VTF Stay
Marketing for remarkable places
- IThe Element — finding the feeling a property leaves behind, and building everything around it
- IIWhy differentiation beats discounting, and what that does to rate
- IIIThe outsourced marketing department for boutique accommodation
We grow direct bookings, rate and occupancy
Not an agency. Not a photographer. Not a social media manager.
VTF Stay takes on the whole marketing function of a property — positioning, assets, channels and demand — and runs it continuously, the way an in-house department would.
Most boutique properties are excellent and invisible. They compete on booking sites where every listing looks the same, hand over 15–20% commission for the privilege, and discount the moment the calendar looks thin.
That cycle is survivable and it is not a business. It caps your rate, teaches your market to wait for a sale, and leaves you renting an audience you never get to keep.
We build the alternative: a property people search for by name, book direct, and pay a rate you set rather than one the market sets for you.
It begins with a diagnostic rather than a campaign, because the fastest way to waste a budget is to spend it before you know what you're selling.
Four numbers we work to
Typical OTA commission on every booking. Shifting share to direct is the fastest margin gain available to most properties.
Occupancy multiplied by rate. We work both, rather than filling rooms by dropping the price.
Peak sells itself. The money an operator is missing sits midweek and off-season.
A property with a brand, a direct channel and a guest list is worth more than one dependent on booking sites.
Every remarkable place leaves the same feeling behind
Guest after guest, your property does one thing to people. We call it the element. It is the difference between a listing that competes on price and a property people choose by name.
Naming it is not a branding exercise. It is the decision that makes every later decision cheaper.
Fire
Passion, romance, connection, celebration.
Water
Reflection, healing, restoration, rest.
Earth
Grounding, nourishment, simplicity, belonging.
Air
Freedom, possibility, perspective, adventure.
How we work together
The Property Reset
Fixed feeQuoted per property
- Element diagnostic and positioning
- Brand story and messaging
- Photography and video
- Website or listing rebuild
- 90-day plan handover
For operators who'll run it themselves afterwards.
VTF Stay Partner
Monthly retainerReset quoted separately
- Everything in the Reset
- Ongoing campaigns and content
- Direct booking and email growth
- Quarterly shoot
- Monthly reporting on direct mix and RevPAR
For operators with no time to market at all.
Portfolio Growth
Monthly retainerScaled to portfolio
- Group strategy and brand architecture
- An element per property
- Shared guest list and cross-selling
- Acquisition and launch support
For operators running several properties.
Twelve plates, four elements
Visual direction from the studio. Not a portfolio of properties we've worked with — a demonstration of what each element looks like once it has been named, and the standard we hold every shoot to.
Tell us about the property. We'll tell you its element.
A written read on your property — the feeling it leaves behind, who it's actually for, and the two or three things we'd change first. No cost and no obligation. It's how every engagement begins.
Request an Element ReadWhat each engagement includes
Three engagements. Fixed fees, no booking commission, no lock-in beyond the stated minimum term. Everything we build belongs to you.
Every property differs in size, condition and how much has to be rebuilt, so we quote after the Element Read rather than publishing a rate card. You'll have a fixed number for a defined scope before you commit to anything.
The Property Reset
Fixed feeQuoted per property · 50% to start, 50% on delivery
- Element diagnostic and competitive review
- Positioning, brand story and messaging
- Rate and package strategy
- One to two day photo and video shoot
- Full asset library, stills and vertical video
- Website or booking page rebuild
- Listing and channel copy
- 90-day marketing plan and handover session
For operators with a beautiful property, marketing that doesn't match it, and someone in-house who can carry it forward.
VTF Stay Partner
Monthly retainerReset quoted separately
- Everything in the Property Reset
- Seasonal campaign calendar and execution
- Paid search and social management
- Email programme and automated sequences
- Social channels managed end to end
- Direct booking optimisation
- Quarterly shoot to keep the library current
- Monthly one-page performance report
- Direct line to us, not an account manager
For operators running the property full-time with no capacity to market it. The most common engagement.
Portfolio Growth
Monthly retainerScaled to portfolio size
- Group brand architecture and strategy
- An element diagnostic per property
- Shared guest list and cross-property campaigns
- Central content and asset production
- New property launch and acquisition support
- Portfolio-level reporting
- Quarterly strategy session with ownership
For operators with three or more properties, or one property and plans for more.
| Property Reset | Stay Partner | Portfolio Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Element diagnostic | Included | Included | Per property |
| Positioning and rate strategy | Included | Included | Group and per property |
| Photography and video | One to two days | Quarterly | Continuous |
| Website build | Included | Included and maintained | Group and property sites |
| Campaign execution | Plan only | Ongoing | Ongoing |
| Paid media management | — | Included | Included |
| Email programme | Set up only | Run monthly | Shared list |
| Performance reporting | — | Monthly | Monthly and quarterly |
| Minimum term | None | 6 months | 12 months |
The Element Read
Free. A written diagnostic of your property — the element it carries, the guest you should be marketing to, and the two or three things we'd change first.
It takes us a few hours and it's genuinely useful whether or not you hire us. It's also how we decide whether we're the right fit, which matters more than it sounds — we take on a small number of properties at a time.
Request oneThe ones we're asked most
Why isn't pricing published?
Because a twelve-room hotel with good bones and a five-cabin property that needs rebuilding from the ground up are not the same job, and quoting either from a website would mean quoting both badly. After the Element Read we send a fixed number for a defined scope. No hourly rates and no variations without your sign-off.
Can we see case studies?
VTF Stay is new, and we won't invent a track record we don't have. What we can show you is the method, the standard of the creative work, and the founder's background — VTF Creative has run brand, content and campaign work for hospitality and property clients, including a Canberra apartment release that sold out under her marketing. Ask on the call and we'll walk you through it properly.
Do you take a commission on bookings?
No. Fees are fixed so that our advice isn't conflicted. If the right answer is to spend less, we can say so without it costing us.
Do we have to reshoot everything?
Usually yes, and it's the part operators resist most. Existing photography is nearly always shot to a room list rather than to a feeling, which is why it looks like everyone else's. If you have strong recent imagery we'll happily use it.
Do you take over our channels or work with our team?
Either. On the Partner engagement we generally run channels end to end, because splitting execution is where consistency dies. If you have someone in-house we'll work to them instead and the fee reflects it.
How quickly does anything change?
Listing and channel improvements can move within weeks. Rate and direct mix are a season, not a month — we'd want two full quarters before judging the work. Anyone promising faster is selling you a discount campaign.
What if we already have a brand we like?
Then we keep it. The element diagnostic often confirms what an operator already sensed rather than replacing it. What usually changes is the consistency and the commercial decisions built on top.
Do you work outside these regions?
We're focused on the Queensland coast, Northern Rivers and the three eastern capitals so that we can actually visit properties. If you're outside that and the place is right, ask anyway.
What happens if it isn't working?
You'll know before we do, because the monthly report is one page and six numbers. Beyond the minimum term either side can end the engagement with 30 days' notice, and the assets stay with you regardless.
Where we work
Boutique hotels of twenty to fifty rooms, luxury cabins, vineyard and farm stays, tiny homes, serviced apartments and multi-property short-stay operators.
Noosa & Sunshine Coast
Water and Air
The hinterland
Earth
Gold Coast & Northern Rivers
Water and Earth
Whitsundays & tropical north
Air and Water
Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide
City
Tell us about the property
Where it is, how many rooms, how it's performing and what's frustrating you. We'll send back an Element Read — a written diagnostic, free of charge — and we'll tell you honestly whether we think we're the right fit.
We take on a small number of properties at a time, so if we're full we'll say that too.
Email us- valentina@farzanandco.com
- Based
- Gold Coast, Queensland
- Working
- Queensland coast, Northern Rivers, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide
- Response
- Within two business days
It helps if you can tell us
The basics
- Where the property is
- How many rooms or dwellings
- How long you've been operating
The numbers
- Roughly what occupancy runs at
- What share comes through booking sites
- Which months hurt
The frustration
- What you've already tried
- What you think is wrong
- What you'd change if you had the time