One of the biggest myths in boutique hospitality is that you have to own a property before you can build a successful business. I believed that once too—until experience taught me otherwise.
Before moving to Brazil, I had owned seven properties in the United States. Owning real estate taught me a tremendous amount, but it also showed me something equally important: ownership isn't always the fastest path to building the life or business you want.
When I arrived in Brazil, everything was new. I didn't speak Portuguese. I was raising my children. I needed income. Most importantly, I needed momentum.
Buying a property would have delayed everything.
Instead of asking, "How can I buy a hotel?" I asked a different question:"How can I start serving guests as quickly as possible?"
That one question changed everything.
Rather than spending years searching for the perfect property, arranging financing, navigating construction, or waiting for renovations, I looked for a commercial lease.
Within about a week I found the property.
Three months later the contracts were complete.
Instead of becoming a real estate investor first and a hospitality operator second, I became a hospitality operator immediately.
That distinction matters.
Too often, aspiring boutique hotel owners focus on the building rather than the business. They spend years waiting for the perfect property while never learning how to attract guests, create memorable experiences, manage staff, build systems, or develop a brand.
Yet those are the skills that actually determine long-term success.
A beautiful building doesn't create hospitality.
People do.
Experiences do.
Culture does.
Commercial leasing also gave me something incredibly valuable: flexibility.
When you're entering a new country, you're learning everything at once—language, regulations, suppliers, neighborhoods, taxes, banking, customer expectations. The last thing I wanted was millions of dollars tied up in an asset before I truly understood the market.
Leasing allowed me to learn first.
It allowed me to test my ideas.It allowed me to build cash flow.
Most importantly, it allowed me to confirm that this was where I wanted to invest my energy.
Many people tell me they dream of opening a boutique hotel someday.
"Someday" often means after they save enough money.
After they buy a property.
After the timing is perfect.
But perfection rarely arrives.
Progress does.
Commercial leasing removes one of the largest barriers people place in front of themselves. Instead of asking whether you can afford to buy a boutique hotel, ask whether you can create an unforgettable guest experience inside one.
The building matters.But it isn't the business.
The hospitality is.
Sometimes the fastest way to become a boutique hotel owner isn't through ownership at all.
Sometimes it's through stewardship.
That's exactly what commercial leasing gave me—the opportunity to build the business first, while leaving ownership for another chapter if it ever became the right decision.