A New Standard for Short-Term Rentals: How Garry McRae Is Revolutionising Rental Management The ZiZibreeZi Way

Today’s short-term rental market is known for property owners paying hefty management fees, only to watch guest experience suffer under uninterested staff. The standard formula, an office-based manager directing outsourced cleaners and other service providers on a low wage, often leads to poor communication, overlooked maintenance issues, and underwhelmed guests.

Rethinking Property Management

Garry McRae saw a flaw in that system and built ZiZibreeZi to solve it. Based in Edinburgh, ZiZibreeZi is turning conventional rental property management on its head by eliminating the middle layers and placing full responsibility in the hands of one empowered individual: the ZiZibreeZi super-host. In McRae’s model, the super-host is not just the cleaner; they’re also the guest liaison, the property troubleshooter, and the frontline operator. And they care, because they’re directly invested in the outcome.

“Our belief is simple,” says McRae. “You can’t deliver great guest experiences with people who have no reason to go the extra mile. So we made a system where they do.” They’re trained, sufficiently compensated, and fully responsible for the property’s upkeep, presentation, and guest experience. That responsibility comes with accountability, and most importantly, incentive.

“That incentive comes from guest feedback,” says McRae. “We make sure that part of our super-hosts’ income is directly tied to guest reviews. This incentivises them to go above and beyond to ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction.”

ZiZibreeZi super-hosts don’t just mop floors or change linens. They’re proactive problem solvers. “If the water pressure drops, a regular cleaner might ignore it; it’s not their problem,” McRae says. “But a ZiZibreeZi super-host is motivated to give the guest a great experience, so they’ll investigate and aim at fixing it before the guest arrives.”

That difference matters. According to McRae, most of the property issues don’t require a skilled tradesperson, just someone who cares enough to look. And when guests have smooth, enjoyable stays, hosts see higher ratings, fewer complaints, and better visibility on booking platforms.

No Cookie-Cutter Approach

Unlike traditional firms, ZiZibreeZi isn’t a rigid, one-size-fits-all system. The company thrives on nuance. If an owner wants specific sheets, a handwritten note, or a bottle of whisky topped up between guests, the super-host handles it. “Because they’re on-site regularly and invested in the job, they can personalize the stay in ways a contract cleaning service never could,” McRae explains.

This hands-on model aims at improving both quality and boosting income. ZiZibreeZi’s recent data from booking platforms has shown an increase in occupancy. That’s largely thanks to their great reviews and dynamic pricing strategy, which isn’t left to slow-to-react software. When a major artist adds a surprise concert date in Edinburgh, ZiZibreeZi doesn’t wait for a booking algorithm to notice; someone on the ground sees the buzz and adjusts prices immediately.

That human responsiveness pays off in other ways, too. Properties managed by ZiZibreeZi can potentially avoid the costly pitfalls that plague others: emergency plumber callouts, partial refunds, and negative reviews triggered by preventable issues.

Advice to Owners: Interrogate the Model

McRae is candid about the failings of the broader industry: “Most companies offer the world when you sign up,” he says, “but three months later, the owner visits and finds the special linens stuffed in a cupboard, or guest amenities totally ignored.”

He believes those failings are built into the very structure of traditional firms. As property managers scale, the founders pull away from operations, and the incentive for quality dissolves. The result? Bland service, unresolved complaints, and property owners frustrated by broken promises.

ZiZibreeZi, in contrast, is built to be scalable without sacrificing quality. “The model doesn’t rely on a multi-layered operations team to spin all the plates. It relies on a dedicated super-host who is always directly connected to their property. That emotional and financial investment never gets diluted. Our super-hosts only manage the same small handful of properties, allowing them to intimately get to know them and notice the smallest changes.”

In McRae’s experience, once the landlords know their property is well cared for, they look to optimize their income. For property owners managing their own listings, often underpricing out of fear or unfamiliarity with market demand, the switch can be eye-opening. “Many of our clients were self-managing, and they’re shocked to find they may be able to earn an acceptable amount, even after our fees,” McRae says. “They were too cautious, or too reliant on historical data. We look at what’s happening now, across all of our properties, every day.”

ZiZibreeZi Designed Not to Dilute

In a sector where many firms are racing to scale and automate, ZiZibreeZi stands out for going deeper rather than wider. McRae further iterates, “It’s about maintaining excellence at each property by making sure the person responsible is the one who cares the most.”

That level of care is redefining what property management means. It’s not just about keys and cleaning. It’s about accountability, proactivity, and turning short-term rentals into memorable experiences that feel like a true “home away from home.”

ZiZibreeZi is truly restoring pride to the people who run them and creating a model that works for everyone: owners, guests, and the super-hosts who bring it all together.