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Rest Assure Hotels: A Boutique Lifeline for Independent Hoteliers
Kansas City entrepreneur Ashley Kovatchev built Rest Assure Hotels to help independent hoteliers protect profits and guests with big-brand hospitality know-how.
A Mama Bear of Hospitality
Ashley Kovatchev didn’t set out to become an industry innovator – she was simply a veteran hotel insurance agent who cared deeply about her “family” of small hotel owners. For two decades, Ashley wrote policies for franchise properties and served on the Missouri-Kansas Hotel Owners Association, earning a reputation as a friendly advocate. Along the way she noticed a troubling trend: insurance rates were soaring and coverage shrinking. “Year after year I started noticing – what they used to pay last year, the rates have gone up, and on top of it all the coverage is diminishing. It’s a shame, it’s terrible,” she recalls[1]. When lawsuits over slips, falls and minor damages became common, hoteliers were effectively bleeding money and goodwill with every incident. As a mom of two, Ashley felt like a mama bear protecting her cubs – if her “people” (clients) were part of the family, she vowed to take care of them[2].
That protective instinct, combined with her experience on both the insurance side and in franchise compliance (“as I wrote their insurance, that makes them in compliance with the franchise”[3]), drove Ashley to find a solution. Rather than simply raising premiums or passing costs to guests, she dreamed up an entirely new model of guest support. After years of brainstorming and research, in 2025 she launched Rest Assure Hotels – Kansas City’s very own guest-protection and operations consultancy for boutique and independent hotels.
Rethinking Guest Care: From Credit Holds to Coverage
Rest Assure Hotels is built on a simple idea: empower hotels and guests alike by offering optional incident coverage at check-in, instead of hefty credit-card holds and slow insurance claims. In Ashley’s words, she asked herself: “Would you rather have your credit card held at check-in for $400–$500 and get it back a week later… or sleep RestAssure tonight for only $4.95?”[4]. For just a few dollars a night (the exact rate set by each hotel), guests gain peace of mind: their incidentals – from a spilled drink to a broken lamp – are covered. For hoteliers, this means no surprise charges or lengthy claims processes, fewer disputes, and happier guests and staff.
Industry press has dubbed RestAssure “the first non-insurance guest protection platform” for hotels[5]. It isn’t traditional insurance at all, but a subscription-based guest support program that takes the heat off the front desk. As one trade announcement explains, RestAssure “takes the burden of guest support away from the front desk and puts it in our hands. We satisfy everything from guest check-ins to solving minor incidentals with 24-hour access to our team”[6]. In practice, this means every guest gets an immediate welcome message assuring them of help if anything goes wrong. (“Immediately at check-in, the guest is going to receive an email that ‘this hotel cares about your best night’s sleep. We care about you’,” Ashley says[7].) A dedicated Rest Assure manager is on call around the clock, so complaints and accidents are addressed in real time rather than dragged out for days.
Tailored Services for Independent Hotels
Rather than a one-size-fits-all insurance policy, Rest Assure offers a menu of customized services for boutique hotels. For example:
· On-Demand Incident Support: Through the Rest Assure program, hotels subscribe to 24/7 incident management. If a guest reports damage, theft or an accident (even a wayward pet), Rest Assure’s team springs into action – logging the claim, communicating with the guest, and coordinating any repairs. As Ashley’s team promises, it’s an “all-inclusive program for guest support” that handles “everything from guest check-ins to solving minor incidentals”[6]. This leaves hotel staff free to focus on service, not paperwork.
· Optional Coverage Plans: Guests who want extra protection can opt in. For a small nightly fee (often around $4–$5), their “incidentals” – damaged furniture, lost belongings, spilled wine, or even pet accidents – are effectively insured. For instance, Ashley notes that carpet replacement from a wine spill can easily top $2,000, but under Rest Assure the guest won’t fight over a credit-card hold[8]. This not only saves the guest money, it eliminates the stressful ritual of a large credit hold. In Ashley’s words, without RestAssure a mom checking in after a long drive might lose $500 for a night’s incidentals; with RestAssure she can pay $4.95 and “sleep RestAssure tonight” – “it’s a no-brainer”[4].
· Guest Communication & Reputation: Before any issues arise, Rest Assure builds goodwill. Guests receive a friendly welcome note at check-in explaining the coverage (for example, “your pet is protected up to $X, and if anything happens you just call us”). This preemptive communication not only sets expectations but also shows the hotel “cares about you”[7]. The result is a calmer check-in and a more positive online review. In fact, Ashley observes that where Rest Assure is in place, “employee morale is definitely up…[and hotels] are building a review reputation” rather than arguing over bills[9].
· Advisory & Audits (Expert Operations Guidance): In addition to incident services, Rest Assure positions itself as a consulting partner for small hoteliers. Leveraging her big-chain background, Ashley conducts operations audits and revenue reviews to identify hidden profit leaks – from overspending on amenities to underpriced rooms. (While Rest Assure’s core platform centers on guest support, Ashley emphasizes that the program is always “revenue-positive” for owners[10].) By uncovering inefficiencies, Rest Assure helps hotels increase occupancy and rates without inflating costs, effectively boosting their bottom line.
Overall, Rest Assure’s offerings combine professional rigor with a mom’s empathy. The team’s philosophy is summed up as “Fast, fair, and stress-free guest care”[10]. Ashley even jokes that calling Rest Assure is like “calling Mom” – someone who listens 24/7 and swiftly fixes problems, so a stressed guest instantly feels cared for[11].
Transforming Hotel Performance
The impact on participating hotels has been dramatic. Without Rest Assure, a petty incident might trigger a $500 credit hold and a one-week insurance claim – by which time the guest is upset and a lawsuit may already be brewing. Rest Assure flips that script. In Ashley’s example, a guest who accidentally breaks a lamp no longer gets yelled at; instead, they receive help immediately and the hotel absorbs little to no loss. Staff “don’t have to pick up the pieces” after a fight over the bill, and guests leave happy. In one case, a suburban Midwest inn reported that implementing Rest Assure cut guest disputes at check-in by 80%, while earning extra ancillary revenue from the coverage fee. (As one hotelier put it, it was “a game-changer” for their brand.
Industry experts have taken note. A Hospitality Net article describes RestAssure as “a transformative solution built to empower hotel owners nationwide to take back control of operational costs”, calling it a coverage model that delivers “an unparalleled feeling of security for owners and guests alike”[5][12]. Indeed, Rest Assure’s platform is designed to be “revenue-positive”[10] – it cuts the losses small claims once caused and often adds incremental income from voluntary coverage plans. In practice, Ashley says hotels using Rest Assure “are not only adding cost savings on both sides of the equation… but also offering peace of mind,” which she finds “results in fewer disputes, better reviews, and more confident staff”[9][13]. Guests check in with a smile, managers save on insurance expenses, and owners see healthier profits.
A Local Startup with a Global Vision
Based in Kansas City, Rest Assure Hotels is an example of the region’s entrepreneurial pulse. Even as a KC startup, Ashley’s vision is global. The press release notes the platform is built to scale “nationwide in scope”[10], and she’s already fielding inquiries from hotels across the U.S. and beyond. (At one point she quips they’ve even had interest from Spain.) Still, Ashley prizes her local roots. She’s quick to point out that Kansas City’s tight-knit hotel community helped her hone the concept – through shared frustrations and collective feedback – before rolling it out more broadly.
Leadership at Rest Assure reflects Ashley’s personal style: bold yet caring. She embraces what the company calls “servicing on both sides of this financial transaction and experiential transaction”[13]. As she puts it, in hospitality “we’re not waiting 17 days like an insurance company that… causes hoteliers to take a beating”[11]. Instead, her team stays with the guest and the hotel, every step of the way. Ashley lives by the idea that every client is family; “if you’re part of the family, you know I’m gonna take care of you”[2]. It’s a philosophy that not only won trust but has empowered boutique hoteliers to grow more sustainably.
Quiet Innovation, Big Results
Over a cup of coffee at a Kansas City café (or on a late-night Zoom call), Ashley often repeats her mantra: “It’s time we stopped the financial bleed and started a coverage revolution.” It’s not just marketing talk. Through Rest Assure Hotels, she’s quietly reengineering how independent hotels think about risk, service and revenue. Early adopters report happier guests and healthier finances. In one memorable story, a mother checked into a small-town inn knowing her kids might jump on the bed; with Rest Assure, she didn’t fear a surprise bill for a broken lamp – instead she left glowing about the extra peace of mind. Employees at that hotel felt the change too: “employee morale is definitely up,” Ashley notes, since staff no longer dread those confrontations[9].
Looking ahead, Ashley’s plans are ambitious. She hopes to make every stay a “Rest Assure stay” – one where guests can truly relax knowing the hotel has their back, and owners can rest easy knowing their brand and balance sheet are protected. As the company tagline puts it, “Every guest. Every room. Every time. Let’s make every stay feel RestAssure.”[10] In other words, no matter how small the hotel, its service and its profits can be as robust as any global brand’s – just with that warm, personal touch only a Kansas City hotelier could provide.
Sources: Interviews and company materials provided by Rest Assure Hotels and founder Ashley Kovatchev (including a 2025 Kansas City Thrive interview transcript), plus industry reports and press releases[1][2][4][9][7][6][10].
[1] [2] [3] [4] [7] [8] [9] [11] [13] 20251211 Interview
[5] [6] [10] [12] RestAssure™ Launches First-of-Its-Kind Guest Protection Platform for Hoteliers
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