This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Julia Steege-Reimann, owner and operator of Voyageur Extended Stays in Madison.
She discusses the company’s plans to open a new 21-unit apartment project in downtown Madison called The Medallion later this summer. The business offers furnished apartment rentals for stays of one month or longer, and Steege-Reimann says she aims to act as an “ambassador” for the local community.
“Everything from resident gatherings and get-togethers to our welcome package, which features cheese from local cheese shops, discount cards for local businesses,” she said. “We’re intentionally a small business, so we can provide that personalized and curated attention to detail.”
Steege-Reimann and her husband Kristopher co-own the business, relying on their experiences as world travelers to inform their approach to hospitality.
“We traveled quite a bit in our twenties … everywhere from remote parts of Alaska to South America, and we’ve lived in cooperative housing before,” she said. “So we know what it’s like to be a newcomer, and we also know what it’s like to have housing help you feel a sense of belonging and comfort.”
The business in early 2020 purchased its existing 25-unit apartment building called the Wilson, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The original plan was to renovate it into a boutique hotel, but Julia and Kristopher pivoted to the current model when it became clear that nurses and other traveling medical professionals presented an emerging customer base.
“Now a good chunk is still traveling medical professionals, but we have all sorts of people,” she said. “People coming for medical treatment, people going through a divorce, people renovating a home … people coming to do a Broadway show, or be a ballerina dancer.”
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison:
See more on the business here: https://www.thewilsonmadison.com/
