The A Stay Above The Rest Team & Company Story
We’re known for providing best in class vacation rental options and investment services. Now, get to know the company story and the A Stay Above The Rest team behind the brand.
How It All Got Started…
The A Stay Above The Rest Team & Company Story
The company began when Janis and Bill took the plunge and purchased their first short term vacation rental. Which was meant to be an investment towards their retirement. After much debate of where to buy first, the family fell in love with the historic town of Galveston, Texas. And the data told them that their gut instincts were right! Luckily for them, their daughter, Katie had the natural skill set and professional background to help. And she began managing the condos bookings, advertisement and guest communication. Guests were immediately enchanted by the promise and delivery of luxury accommodations. The condo along with its services became a hit!
We Started to Grow… QUICKLY!
Though the intent was to start slow. And maybe purchase another small condo over time. The trio quickly realized that they had stumbled upon their calling. 6 months in, the condo was booking and generating so much revenue that they had to buy a second property. Just to keep up with the booking demand! At the same time, a dear family friend, seeing how well they were doing decided she wanted to purchase a vacation rental too! … and so it began!
The word quickly got out that Janis, Bill and Katie were on to something special. The newly formed A Stay Above the Rest team realized that the industry was becoming stale. Utilizing the opportunity to set the market by storm, they facilitated the renovation of all 3 properties. Initiating the standard of accommodations that is the A Stay Above The Rest trademark today. And within a year, all 3 properties were alive and booming. So much so that the company grew to 15 properties!!
With more than 20 thriving properties, the trio has more than proven that their unique recipe for success really works!
The A Stay Above The Rest Team Culture
Early on the A Stay Above The Rest team adopted a commitment to excellence in all that we do. After all, we are “A Stay Above The Rest” a bold name with an even bolder mission. Offering guests and our partners the best in services, options and above all experiences.
No matter how large the company gets – our passion and promise to provide the best only continues to grow along with it!
A Stay Above The Rest offers vacation rental owners an alternative to the cookie-cutter approach to property management that plagues the industry. Refusing to ever lose sight of what sets the company apart from others. We continue to grow and raise the bar for guest expectations.
Meet The A Stay Above The Rest Team
Just as meticulously as we crafted our business principles – we only hire the best. With a diverse and unique skill set our small yet capable team empowers our company to truly offer our guests and partners an experience that is ‘Above The Rest’.
Janis Higgins- CEO and Co-Founder
Janis, our “magic maker”, is a lover of life and all things to make people happy! She strives on creating amazing places and experiences for our guests while cultivating a great atmosphere for our employees. She is our in-house realtor for certain locations and heads up the complete remodel and design/furnishing of our beautiful properties. She has 4 grown children and is also the mom of little “A-man” whom you will see in many of our social media posts! She lives in Austin, TX and enjoys, when she isn’t working, her days on the boat on Lake Travis, any reason to travel and her family!
Bill Higgins- President, CFO and Co-Founder
Bill works a full time job outside of A Stay Above The Rest, but he keeps us on track, lets us know what we are doing well and what we need to improve on. He also makes sure that all of our bills are paid and we can afford to have Torchy’s Tacos catered for the occasional splurge on office lunches! Bill enjoys crunching numbers, his family, fitness (including boxing) and boating around Lake Travis.
Katie Tackett- CRO and Co-Founder
Katie built up our guest experience side of our company and has now transitioned into our Chief Revenue Officer. This includes sales and acquisitions for new properties, owner relations, marketing of the business and our properties as well as other revenue streams. Katie and her husband live in Austin, TX and have a beautiful little girl, “G-baby”, whom you will also see in some of our social media posts, and welcomed a baby boy in August of 2019! She enjoys travel and lots of it, family time, DIY projects (with power tools!) and building the business.
Lauren Torres – Manager
Lauren is the queen of getting things done! She is great at jumping in wherever is needed and is a huge reason as to why we are so successful. She started working full time for A Stay Above The Rest in July of 2017. Her and Janis work together to bring you the beautiful properties you see on our site through the remodels and design/ furnish phases. Lauren works hard at whatever she sets her mind to and we couldn’t be more grateful for her! She lives in Austin, TX along with her husband, 2 daughters and 2 adorable Boston Terriers. She enjoys fitness, travel and any excuse for family time! We also have to mention Big Brother… she keeps us in the loop of what all is going on!
Angela – Guest Experience Lead
Brei – Operations
Brei is the newest member of the team and brings multiple years of project management, operational administration and customer service experience to the table. Originally from the west coast, Brei has grown to love Austin and all that it has to offer. She is passionate about learning new things & personal growth. And is always challenging herself to push her own boundaries. When not hard at work, Brei enjoys spending time with her dogs, Lucy and Charlie. Brei and her musician husband, George love music, good films and stand-up comedy.
Sarah – Guest Experience
Elizabeth – Guest Experience
Elizabeth offers multiple years of customer services and administration experience to our team. She enjoys living in the Austin area with her family and many close friends. During her downtime she is normally found being active, doing yoga and enjoying the great outdoors. Elizabeth enjoys having the opportunity to be a part of our guests’ positive vacation experience.
