About CoHost Collective
A Little Bit About Me
I’m Pauline Knowles, a local Realtor, SLO County native, and the owner of Co-Host Collective. I actually got into vacation rental management by managing six of my own properties, so I learned this business from the owner’s side first. I know firsthand how much goes into making a vacation rental successful—and how quickly it can become a full-time job.
As my own portfolio grew, I developed systems that made managing my properties more efficient without losing the personal touches that make guests want to come back. Eventually, I began helping other property owners do the same, and Co-Host Collective grew from there.
Today, my team and I handle the day-to-day details that come with running a short-term rental—from bookings and guest communication to maintenance, cleaning coordination, and on-site support. We manage properties across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and direct booking platforms, but I still stay personally involved in the homes we manage. I never wanted Co-Host Collective to become the kind of large management company where an owner feels like just another property in the system.
I’m also a big believer that how a property looks and feels matters. I genuinely love design and hospitality, and I work with owners on everything from small styling changes to larger improvements that can help a home photograph better, stand out online, and create a more memorable guest experience.
Ultimately, my goal is pretty simple: I want to manage your property the way I would want someone to manage my own. I want it cared for, I want your guests to love it, and I want it performing at its full potential—without you having to manage all of the details yourself.
How I got here…
Real estate has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I bought my first investment property when I was just 20 years old, and I’ve been fascinated by properties—their potential, how they perform, and how you can transform them—ever since.
I became a licensed Realtor in Nevada in 2005 and California in 2012, and over the years I’ve helped hundreds of buyers and sellers with their real estate goals. I’ve also personally purchased, renovated, and flipped more than 50 homes. That experience gave me not only a strong eye for design, but a very practical understanding of construction, renovations, budgets, and what improvements are actually worth investing in.
My career has taken me through just about every corner of real estate, including foreclosures, short sales, new construction, commercial real estate, asset and fund management, private capital placement, and property tax appeals. All of those experiences have shaped the way I look at a property today—not simply as a home, but as an investment.
Eventually, my own real estate investments led me into vacation rentals. I began managing my own properties on Airbnb and Vrbo and discovered that I genuinely loved the combination of real estate, design, hospitality, and business. That ultimately became the foundation for Co-Host Collective.
Along the way, I was also invited to serve as an Airbnb International Ambassador, an opportunity that gave me the chance to help other hosts navigate the platform and build successful listings.
What I love most now is being able to bring all of that experience together. When I look at a vacation rental, I’m not only thinking about bookings—I’m thinking about the property itself, the guest experience, the design, the operations, and the long-term value of the investment.