost no income. I invested nearly all of my savings into these ventures. While they operate as four separate companies today, in my mind, they’re really one ecosystem built around hospitality and service.

One of the hardest parts was earning trust before having a track record. When you’re new, you don’t have hundreds of reviews, referrals, or years of credibility to point to. You have to convince people to take a chance on you based solely on your vision, professionalism, and willingness to deliver.

Interestingly, the short-term rental side was the easiest to get off the ground. My background in digital marketing gave me an advantage when it came to writing compelling listings, creating a strong brand, and positioning properties effectively on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.

The service businesses were a different challenge. Growing those requires a lot of old-school relationship building, networking, sales, community involvement, and social media marketing. Those things work, but they take time. There aren’t many shortcuts to building a reputation.

Looking back, the biggest lesson has been that growth comes from consistency. Whether it’s earning a five-star review, gaining a new management client, or building a cleaning company, success is usually the result of showing up every day and doing the small things well over a long period of time.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The core of all of my businesses is built around one idea: creating exceptional experiences.

With DuskHaven 1875 and The Industrial, we’ve developed a reputation for thoughtfully designed spaces, attention to detail, and memorable guest experiences. We don’t just provide a place to stay; we create environments that feel unique, comfortable, and worth talking about.

As those properties grew, I realized that delivering a consistently great guest experience required excellence behind the scenes as well. I also found that running a short-term rental isn’t passive income if it’s done right. It takes a lot of hard work before, during, and after each guest. That’s why I started Turn Hospitality, to help other property owners improve their operations, increase revenue, and provide better experiences for their guests.

We also recognized that one of the most critical and often overlooked parts of hospitality is cleanliness. That’s why we built Bright Sky Cleaners and later expanded through the acquisition of Cleaning with Care. Together, these companies allow us to maintain the high standards that our guests and clients expect while serving homeowners, businesses, and property owners throughout Stark and Summit Counties.

What sets us apart is that we don’t view hospitality as a transaction. Whether someone is staying in one of our properties, partnering with us to manage their rental, or hiring us to clean their home or business, our goal is the same: to make their life easier and exceed expectations.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the fact that everything we’ve built has grown organically from a commitment to quality and service. We haven’t tried to be the biggest. Instead, we’ve focused on creating experiences people genuinely enjoy and services they trust enough to recommend to others.

If there’s one thing I’d want readers to know, it’s that hospitality isn’t just what we do; it’s the lens through which we make every business decision. From a luxury short-term rental to a cleaning service, we believe that details matter, people remember how you make them feel, and exceptional service never goes out of style.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I never set out to build a career in hospitality.

My professional background is in digital marketing, and for most of my professional life, I was focused on helping businesses grow online. The hospitality side started almost completely by accident, simply by looking for a way to use an unused space.

What began as an experiment turned into a passion. I discovered that I genuinely enjoyed creating spaces people could connect with and experiences they would remember. Today, hospitality influences nearly every business I make, but if you had told me ten years ago that I would be operating short-term rentals, a hospitality management company, and cleaning businesses, I never would have believed you. Though looking back, I can see how my insistence on providing excellent customer service throughout my career paved the road I’m traveling on now.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the opportunities that change your life are the ones you never planned for.

Contact Info:

• Website: VillaChiaroscuro.com | https://www.turnhospitality.com/ | BrightSkyCleanOhio.com | CleaningWithCareOhio.com