Couple Welcomes Guests to North Carolina Mountain Getaway
When Michele Azan and Elisabeth Perez visited North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains in 2007, they fell in love with the area’s natural beauty. In 2015, they purchased a century-old property near picturesque Hendersonville that had once been part of a mountain resort. After transforming the property’s two-story stone guesthouse and several other rundown buildings into stylish, inviting mountain getaways, they launched Brightwaters Vacation Rentals.
Today, Brightwaters handles more than 500 reservations a year, welcoming guests from across the country to its nine distinct cottages and suites. Each is thoughtfully decorated to feel warm and inviting, and Michele and Elisabeth offer concierge-style services as well as curated itineraries for hiking, rafting, and mountain biking in the area.
Digital tools have been critical to Brightwaters’ success, helping bring in new guests. “We’ve had Google Ads running 24/7 since we started this business,” says Michele. In addition, Brightwaters’ Google Business Profile — which directs customers to its website and provides location information, photos, and reviews — helps the resort stand out to would-be guests searching online. Michele and Elisabeth also use AI to manage bookings, streamline guest communications, and keep operations efficient as demand grows.
Michele recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to share her experience as a small-business owner with lawmakers. She spoke about using digital advertising to reach new customers and explained how AI tools help her save time and money. “Small businesses like ours feel the impact of policy decisions every day,” Michele says. “That’s why it’s so important for us to share our stories — so policymakers understand what actually helps us grow and serve our communities.”
Learn more about Brightwaters Vacation Rentals at brightwatersvacationrentals.com.
