Expert advice on rental properties, the daybed design that went viral, and the best vacation destinations for design lovers. This week on HGTV Obsessed, host Marianne Canada talks with Scott McGillivray, real estate investor and host of Vacation House Rules. Scott gives valuable advice to homeowners who want to generate income through rental properties, and shares his thoughts on the real estate market today. And designer Angelique Velez shares how she fell into furniture design by accident, and the process of creating her Balinese inspired home in Los Angeles.
Expert advice on rental properties, the daybed design that went viral, and the best vacation destinations for design lovers. This week on HGTV Obsessed, host Marianne Canada talks with Scott McGillivray, real estate investor and host of Vacation House Rules. Scott gives valuable advice to homeowners who want to invest in rental property, and shares his thoughts on the real estate market today. And designer Angelique Velez shares how she fell into furniture design by accident, and the process of creating her Balinese inspired home in Los Angeles.
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Find episode transcript here: https://hgtv-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/investing-in-rental-properties-travel-destinations-for-design-lovers
MARIANNE CANADA: Hello, and welcome to HGTV Obsessed, your podcast for all things HGTV. I could not be more excited about today's episode because we are kicking off summer with a summer vacation theme. I don't know about you guys, but I am ready to hit the road. Today, we have a variety of experts talking about everything, from optimizing a rental property to the best destinations for design lovers. If you aren't ready to hop on a plane or into your car at the end of this episode, you just may be a true homebody.
I'm your host, Marianne Canada, executive producer and HGTV.com lifestyle expert. When I'm not watching HGTV, I mean, these days I'm probably planning my next vacation. I have the chronic habit of planning my next vacation while I'm on my current one. That's my love language.
BRAD: Marianne, it is your favorite producer and favorite human being, Brad, here. I want to know, if you're such a great vacation planner, what are you planning next? Where do you want to go on vacation? And when I say you, I mean we. Where are we going on vacation?
MARIANNE CANADA: Brad, I don't think I'm ready to take our relationship to that level. And I have to say you got to watch it calling yourself my favorite producer because I work with a lot of producers. And I'm going to get some nasty emails.
Where am I going next? So I mean, honestly, like, I've got kids. Like we're not really to the crazy world travels yet. We're going to the beach in June, going to Folly Beach, which is a beach outside of Charleston, South Carolina. We go every year.
And then in July, I'm going on a long weekend with one of my best friends to Austin, Texas, one of my favorite places on the planet. So I'm super excited about that, even though it is going to be-- I mean, the temperature is going to be approximately hell's asshole.
I don't know. Can I even say that? I don't know if I can say that. Everyone's falling over laughing. I probably can't say that. The temperature is--
BRAD: There's no other way to describe Austin, Texas.
MARIANNE CANADA: It's so hot. I took my family once with me to Texas on a shoot in the middle of summer. And my son Hugo would walk outside, look at the sun, shake his tiny fist and go, that's hot. And it is. It's so hot. And yet, I'm willingly going in July.
BRAD: That's great. You've got some good vacation planned. Just be thinking and planning our vacation.
MARIANNE CANADA: Again, I'm putting this out there into the universe. I'm not committing to going on vacation with Brad. He can keep trying all he wants, but after recording this episode, I am finding myself wanting to go stay in a remote cabin in Canada. I want to go stay on a tropical beach in Bali or the Dominican Republic. I want to take off and go to Paris.
This episode is filled with design info. First up, we've got Scott McGillivray from the HGTV show Vacation House Rules. And he's talking to us all about his new show and giving advice for potential rental property owners.
Scott is an HGTV mainstay. And he's so delightful. We really bonded over my last name being Canada. Nobody loves the last name Canada like a Canadian. It really warms my heart.
Then we have Angelique Velez, owner and designer behind Remarkable Places and Remarkable Places Villas. And she's talking all about her incredible Bali-inspired home and how you can bring the essence of a tropical destination into your own house.
And then finally, we are wrapping up with a quick chat with luxury travel planner Alexandra Stockton. And she is sharing her favorite places to visit. If you are design obsessed, I mean, it's right there in the title of the podcast, guys. Let's get to it with our first guest Scott McGillivray.
Scott, we're so thrilled to have you. Welcome to HGTV Obsessed.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: Thanks for having me.
MARIANNE CANADA: I've been a fan of yours for so long. You're one of those HGTV staples, you know? I feel like you're one of the many faces of the network. I mean, you're a real estate investor. You're an entrepreneur. You're the host of Vacation House Rules as well as the past mega-hit series Income Property. How did you get your start in real estate investing?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: You know what? I started investing in real estate when I was 21. I was in college. And I ended up-- I worked at a restaurant as a waiter. And a client that came in was this real estate agent, and I asked her if she could help me find a rental.
And she suggested, why don't you buy a house instead of renting one? It'll be cheaper. And I thought that was the craziest thing I'd ever heard. Like how does that even make sense? This is ludicrous. But she'd walked me through the math, and I was astonished. I said that's amazing. So how do I do it?
And I think just being naive and young and sort of desperate, all of those things together, I really believed it was possible. And we found this property. And I got all my roommates to agree to rent the other rooms for me. I used my student loan as a down payment, which was--
MARIANNE CANADA: Wow.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: --slightly risky, but that's the only money I had. So I used it and I bought a property. And my friends moved in. And I was like, this is genius. I live here for free. I make money living in this house because my roommates are just paying market rents, but it was enough to cover everything.
So the next year I refinanced it. And I got two more properties. And then I was like, OK, this is amazing. Like I loved it. And I was a carpenter, a hobby carpenter at the time, so I was able to use my own skills and do some of the work myself and just made a summer job out of it at first.
And then by the time I was 25, I had 25 rental properties. And I'm like, I guess, this is what I do now--
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, my gosh.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: --buy and fix and rent these properties. And I just kept using the equity I would build in the ones I was renovating to use as a down payment on the next ones.
MARIANNE CANADA: Wow, so you were bitten by the bug so young. This is making me feel like such a slacker because when I was 21, I used my student loans to go to Europe for the month. And now, I'm like I could have bought a house.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: Could have bought a house. I didn't go to Europe. I didn't travel much when I was younger, but I got obsessed with it. And I had these goals of I need to generate this much cash flow because my friends were out going and getting jobs, right? They were starting to make decent money. And I was kind of the-- what they considered the wild card.
It probably wasn't until six, seven years later that I had the cash flow. And the equity built up where all of a sudden, my friends with jobs were like, hey, I need to get into this real estate investing thing. This seems lucrative.
MARIANNE CANADA: You're like, yeah, that's what I've been trying to tell you, guys.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: I know. I'm like, guys, I was telling you that seven years ago. And they're like, well, it's too late to get into real estate. It's too expensive now. And then another seven years went by, and they're like, well, now, it's really too expensive. And here we are 21 years later and it's still too expensive. It's always too expensive. You've got to figure it out.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, well, and I do think that right now in particular, the real estate market is just insane. So I would really love to get your advice for someone who is trying to get their start right now because I do feel like it's a particularly hard time to try and buy a house.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: If you ask your parents about when they bought their home, it was hard for them. If you ask your grandparents when they bought their home, it was hard for them too. It's always hard to buy a home. It's never easy, and it's not going to get any easier.
I would say all my shows-- to do my shows, one of the things that's a common theme, whether it was Income Property or even the Handyman Challenge series or Flipping the Block or now Vacation House Rules-- it's all about house hacking. It's like here's a way you can buy a house and afford it. You can rent out a portion. You can do the renovation yourself.
There's always a way to hack your way into the market. The problem is changing your mind first. It's not something we go into depth on the show about, but behind the scenes, when I'm working with homeowners, I'm spending a lot of time talking them through the process because people are nervous.
I've got homeowners buying their first home or investing majorly into a renovation or getting into a real estate investment, and they are so scared. So there's a lot of convincing yourself it's possible being the first step.
And then let's try all the different ways. Do you have a down payment? Do you have somebody you can borrow the down payment from? Do you have equity in something? Do you have good income? Do you have good credit?
Is there someone you can joint venture with? Is there private money available? My answer is not no. It's just what's my next option is really what people need to ask themselves if they want to get into the housing market.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, it really is-- it's a little bit of a leap of faith. You just have to educate yourself and then just have the confidence to make the leap.
Well, I do want to get right into talking about your new show because this is our-- we're kicking off summer. This is, like, our summer vacation podcast episode. So obviously you are our first choice because your new show Vacation House Rules is all about helping homeowners realize their property's true rental potential.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the show? It's so fun.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: It is. It's been a blast to film this show. This is season 2. The first season we filmed a few years ago. And I was really pushing. I'm like, guys, the vacation market, short-term rentals-- that's the trend. That's where we're seeing all the energy going, and it's exciting. And I like to be sort of at the beginning of a trend.
And now, we've been coming up with ways for people to harness the short-term vacation rental market because it's so available. It's so accessible now. You can list your property online.
We listed a property last week. And I was like, no, I don't know. We listed it for $750 a night, which is a lot for a vacation rental. I got up the next day. And it was booked for over 60 nights. And it happens that fast.
And I think about when I got into real estate 21 years ago, if you wanted to list a property for rent, you had to take out a classified ad in the newspaper. And if you didn't get a call that day, like, it was over. You're in the recycling bin.
So it has changed to the point now where this is a market that we've only scratched the surface on how lucrative it can be. This is almost $100 billion a year market and growing significantly. The amount of properties listed online doubled year over year. That's how you know you're in a rapid growth stage.
So trying to help people navigate the space was really the goal of the show. And then we look at the vacation market. We had projected growth over the next 10 years, which happened in 10 months. It's not like it was different. It's not like it lost popularity. It's just the popularity that we projected long term happened in the short term.
And so now, we see prices going crazy in some of these properties and helping people find affordable solutions to renovating them and getting them rented out. That's really what the show is about.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, it really is interesting. I feel like in one fell swoop, suddenly people didn't want to stay in hotels. Like people wanted to stay in a private home. They wanted to feel safe and feel a little more isolated. So that makes sense.
Something else I love about the show is that it's based in Ontario, Canada. There's this Canadian idea of cottage culture. Can you explain to us non-Canadians-- and yes, my name is Marianne Canada, but I am not Canadian. It's like the number one question I get. But can you give us a little insight into this idea of the importance of cottage culture in Canada?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: First of all, the fact that your last name is Canada is amazing. And it's funny because I have a home in Florida and we used to spend a lot of time there. We kind of had to make a decision this last year is where we were going to stay put.
So we came back to Toronto. And I grew up in Toronto. And I grew up with this cottage culture, which is a funny word. The word cottage is not-- it's got different meanings wherever you go.
And we've done a lot of research. Some people call it camp. In some of the upper northern states, they call it going to camp, or some people call it the cabin. Some people call it the lodge, and some people just call it a summer home or a vacation home.
In Ontario, Canada, where there's, like, 12 to 14 million people here like this is not a small population of people, cottage culture-- it's part of what we do. Florida-- you go to the beach. And in Ontario, you go to the cottage. And the cottage is a sort of smaller, more laid-back version of a home, typically on a smaller lake with good boating and fishing.
And it's a really relaxed lifestyle. I mean, in this area of the world, there's magazines. And there's the home show, and then there's the cottage show, which is even bigger. So it's something that is super-duper popular here.
And now, we've seen it grow and become this-- it's like almost a global, at least a North American phenomena, to have a potential secondary property where you get to escape from your urban lifestyle, your city lifestyle and get back to themes that are board games and being unplugged from all your digital devices and having a sense of adventure.
All of that is really-- it's really all your favorite things. It's special. And it's something that-- for someone like me that has spent a lot of time in New York and Florida and LA and Vancouver and even the East Coast, it's so unique, this cottage culture that I've just always taken for granted I guess growing up with here.
To explain it to other people is wild. Like if you came here, first of all, you'd be super popular with your last name.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, Canadians love me. Let me tell you.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: Of course, they do. But for instance, have you ever been ice fishing?
MARIANNE CANADA: I have not.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: And I knew your answer was no because it's something kind of random. It's kind of weird. It sounds odd. But my American friends, like a lot of the guys I work with in the States, when they come here, they're like, OK, we want to go ice fishing. I'm like, OK, let's go ice fishing.
And literally for 10 years, they talk about it. They're like remember, we went out. We walked on a lake. Remember, you drilled holes in that lake, and then we pulled fish out.
I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, we do that all the time. They're like, we still think about that all the time and how crazy it is. But I'm like, when you're up in the North, kind of take on some wild stuff.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, you have to entertain yourself for that long winter. I just love this. I feel like there's something so nostalgic about it. I definitely grew up going to, like, a family lake cabin that was very rustic, no air conditioner.
There was like a stack of Archie comics that I would read every summer, even though they never changed. It's the same story, Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica.
And as a teenager, I was so, like, about being out in this remote rustic cabin. And now I look back, and I'm like, I need to find that, so I can trap my kids and make them hang out with me without technology. I kind of think that my parents were brilliant.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: It's true. It's fair. I mean, there's a trend cottagecore right, which-- it makes me laugh because it's like, oh, everyone's talking about new cottagecore. It's rustic, and it's relaxed. I'm like, yeah, that's kind of been around for my whole life. It's just this is a new name for it, right?
And so it's interesting to see it become a huge design trend because literally, my specialty is plaid shirts and hanging out at the cottage. So it's new to-- it's one of those things that's like old to me, new to you type of stuff. But I love it. There's nothing wrong with being relaxed and just kind of disconnected. And I love bringing them up.
We have a cottage. And when I go up there with the family-- first of all, the kids ask all week, are we going to the cottage on the weekend? Can we go to the cottage on the weekend?
And literally we get there. And it's like catching frogs. And they want to ride a dirt bike. And they want to go water skiing. And it's all these things that I'm like, you just can't do that in the city. You just don't get that experience.
MARIANNE CANADA: And for those of you who are listening, you've got to check out the show notes at HGTV.com/podcast, and you will see that Scott is truly walking the walk. He's got his plaid shirt on. He's got a painting of some trees behind him. It's all very on-brand.
So I want to get back to the show because you've already convinced me. I mean, I already live on the lake, and yet, I am now like I also need a lake cottage. What is the first thing someone should consider if they want to buy or renovate a potential rental property?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: So you need to have your must-haves list. When it comes to buying a vacation home, I have this list of 10 things that I am looking for.
And I follow that like gospel. I try not to break it because these are the things that I know bring long-term value and I know create the right experiences. And I can give you a few of them that I'm always looking for.
It has to be within two hours of a major city, right? That's how you know-- well, first of all, that way, you'll use it more often or two hours from your house. And it also preserves the long-term value. It has to have some privacy. So you don't want to be like in a neighborhood-style vacation property. You want some privacy.
I like personally looking at the exposure. South to west or anything in between gives you the afternoon sun. The sunsets keep your summers long and your days long too. You can't change that. You can't buy a property and say now, I'm going to turn it to face west with my face northeast.
The sunrise is nice, but when you're up at the cottage, you don't need that 6:00 AM sun coming in on your face. You want that 8:00, 9:00 PM sun going down while you're looking at it.
I have what's called the jump-off-the-dock factor. You need to be able to run and jump off the end of the dock. If running and jumping off the end of the dock means you're in ankle deep water, it doesn't count. You need to be able to run and jump off the dock. That's a big thing for me.
You need to be able to accommodate at least two full families because going up by yourself with your family is fun, but what's really special is when you get to bring up other families, whether it's your siblings and their families or the other generations, your parents, your kids, or just your friends and their families, like having two or three days away, it's like going to overnight camp. It's a great experience.
So all of this falls into-- on the show, we call it do your research, right? First rule of buying a vacation home is do your research, understand the area that you're investing in, understand the rental potential so that you have a financial insulator.
One of the challenges of owning a vacation home is that it's something that takes a big financial commitment. But if you can also rent it out, maybe it's a financial benefit. I know that a lot of the properties we do on the show-- people are making money by owning these.
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, man, I'm going to add, must be able to run and jump off of a dock to my leg vision board. So these are all things we should be looking for, but what are some of the biggest mistakes a rental property owner can make? Because I'm risk averse.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: First of all, don't underestimate how much work is involved. These properties are more work than a primary residence. Nature takes a beating on them, right, whether it's rodents, rain, wind, storms, all that stuff. They just deteriorate faster if you don't maintain them, so you have to be prepared for that.
The second thing is don't underestimate the changing dynamic of your family. I see a lot of these properties. People invest a lot of money. They get really excited. And maybe they've got kids. And their kids go off to college, don't come back, and they never use it again. It sits empty for years.
So have a pretty clear understanding of what the real use is going to be. And if that dynamic is going to change, maybe you just want to rent a place for two weeks every summer.
Like there's nothing wrong. It's actually more affordable. If you're only going to take two weeks holiday every summer, go rent a place for two weeks and enjoy it.
And then don't worry about it the rest of the year, especially if your kids are going to be moving away or you're going to have a career change enough to move. All of those things could get you caught in a situation where you're almost stuck with the property.
Also, note that these properties are considered a luxury. So they go up and down in value typically more than a residential home would. So if you think houses are going up, then vacation properties are probably going to go up even more.
If you think properties are going to go down in value in an area, then vacation properties are going to go down even more because they're not a necessity. They're a luxury item. There's a lot of things to consider. I don't like to think of them as negatives. It's more about being prepared.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: And I think that the rental angle and insulating yourself against all of that is what having the rental potential does.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, it is hard. I mean, there's no way to anticipate all the many things. I'm thinking of the episode you have where the cabin almost flooded. The water came all the way under the cottage. I mean, I was literally watching it like, oh, no.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: That one was-- I think we called it the Malibu beach house. It was this property that had a beautiful beach. The owners had had it for 50 years in the family.
The beach was one of those-- it's one of those beaches you could walk out 200 feet. And it was only knee-deep, so it was a real beach experience, almost no dock required. It doesn't have the jump-off-the-dock factor, but nice trade-off for the beach, beautiful property.
And what happened when we were there was like a one-in-a-hundred year flood, the amount of rain that we got in the spring. The water levels kept going up and going up and going up. All the great lakes-- the water levels were going up. The water went up 4 and 1/2 feet in a matter of two months that we were there.
MARIANNE CANADA: Wow.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: So they went from having this huge beach to having no beach. And then the water came up over the break wall. The cottage itself was on cinder blocks. And the water was inches from the bottom of the cottage, and two cinder blocks were underwater. It was over a foot of water.
Their whole front lawn all the way to the road-- it looked like this thing was just sitting in the lake when the wind died down. We were all just in shock. We're like, oh, my gosh. But there were hundreds of properties that all ended up like this, right?
MARIANNE CANADA: Wow.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: But the water went back out. And thank goodness, it's way back down to where it was. And I know there was a lot of water control, dam control issues going on at the time. But that was something like how do you prepare for that one? I don't know.
MARIANNE CANADA: Well, and how do you shoot a TV show during [INAUDIBLE]? [INAUDIBLE]?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: You put your boots on, and you do it on your phone. Like there's a five-minute segment in that show that's shot on my phone because we didn't have a production crew there. But I was working, and I'm like, OK, this is happening.
A lot of our show gets shot that way. It's like, OK, we have a shoot day on Tuesday and nothing happens. And on Wednesday, we have a flood. And I'm just like, OK, well, here we go. It's happening on my phone.
MARIANNE CANADA: I actually think that's one of my favorite elements to come out of the past year is allowing for some of those real moments. It feels very authentic.
Well, something else I love about Vacation House Rules is you're not just doing these great renovations of the properties. You're also like redecorating for them. And you work with a great designer to give them all a fresh look.
So I want to know how you feel about themed rentals because I feel like that is so common, right? It's like seashells everywhere for a beach rental or here, I live in the Smoky Mountains, lots of very rustic log furniture and decorating with like bears. There's a lot of bears. What are your thoughts on these like aggressively themed rentals?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: I like themed rentals. Judge me if you will. We've been pushing them for years with our investors. And I liken it to the following. If you were walking down the street and you were shopping for instance, and you saw a store that had no name on it and nothing in the front window-- you know it's a store, but you're probably just going to walk by.
And you'll never remember it. You're like there was a store and I don't even know if it was open. And then the next store has beautiful signage. It says the blouse boutique whatever. And there's all blouses in the front window. I mean, you know what you're getting. And you walk in. And it's nice when everything is consistent.
Vacation properties that are being rented are no different. It's a business. And you need to have a brand. And if your brand is Malibu beach house, people are going to remember that. Like you said it right away, you did a beach house.
I'm like, yeah, she remembers Malibu beach house because we called it the beach house. If we called it cabin underwater or just another cabin, it would have been forgotten.
But people come. They see the sand. They see the wallpaper has a wave theme to it. It's got the colors that you would expect in a Malibu beach house, sandy floors, white shiplap ceilings, everything you would expect in a Malibu beach house. It's right on-brand.
That property rents like nobody's business because people know what they expect. And they prepare for it. They're like they make their Malibu Martini when they show up. Like they really buy into it.
And a vacation is not just an escape. It's content now, right? The next generation has decided that going on holiday is not completely disconnected. It's about creating content and experiences in their lives that they will then share on social media.
And if you have content to share or if you have curated content for people to basically insert themselves into, they're willing to pay a premium. You have to know your client, right, know who's renting these properties. And this generation-- they want a property that's going to give them content.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, they want that Instagrammable moment. And you know what? I have to agree with you. While I would not decorate my home like that, I actually love-- I kind of love a really, like, borderline cheesy beach house.
It's just you always know. There's going to be the bouys on the wall. And there's going to be like seven different signs that are like, relax, it's the beach. And there's a comfort there. It tells your brain you're on vacation.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: It tells your brain you're-- there's a couple pieces of artwork that we put in our beach-themed properties. It's like a sand dune with a little bit of grass and an old rickety dock going out with a blue sky and turquoise water.
There's something about seeing that photograph or that piece of artwork that immediately just makes you want to take off your shoes and walk outside in the sand. Like it's impossible not to connect the two.
So you're right. It's borderline cheesy. You said it. You want to be on-brand, but you don't want to be tacky, right? You don't want to overdo it. Like it's good to have a beach house or a seaside getaway, but you don't necessarily want a toilet seat with starfish in it, right? Like that might be a bridge too far.
MARIANNE CANADA: Nobody wants that. It sounds like a dubious sanitation at best. So I have to ask you. You are the expert clearly on vacation income properties.
What is a design element that really seems to work in rentals or that you think people are always really looking for? I know for me, I've got a huge family, so we're always looking for a big dining room table so that we can all eat together. Like that's always at the top of our list.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: One of the sayings that we use that you'll probably see in the show is a successful rental property starts with beds for heads and seats for eats. Those are the two things.
How many people can sit down and dine together and then sleep separately or at least have the proper accommodations for? That's the foundation of setting yourself up for success. A one bedroom vacation property with no dining room-- you're going have a hard time having people enjoy that experience.
But I would say that in terms of what do you need to focus on, it's really the outdoor areas that I think get missed in these vacation rentals. People worry about being the kitchen looks great, and the bedrooms are beautiful.
People aren't spending a lot of time in their bedrooms. They're like there to sleep, and then they're outside. So have a fire pit. People are going to spend as much time around the fire pit as they are in the bedroom. Like, at least, make it an experience. Have outdoor dining. That's critical.
Have a way-- a lot of these vacation properties might be considered waterfront, but realistically, they might be far from the water. So we always have a destination by the water like a cabana or a gazebo or a deck, somewhere that you can anchor yourself and plant yourself for the day, be in the shade and enjoy it.
All of these different sort of outdoor destinations, or vignettes as we may call them, just allow people to really create more experiences outside. So really focus on that with these vacation properties, and people are sure to have a good time.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, I'm, like, ready. I'm going to the beach next week, and so you're really making me really excited about my trip. So we've renovated our property. Like we're ready to write the listing. We're ready to determine what to charge for it.
Do you have any tips for the listing? And how do you determine what to charge for a rental because it seems kind of, like, mystifying?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of-- there's a lot of available data that you can see what comparable places are renting for. But if you want the absolute rule to investing in short-term vacation rental properties, there is a formula that is pretty much bulletproof if you follow it.
And that is you should be able to generate a month's worth of expenses in rent in one week of rental in the peak season. So one week's worth of rent during the peak season should cover one month's worth of expenses.
So if you have a property that has mortgage taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs of $3,000 a month, you should be able to rent it for $3,000 a week during the peak season because most peak seasons are 12 to 16 weeks. And therefore those are the only ones you can really rely on as a guarantee that you're going to be generating income.
So making sure all your expenses are covered in those 12 weeks, let's call it of the peak season, basically makes everything else, either for your own pleasure to enjoy, go and use it yourself or rent it out. And now, you're in positive cash flow territory.
That is the number one rule when you know how to identify or what you should follow in order to be successful in the vacation rental market. That was one part of your question.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, and the other question was about the listing itself because I've looked at a lot of Airbnb, a lot of Vrbo. And you can make or break the experience with the listing.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: Well, I am going to share with you a lesson that I would love to claim is my own, but I stole this from HGTV. When I first started doing the show Income Property, I remember I had to do-- there's a Canadian version, there's an American version, and then there's an international version.
I don't know if people know that. But the episode that you see is a little bit different than the episode that people see in Canada, which is a little bit different than the international.
So the stuff that happens behind the scenes is fascinating. I'll get the episodes back to me. And there'll be, like, 50 lines that they want me to reread for the American version because I sound too Canadian sometimes. So they're like, oh, you said composite decking. Can you please say-- I say composite decking.
MARIANNE CANADA: "Kam-pa-zet."
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: "Kam-pa-zet." They're like can you say composite decking. I'm like, yes, the composite decking, right? We'll get into that. And so there's all these little words that I'll reread a whole bunch of stuff for the American version.
But that being said, when we filmed the Income Property back in the day, I remember when the HGTV US asked us to retitle the episodes and give them a name. And I'm like, oh, well, in Canada, we just ran the episode. It was episode 1, episode 2, episode 3.
And the Americans are like, no, we need a name for each episode. So we had to go back and rename them based on like, oh, the basement baffler or the-- it's always some alliteration of some sort. So we started naming all the episodes.
And then the Canadians were like, oh, why did you rename them? And we told them why. And they're like, oh, it's working well. People search them up online and they find them. So we just started naming everything.
I'm like, forget it. Every episode has a name. And it added a lot of clarity for people and really explained what they were going to get versus episode 173. Like who knows what you're going to get or if you want to watch that versus watching Deck Disaster episode, right?
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: So I started doing that with my rental properties. I started naming them, kind of led to this whole theme of-- all of our properties have a theme, and they have a name.
When you want to-- when you go to list of property, give it a name. People will remember that. They identify it differently. The Malibu beach house stands out against every other generic rental in the area that has no name, no brand.
Start with your name and make sure you explain the experience that people are going to have in the listing because all the amenities are there, right? You don't need to go through, it has seven bedrooms and there's eight toilets. Like you don't need to get into that. That's all in the listing underneath.
What you need to do is you need to explain the experience that people are going to have. When you arrive at the Malibu beach house, take off your shoes, run through the sand, and jump off the dock into deep water. I'm sold. I know it needs-- then I'm just going to go how many people can come with me. Like I'm done. I'm in.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, it's so true. I mean, the name is everything. And then you also-- if you are someone who likes to go to rent the same property every year, it just really becomes part of your family history, that place. You feel a sense of ownership, even though you're renting.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: We have vacation rentals where people leave stuff there because they know they're coming-- they leave their fishing rods. They leave, like, a jacket. They leave their rain boots. They leave their tackle box. Like they just leave stuff. Just that that's how connected they are to properties that aren't even theirs.
They just ask like, is it OK if-- we know there's a shed there. We're going to leave all our stuff here so that it's ready for us next year. And I'm like, yeah, that's fine. And that way they're definitely coming back, right, the same people over and over again.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, talking about vacation insurance. Oh, Scott, I feel like we could talk vacation properties all day long. But before we let you go, we do want to get your thoughts on a current trend in one of our favorite segments Defend the Trend.
So you hit on this briefly earlier, but we are talking about the trend of cottagecore. It's, to your point, been around forever. But there is currently this aesthetic movement that embraces kind of the nostalgia, the idea of the English countryside, romantic, cozy elements, a very agrarian society.
So what are your thoughts on this cozy cultural throwback? Should it stay in the cottage country or can we bring this into our modern homes?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: It's definitely been interesting to see cottagecore enter the urban areas in the cities. I personally find it a little bit weird because I love cottagecore. I love cottaging.
But to me, it's something that you get away too that you don't necessarily live in all the time. I actually would probably find it too much. It would spoil it for me. It's like I like to have a chocolate bar, but not three meals a day, right? Give me a chocolate bar once a week. I love it.
But too much of anything is really a problem. So take what you will. And some people love the elements. Maybe there's a room in your home or a porch that you want to convert and use this design theme. That totally makes sense to me.
Somewhere, if you can incorporate cottagecore into your life, whether it be in a vacation home, or even in your primary residence, have it as a place that you can escape to.
I wouldn't recommend using it everywhere. I would recommend being very specific about where you use it because it does invoke this sense of relaxation and escapism and nostalgia, all those wonderful things, even if it's a tribute to the past, right? It's not the same. History doesn't repeat itself. It rhymes itself.
So cottagecore is not quite everything it claims to be. It's a new version of it. But I'm going to defend it. I'm going to say it's a fantastic opportunity for anyone to insert themselves in a different time and a different place.
And I think we're just seeing the beginning of it. And it will evolve to be something very different in the next few years. But I've been using it in vacation properties for a long time. So I would be a hypocrite not to say it's fantastic.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, agree. I think it feels like a treat. And the last thing you want is for something that feels like a treat and feels like an escape, you don't want it to become white noise. You need to keep it special.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: I agree. Don't overindulge.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, agree. Well, if everyone wants to follow along on all of your work-- you're a very, very busy guy-- where can we find you on social media? And where and when can we watch Vacation House Rules?
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: You know what? If you're following me on Instagram, then I will make sure you know when everything is airing because things move around. So the first episode of season 2 will be airing this Saturday evening on HGTV, June 5. And there's 13 weeks of new episodes, so we'll see you every Saturday.
And I just filmed a whole repack of season 1 as well. So people who watch season 1-- we did a behind-the-scenes version of it where Debra and I kind of talked to all these weird things that might not have made the original cut.
So that's coming out, and the new season is coming out. We feel very fortunate. We got a full season shot during a pandemic, not easy to do. But the nature of our shows is being remote, which has been helpful.
MARIANNE CANADA: Fantastic. And you can get the whole first season on Discovery+ because I have already been binge-watching it because I am so ready, so ready for summer, so ready for-- I think we're all ready to get out of our houses safely, right? It's long overdue.
Well, this was just delightful. I hope we can have you back some time.
SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY: Absolutely. Thanks so much.
MARIANNE CANADA: Thank you.
Scott McGillivray-- what a breath of fresh air that guy is. I have to say I kind of don't like the word cottagecore. It makes me think of cottage cheese.
SPEAKER: I was just going to say the exact same thing. It makes me think of-- like when I hear core, I think of hardcore. So when I hear cottagecore, I'm thinking of, like, punk rocker cottage.
MARIANNE CANADA: I could get on board with punk rock cottage.
SPEAKER: Yeah, no, I like-- I mean, it's very in right now. Like one of our producers actually, Danielle, is wearing, like, the puff sleeves in, like, the cottagecore fashion trend is.
Yeah, Marianne's got it going on. The cottagecore fashion, like, aesthetic I think is really cute. I just think that everyone, like, very much with last year, wanted to return to, like, a simple lifestyle, having chickens and baking their own sourdough bread. And it just led to this revival of like, simple living and, like, being cozy.
MARIANNE CANADA: My dream aesthetic-- and I'm very much like realizing it today. Like I am wearing my beige linen striped dress with puff sleeves. And I want to be like the mom and call me by your name.
I just want to, like, live that Italian-mom lifestyle in the country, lemon trees, eating outside. That's my aesthetic. And I feel like that's, like, related to cottagecore. It's just like a little more Italian.
SPEAKER: Oh, absolutely. You just need a basket. Put your tangelos or whatever in there, and you call it a day. It is. I think it's just that simple living and kind of enjoying the simple things and also having a little puff sleeve while you're at it.
MARIANNE CANADA: A little floral, little puff sleeve. I have an olive tree now. Like I'm ready guys. I'm halfway there.
All right, well, I feel like we could literally talk about cottagecore and puff sleeves forever, but I don't want to keep us from our next guest because she has this incredible design style.
It embraces the best in tropical decor as well as bringing your favorite travel destinations into your own home. So up next, we are talking to designer and travel enthusiast, Angelique Velez.
Angelique, we're so excited to have you here today. Thank you for joining us.
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: Of course, I'm so excited to be here. This is really awesome.
MARIANNE CANADA: I find your work so inspiring. And you've recently garnered a lot of attention for the design of your home in Los Angeles, which is inspired by your travels to Bali. How did you make the decision to dive headfirst, really immerse yourself in this theme for your home?
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: It wasn't the original intent when purchasing this home. It happened because of COVID. I travel often for work. I'm usually never in my home for long periods of time. So I'd never really had spent a lot of time focusing on what it looked like and felt like.
But when COVID happened and everything shut down, I had a really-- I wanted to feel like I was somewhere and traveling and not like I was home all of the time.
And I think that was the beginning of my thought process, trying to figure out what-- and it was perfect timing because I had just purchased the home with my partner right before COVID. So it was a new home. And we had a lot of-- we had the space to kind of create something.
And I said, well, now that COVID has happened, I want to create something that makes me feel like I'm in. And I chose Bali because that's my favorite place to be. And I'd be there-- if COVID wasn't happening at that time, I would have been in Bali. So that was the beginning of me kind of jumping in full to creating something that felt like an escape.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, I think everyone can really relate to that. After the past year, so many trips had to be put on hold. Or even if you didn't have your travel plans upended by COVID, I think there was still just this desire to experience something beyond our own four walls.
So for anyone who's listening, who really is inspired by the same thing, who is really considering giving their home this destination-like feel, what should they be paying attention to when it comes to design and choosing decor that reflects a place that they love?
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: The way that I had kind of gone about was I was thinking of what are the things that make me feel like I'm on vacation when I'm traveling. And that's cabanas. That's day beds. That's a lot of nature. So plants played a big part in this, the materials they use.
So for example, in our backyard, we chose bamboo fencing. And the bamboo makes a complete difference because you feel like you're somewhere else because it's not a typical fencing that people would use in their homes. And it just automatically feels like you've entered into a different place with just the fencing being different.
For Bali specifically, Bali has a lot of-- yeah, everywhere you go, there's statues of the Hindu gods. In Bali, their religion is Hinduism, so they have a lot of these beautiful statues. And so throughout the house, I incorporated maybe about 35 of them, so overboard, but it-- when I'm in Bali, it doesn't matter where. You see them everywhere.
And so I think that's why I brought so many into the home. So wherever you go, you can feel that you're somewhere different. So I think it's trying to figure out what are those things in hotels or resorts or when I'm on vacation that I don't have in my home.
And so our backyard was-- I wanted to feel as soon as I stepped outside that I was somewhere. So the day bed was very important. The sun beds were important, somewhere to sit outside. The plants that we chose were very important.
The sun umbrella was very-- and it's not typical things that everyone would have in their backyard. There is some kind-- that's vacation and resort, and this is for home. And I somehow just chose all of the resort items that you find there for my home.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, I definitely want to talk about this Balinese-style poolside day bed that is so beautiful. For those of you guys listening, you've got to go over to HGTV.com/podcast to get a load of this beautiful day bed. It's getting a lot of buzz.
How did this project come about? How do you go from this idea in your head to actually creating this beautiful piece of furniture?
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: It has a long story. Most of this kind of happened because of COVID. But prior to this, I had never interior designed anything prior to this. This was all the beginning of something new.
With the day bed, right before COVID hit, I was in Bali. And we had purchased the home. And we were going through our renovation, so we had enough time to figure out what we wanted to do.
And so we went on a trip to Bali. In Bali, we decided, let's get furniture when we started realizing that it would be really great quality and less expensive than we'd probably find here.
And so I had a day bed made there because day beds in the States, which I had looked-- I knew I wanted a day bed. I knew that when we got the house. There's definitely a day bed going in the back, but they're very expensive in my area.
So when I went to Bali, I said, oh, wow, I can have one made for a fraction of the price, and I can custom how I want it to look. And I had pictured it at the end of the pool. But a typical day bed has four posts with nothing in the back or maybe curtains or something like that or maybe wood in the back.
But I wanted something different that stood out because I knew we were getting the bamboo fencing. And the color of the wood is the same color of the bamboo fencing. There had to be something that contrast, that when you look at it, it looks beautiful.
And so I had this idea of putting art. I had never seen it. I started looking online trying to see if something like this did exist, but I couldn't find it. So we tried it to see if it would work. And it turned out amazing. And I didn't think much of it. I figured I'd make this day bed for the end of my pool, and that would be the end of the journey in this day bed.
But then when I posted a photo of it, that photo kind of got sent out. And then we had an order within the next week. And then from that order, three more people had gone to that person's place scene. And then it just kind of became-- so now, yeah, we custom-make. We change the art. We figured out how to remove the art.
So if you have the day bed and you want to switch out the art next year, it's very easily-- almost like a picture frame. So we worked on the design of the day bed and how you can easily interchange it. Also, there's a light at the top of it. So there was a lot that we did to make it an actual product that we can then go out and sell.
But the beginning almost feels like an accident that I didn't know kind of would have this impact, but it's been really great. And we custom-make the sizes that we've made a 14 foot long day bed.
MARIANNE CANADA: Wow.
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: Put them along in someone's backyard with a totally different piece of art. And they all kind of take on their own personality.
And so we named it Saraswati, which is in the Hindu religion, because it's so inspired by Bali. It is the goddess of art. And so I know that because art is always changing or can change if someone chooses to do that.
MARIANNE CANADA: I love that. I love how customizable it is. I think you might be the only person I know who has, from one viral photograph, turned into, like, an accidental furniture designer. And you clearly have such a talent for it. That's amazing.
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: Yes, I'm still getting used to it. When I did this home, I was like, wow, I would renovate. And it just kind of started happening. At the end of it, it got a lot of attention.
And then people started asking, can you do my home? And I got really nervous. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if this was, like, a one-time thing or if this is some kind of skill that maybe I have. But since then, I've worked on a few projects. Then it has become a new passion of mine and a new direction that I think we're definitely heading down.
And figuring out how to incorporate it with the travel experience company has been the best part, but we figured that out. And now, yes, definitely design is a new portion of my path forward.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, well, I mean, I think that's so interesting. And it makes so much sense because when you are in the travel industry, you're constantly inspired. You're constantly seeing new things.
We've talked a little bit about the day bed element, the bamboo fencing, which I think is such a great tip, plants, lots of greenery. What are some other things people could do if they want to create that resort-like vibe in their own backyard?
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: Other tips-- for us, running water was a really big one, wooden chimes instead of the metal chimes. They make a different sound when the wood is hitting each other when the wind blows. That makes it feel like you're somewhere tropical.
And so wooden chime-- we have a gong out there, and it's on the lighter side. So sometimes you'll hear it depending on how strong the wind is, which it can get really strong. A little-- I don't want to call it a hammer. It will hit, and sometimes you'll hear that slight vibration.
And then we put a bird feeder out there to kind of get the birds coming in. So you also have that element. It was little details that we kind of all put together. There's a lot of statues. For us, it was Bali, but for someone else, it might be Africa.
MARIANNE CANADA: Angelique, as the world is starting to open back up and as it's becoming safer to travel, I have to ask you. Since this is our travel and design inspiration episode, what is the next travel destination on your list?
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: I have my year planned out. And now that we've done this and now that we've realized that design-- it is a passion. And our next project is actually in Dominican Republic. So after Los Angeles, I'm heading to Dominica Republic to check on it. We're building a 10-bedroom remarkable villa on the beach in Dominican Republic.
And it's a concept. It's a remarkable concept design that we're working with. And so that's the next place that I'm heading after here. And then we're taking that model of what we're doing in Dominican Republic.
And our next spot is Greece. So this summer, we're heading to Greece to look for the property to work on designing a different concept, another remarkable villa in Greece, so the Dominican Republic. And then this summer will be Greece and Jordan because we're actually going to be the crazy ones that decide we want to do both at the same time.
So this has become a part of the Remarkable Places business model now. Before, it was travel experiences and traveling, doing a lot of group experiences and showing people different places in the world.
And now, we're incorporating our own remarkable places in essence from these remarkable villas that people can include into their travels. And so that's the journey that we're on now, so Dominican Republic, Greece, and Jordan, yeah.
MARIANNE CANADA: I'm ready to pack my bag. You let me know when I can check in. I'll be there. Angelique, this has been such a delight. I cannot wait to see everything that you're working on. It all sounds so beautiful and so inspiring. If everyone wants to follow along with your work, where can we find you on social?
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: On social, our travel experience brand is Remarkable Places on Instagram and then the villas, which right now, we just have the Los Angeles villa, but towards the end of the year, you'll start seeing the villa in Dominican Republic. And that can be found on Remarkable Places Villas.
MARIANNE CANADA: Incredible. It's like an instant follow. Thank you so much, and good luck with everything.
ANGELIQUE VELEZ: Absolutely. It was a pleasure, my pleasure. Thank you so much.
MARIANNE CANADA: You guys, I just want to book a plane ticket. I don't feel like it's too much to ask. My list is getting very long, of my travel destinations.
If I had to choose any place to model my home-- I mean, I talked about it already. I think it would be like that Italian countryside or like the South of France, just that golden light. And there's definitely got to be a citrus tree in there somewhere.
Our next guest has even more ideas when it comes to designer destinations. We're talking to Alexandra Stockton, a friend of mine and luxury travel planner and a self-proclaimed design lover. She's joining us to talk about her favorite places for design inspiration. I told you guys, we got a lot of info in this episode.
Alexandra, we're so happy to have you here today. Alexandra, you are a luxury travel planner, which just sounds like a dream job, with over a decade of experience giving people memorable travel experiences. I want to go back to, like, the roots. How did you get started in travel planning?
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: So I started in hospitality, planning weddings and working at an event venue. And I fell in love with the industry. I've always loved traveling. And it was a really natural transition from planning weddings to planning travel.
I really wanted to be able to work from home, have flexibility. And I was kind of already starting to help bridal clients with honeymoons, so it really made sense, and it felt like the right time. So I've loved having my own business, focus on that. And it's been an easy transition.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, I love that. I think after the past year, everyone is hungry for travel again. And as things do start to open up and it becomes a safer option, what misconceptions people have about travel planners?
Because I know I had plenty. I always assumed it made your trip more expensive, like that you had to pay a travel planner in addition to your trip. So I would love for you to just kind of dispel some of those misconceptions.
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: Yeah, of course. I think what you mentioned about cost is probably the number one misconception people have. People always think, oh, they're probably going to pack on the most expensive hotels. They're going to charge extra fees.
And that's simply just really not the case. Many travel advisors like me-- we do not charge fees because we are paid commission on the back end by hotels, tour agencies, airlines.
And that actually doesn't come at an extra cost to clients. But clients will receive special perks like VIP upgrades, maybe $100 resort credit or spa credit, daily breakfast. There are several perks like that.
And we also have relationships with everyone on site, so a lot of my time is spent traveling to meet hotel GMs, sales reps, all the team on site to build relationships.
And so I have people that I can reach out to and say, hey, my client is going to be honeymooning there next month. I want to make sure they're getting upgrades and anything you can do that would make their stay extra special. So there's lots of extra perks that actually don't cost the client anymore.
And there are even some times when I have access to unpublished deals, so it's always-- like to check in. And even when travel advisors are charging a fee, you're usually still going to come out ahead with the extra perks.
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, man, you're really speaking my language. I love a perk. I love an upgrade. I love to feel like I'm getting anything special or extra on top of my trip.
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: Yeah, who doesn't, right?
MARIANNE CANADA: Right, sign me up. This is HGTV Obsessed, so we are all about design. And I would love to talk to you a little bit about destinations and places that really give you that eye candy if you are an art or design lover. I mean, let's start in the States because I'm working my way up to traveling internationally.
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: Yeah, I think a lot of people are on the same page. But super easy one for any, like, mid-century modern lovers is obviously going to be Palm Springs in California. It's easy to get to. There are tons of beautiful homes, amazing architecture. There's great thrift stores, great home stores, so that's definitely an easy option for people.
One that I'm really obsessed with right now is New Orleans. There are so many wonderful galleries. Ashley Longshore, who's an amazing painter-- she has a gallery there. She's based there. Leontine Linens, which is a handmade American kind of traditional luxury linen store-- they're based there.
There are so many great thrift stores, antique stores. Really, there's something for everyone. And the architecture of all the homes is obviously going to be amazing too. And the food options don't hurt.
And then probably thirdly would be Texas, which is my home state. Austin has a brand new hotel called Commodore Perry Estate, which was designed by one of my favorite interior designers, Ken Fulk. And it is gorgeous. It doesn't even feel like it's in Texas. It feels like you're somewhere in Europe. It's absolutely beautiful.
And it's super close to the city, so it's easy to go explore all that Austin has to offer. And then you can also drive in an hour and a half away and you're in Round Top, Texas, which is some of the best antiquing in the country. So it's a really fun option for trips.
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, my gosh, you just gave my heart a little thrill. Round Top is one of my favorite places in the country. I've actually spent a lot of time there for work. And I just planned a girls trip to Austin for late July, so I'm feeling very on-trend with my travel plans.
So those are domestic. I mean, when the time is right-- I know we're all daydreaming. I mean, I have a whole folder on Instagram. That's just international travel inspiration. What are some international destinations for design lovers?
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: There are so many. France is a super easy one. I mean, there's really something for everyone. Obviously in Paris, you have access to so many beautiful museums, incredible architecture. But then in the countryside, you can go to the flea markets and really score some amazing finds, so be sure to pack an extra suitcase.
Portugal and Spain both have so much inspiration as far as architecture. There's so much color. The tiles alone in Portugal are worth the trip. They're everywhere.
And then Marrakesh in Morocco is another great option for design lovers. It is so colorful, just bright, vibrant colors that really contrast like what we see here in the States.
There are all of the local markets, which are so fun to explore, the amazing embroidered textiles, just so many local artisans. And there are amazing, amazing hotels that are very inspiring, especially if you love design and hotel design.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes, I think I could get into some serious trouble in Morocco. I have a known rug addiction, and I just feel like I would just really get myself in trouble.
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: For sure.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, well, and on that note, you actually just bought a new home not long ago. So are you bringing any of this travel inspiration into your own home?
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: Oh, of course. It's like impossible for me not to. One of our rooms-- I'm really slow at my approach to home design because I love, like, a lived-in look, really like the English-countryside look where you've kind of collected pieces over time, mixing, like, old and new. I love all the different layers.
So I was very inspired when I was in England, but specifically at a hotel called Heckfield Place, which is beautiful. There is a really deep yellow room. And I had to have one in our new home so that one of our guest rooms is going to be like a deep marigold yellow. But it was inspired from that hotel specifically.
And we have a big staircase up to the front of the house that I'm really wanting to do like handmade Mexican tiles in front. It's a Spanish-style home, so we're just kind of wanting to have some Spanish Mediterranean vibes. But One&Only Palmilla in Cabo-- they have the beautiful tiles on the outdoor staircases. And the last time I was there, I was like I have to replicate this.
And then one cool thing that I'm actually working on right now is when I was in Turkey last time, I got a lot of vintage kaftans, and they're like have beautiful embroideries and patterns. And I'm actually going to have some of them turned into pillows for the house. I haven't decided exactly where they're going to be used, but I know I want to have them around.
MARIANNE CANADA: Amazing. Well, that makes me want to come to your house when you're ready. Everyone, I really encourage you to follow Alexandra on Instagram. Her Instagram is just filled with the perfect combination of travel inspiration, but also genuine deals.
So Alexandra, will you tell everyone where they can find you on social and how they can book you to plan their next trip?
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: On Instagram, you can find me @alexandrahstockton. And my website is AlexandraStockton.com, and you can find more information there. There's a link to my Instagram, and there is an inquiry page if you want to get started planning a trip.
MARIANNE CANADA: Great, and we will also put all of that in the show notes at HGTV.com/podcast. Thank you so much, Alexandra. I think we're going to have you on next to talk about our favorite-- I don't know, favorite hotel rooms, how to make your bed feel like a hotel bed because that is my favorite.
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: Yeah, I'm hotel obsessed, so any time.
MARIANNE CANADA: All right, thank you.
ALEXANDRA STOCKTON: Thank you guys for having me.
Well, that's it. I'm packing everyone's bags. I'm going to find my passport somewhere. I don't think I've seen my passport since we moved two years ago, so I might need to put that at the top of my list. I'm just so ready to start planning some travel.
And I hope you guys enjoyed this wanderlust-inducing episode. Even if you don't have any travel in your future, I just think it's so fun to daydream about your next destination and how you can bring a little bit of that feeling home with you.
I want to give a special thanks to Scott McGillivray. You can catch the first episode of season 2 of Vacation House Rules this Saturday, June 5. And the entire first season is also on Discovery+. Another thank you to designer Angelique Velez and travel planner and expert Alexandra Stockton.
As usual, you can find more about all of our guests as well as beautiful pictures so you can really fully immerse yourself in what we were talking about today by checking out our show notes at HGTV.com/podcast.
If you love today's episode, do you know what I want you to do? I'm going to ask you to head over to Apple Podcasts to rate and review HGTV Obsessed. Give us five stars you guys and leave us a review. I read every single one. Don't forget to follow HGTV Obsessed wherever you listen to podcasts, so you never miss an episode. I'll see you next Thursday.