Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Janney.
Stacey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Our company started in 1999 as a small, short-term luxury housing provider in the Tampa area. In 2003, as Leading Apartments, we began to focus on providing temporary corporate housing for business travelers and families. At that time, Barb Hale joined the company as Director of Sales and soon we were renting high-end, fully furnished properties in Florida, Chicago, and Detroit. In 2007, we opened properties in Minneapolis and Ohio. As our market expanded, we constantly improved our product.
Our biggest transformation came in 2012-13; the year Compatriot Capitol acquired both Village Green and Leading Apartments. It was a marriage made in Boardroom Heaven! We rebranded ourselves as V-Suites; the only corporate housing division in the Village Green family and relocated our headquarters to Michigan.
As our reputation for quality and service grew, we got on the radar of corporate customers nationwide. Great team members and great customers quickly grew V-Suites into a highly-energized, award-winning provider of beautiful, fully furnished and equipped temporary corporate housing.
V-Suites prides itself on a company culture rich in passion, synergy, enthusiasm, and of course, some well-deserved fun.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
During the life-span of V-Suites, we would be lying if we said it has always been smooth sailing. In the course of the last 18 years, there were certainly times we realized pieces of the business or certain strategies weren’t working. The approach of our Leadership is to admit as early as possible when an approach is failing and work to come up with a solution as quickly as possible without letting it drag on.
One of the struggles we have had along the way was moving headquarters from Florida to Michigan. We had to create a new inside team forcing employees together that had very few interactions prior or were even brand new to the company. Most of us were learning roles we had never been in before, all while trying to learn to work together to create a seamless experience for our guests on the outside.
Another obstacle we have encountered through the years is simply our growing pains. Our team grew nearly three-fold in a just 4 short years. We started to look at our process differently, new goals and documented responsibilities were created to ensure accountability. Positions had to change to better align the skill set of our staff. Our number one focus through these growing pains was to be sure we were not disrupting our unique office culture. V-Suites relies heavily on its team dynamic to achieve heightened client satisfaction on a large-volume scale.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the V-Suites story. Tell us more about the business.
V-Suites offers renters luxury, furnished short-term housing options, complemented by contemporary class and a sophisticated style. V-Suites is one of the only corporate housing companies in direct connection with a property management company, allowing us to provide our guests with a specialized housing experience, unseen anywhere else in the travel industry.
Every V-Suites apartment comes fully furnished, beautifully decorated, wi-fi wired and move-in ready … complete with linens and towels, washer and dryer, kitchen utensils, place settings, big screen TV, furniture, artwork and more. That’s why we say; all our guests need are clothes and a toothbrush to feel instantly at home at V-Suites.
Personally, I am most proud of our company for first being recognized as one of the Nation’s Best & Brightest Companies to Work for in 2015, and continuing our winning streak by earning 13 more awards in just 3 years. In its most recent effort to improve upon guest experience and stand apart from others, V-Suites has introduced welcome amenity boxes, given at the time of move-in and personalized to cater to each guest’s authentic interests.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I started with V-Suites over 6 years ago, back when we were branded as Leading Apartments. We had a very small staff at the time which gave me the advantage to join a team that was a close-knit group that treated each other with respect and courtesy, and knew one another on a personal level.
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, as V-Suites experienced growing pains like any other successful company. As we underwent re-branding to V-Suites, our Leadership looked to their employees for a can-do problem-solving energy and voices were always heard. An idea would be brought to the table, and our Director would say let’s try it and from there we either learned from our mistakes and got stronger, or we developed a key part of the process that still exists today.
I believe I had the role of luck in my favor because as our company re-branded to V-Suites, we grew our team from eight employees up to thirty in just 4 years. I saw our company transform from a small player in the game to one of the most recognized brands in corporate housing all while maintaining our close company culture. When our team members love what they’re doing, then the V-Suites lifestyle becomes a joy for our guests, and that positive experience fortifies our incredible brand and continues to take our company to new heights.
Pricing:
- Furnished Studios start at $115/day
- Furnished One Bedrooms start at $125/day
- Furnished Two Bedrooms start at $155/day
Contact Info:
- Website: https://v-suites.com/
- Phone: 800-772-4962
- Email: info@v-suites.com
- Instagram: @v_suites
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VSuites.FeelsLikeHome/
- Twitter: @FurnishedApts
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
