About Virginia Guesthouses™

Fifty Years Serving Central Virginia

Virginia Guesthouses™, also affectionately referred to as Guesthouses™ or VA Guesthouses, was founded in 1976 when two women had the unique idea to rent gorgeous homes as vacation properties. These women were cutting-edge, creating this concept before Airbnb existed, and during the revolutionary year of 1976, the bicentennial anniversary of the United States, and the same year Apple and Microsoft were created. After 50+ years in business, Virginia Guesthouses™ continues to stand out as a hospitality provider serving guests and homeowners of Central Virginia.

A Stay for Every Traveler

We host guests at nearly 100 unique vacation rental, inn, and hotel properties, and our local Charlottesville property management team is here to help you choose the right accommodations for your needs. In fact, past guests tell us they are grateful to speak with a real person at Guesthouses™ when choosing the right place to stay in the greater Charlottesville area.

Whether you are attending a wedding at a local winery, relocating to our area soon, visiting your student at UVA, doing business in Charlottesville, visiting Shenandoah National Park, planning a wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or exploring our local attractions, Guesthouses™ will help you book the best place to stay in Charlottesville, VA. We manage properties in Charlottesville and the surrounding areas, going east to Keswick, Northeast to Orange, West to Crozet and Staunton, and South to Nelson County and Wintergreen.

If you are interested in renting your home, please contact us today.

Virginia Guesthouses™ History

Created in 1976 in Charlottesville, VA, Guesthouses™ emerged at a pivotal time in the hospitality industry, before Airbnb existed or short term rentals were mainstream.

Our founders noticed that travelers wanted more personalized and comfortable stays that large hotels could not provide, and the Charlottesville area was lacking accommodations to meet traveler demand at the time.

The bed & breakfast concept was a largely European phenomenon at that time, and Guesthouses™ sought to bring this type of accommodation to the United States. With the announcement of the Queen Elizabeth of England’s trip to Charlottesville for America's bicentennial, Guesthouses™ was born to accommodate all the tourists funnelling into the city for the celebration.

The Guesthouses™ concept was a roaring success and gave visitors a peak into how locals lived while giving homeowners the opportunity to showcase their homes, provide exceptional experiences, extend hospitality to guests, and earn income. Newspaper and magazines all over the country including The New York Times, National Geographic's Traveler Magazine, USA Today, Travel & Leisure, and Virginia Pilot, all saw the benefits of this new phenomenon and featured articles about Guesthouses™ innovations as an accommodations provider and its local hospitality.

Guesthouses™ was founded by four women who saw this need for change in the hospitality business long before the times of AirBnB. Guesthouses™ was the first of its type in the country. The motto of "Guesthouses is YOU and works for you" around its property management services still stands today over fifty years of ownership. Guesthouses™ historical and current aim is provide guests with a true authentic Charlottesville experience.

Quotes from the Archives

“It is not alway so important for a breakfast to be 'full' as it is to make it interesting: having fresh ingredients — fresh fruit, a fresh pot of coffee, and croissants or home-made muffins. The way breakfast is served is important: try to make it an elegant, fun way for the guests to start their day”  — October 25, 1985 Newsletter

“Guest especially appreciate: *Real coffee (not instant) — a percolator is a small investment well worth the money... Besides, America is heavily into nutrition these days, and some regard soft white bread as a sin.” — Newsletter

"Sally Reger [founder] seeks homes with charm, uniqueness. Her clientele wants something more than a hotel" — Richmond Times Dispatch, 1980

A Note from Sally: "It has been my pleasure to bring together guests and hosts in the Charlottesville area since 1976. I am proud that Guesthouses is one of the originators of the current Bed & Breakfast concept in America."