Pitt Street, Glasgow

Having successfully rented out our own flat on Airbnb, we saved up to invest in a second property to refurbish. Pitt Street had suffered the same fate as many rental properties in Glasgow - it was down-at-heel, with scruffy white paint, and no colour or imagination applied to it. We set out to make it holiday-friendly, since as a one-bedroom flat it was on the small side, and being located on the first floor above Sauchiehall Street, was probably more suited to short-term stays than actually living there. We tested every aspect of the flat as a vacation rental, and installed a tumble drier, refitted the kitchen, added utilities including a white noise machine and USB chargers, and wrote a guidebook to Glasgow with all our favourite places. We kept the kitchen stocked with all the basics to make cooking at home easy, and at one point we hosted the stars of the Mamma Mia! musical for their whole stage run (we made them Christmas cookies and put in a little Christmas tree for them). The flat was also hired as a location for the day by an established photographer. With incredible views over one of Glasgow’s steepest street, and a goldfish-bowl view of Sauchiehall Street’s nightlife, it was a pretty unique place to stay.

We maintained Superhost status for the flat’s life and had repeat guests who loved the feeling of having their own flat in the city, even just for a night.