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Last week marked the end of our third round of Keystone Retreats, which are small-group learning experiences for short term rental professionals (new but still ugly website here) and I’d like to share one of my favorite takeaways.
"No Matter What Happens, You Can Always Pick Up And Move To France"
We hosted this particular retreat at Spring Lakes Ranch which used to be a drug rehab facility.
When they learned...
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Latest reply by - DMartinez
Ever since @Heather's first conference I had a great desire to attend a vacation rental focused event/conference. I would have made it there were it not for life interfering. My goal then and continues to be not only to gain knowledge and skills, but as mentioned above, to connect...
I have been deep in Ai reading for the last few months. The unknowns are overwhelmingly agreed (few could have fathomed what big disruptions like the steam engine or the internet would bring).
It's the speed of the onset of these unknowns that's most radical. Other disruptions took place slowly and steadily by comparison. This morning I read about a professor's Ai detector falsely accusing a student of cheating...
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Latest reply by
- DMartinez
Next up is to legislate AI. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) has proposed a bill to add a disclaimer on products generated by AI as reported by Axios
See Torres Bill expected to be introduced:
(a) DISCLAIMER REQUIRED.—Generative artificial...
Setting and meeting a guest's expectations is an essential factor in any hospitality marketing campaign. After all, if you don't set and meet expectations (no matter how spiffy your direct booking funnel) there's no repeat or referral stays.
And I don't think I've ever come across a question that sets the tone for the booking and stay process quite as well as the following:
"What's the purpose of your visit?"...
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Latest reply by - RichardC
We tend to direct guests to our FAQ’s page and a link to our home page, but we follow up with the comment. If you can’t find what you’re looking for please...
I'm currently in the process of purchasing the townhouse I have rented since moving to South Beach, Miami in 2020.
Back then, I wrote this article about moving to the epicenter of the pandemic and I should really write an update soon.
But purchasing this townhouse is lowkey a pretty big deal for me personally:
My first home: decades of entrepreneurship and carving my path capitalized!
But it's also causing...
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Latest reply by - RuthM
First of all, congratulations! A new purchase is always worth celebrating! Next, I absolutely agree with you. There are short term rentals that are responsibly managed and then there are the "pay, come, do whatever you...
Chances are, you aren't getting enough distance from your business.
The upside to being in the trenches is the personal payoff (the 5-star review, sense of purpose, an especially great paycheck). The risk is fatigue. Fatigue + control freaks = a dangerously unstable operation. ESPECIALLY unstable in a hospitality environment that depends on human connection.
ACTION: Take vacation in order to make vacations...
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Latest reply by - SScurlock
I have taken your advice and trained one of my sons that also lives on the farm on running my...
Last week I visited @Tarkan and Julia in Istanbul, Turkey and WOW what a gigantic bustling historic crossroads of world history (if you haven't consider planning a visit -- Turkish Airlines is amazing and Julia and Tarkan's properties rock).
For dinner one evening my best friend Adam and I booked our maiden meal on Eat With, which is basically like a listing site for home-cooks. In short, home cook makes a menu...
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Latest reply by
- SScurlock
My sister has traveled all over the world, and she and her husband always book a meal in someone's home (not sure through who) when in another country...
If you do one thing thing this year, double down on your hospitality brand.
Your hospitality brand is your unique style of taking care of guests (both internally with your team and outwardly with guests) and it's the single most valuable asset *fully in your control* that deserves attention, resources, and in some cases serious course corrections. Remember, Quality Branded IP stands the test of time.
I just...
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Latest reply by
- Matt Landau
I guess my issue with branding is that it feels like a marshmallow. It's a little hard to get a real concept of, and I can't quite put a finger on...
A robust all-in-one PMS solution doesn't really exist for smaller operators. But new tools are popping up with some innovative alternatives. This is an excerpt from VRMB's 2023 Trends Report: The Roadmap.
For years I’ve referred to those who don’t view STR hospitality as a business (but rather a hobby or side gig) as “Lifestylists.” Lifestylists typically hold down separate jobs, rent for the cashflow, and use...
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Latest reply by - Terry
Hi Terri,
Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying...but I'm pretty sure I'm one of these 'lifestyle' operators. I own a small portfolio of homes and manage them myself. I am not intimidated by...
Note: Hospitality Gestures: The "New" Marketing will be featured in VRMB's 2023 Trends Report, which drops first week of January. Early bird specials via newsletter sign-up here.
Back in 2009, with the listing sites (and our category in general) starting to gain momentum, the members of this community and myself predicted that "listing site independence" (ie. marketing diversification for vacation rental pros)...
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Latest reply by - keystokelowna
Yes, yes and yes...
These are not new ideas for us at Moving Mountains, but I love the reminder to double down on this in 2023. Why? Because it absolutely works! If you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors, this is the path to...
I use the term "lifestyle brand" to describe a vacation rental business whose marketing leads not with the property, but the vibes (or lifestyle) guests experience when staying there. You can immediately feel a lifestyle vacation rental brand when you come in contact with it.
For instance, @Kristi and Starship Landing Retreat. The property itself is still there. But it's not the centerpiece of the photography...
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Latest reply by - Will Franco
We enjoyed the atmosphere and provenance of the cabin itself, but most notable (aside from the gorgeous hill country views) was the experience of walking through the orchard with grazing cows down to the river’s edge. What a treat for us humans as well as our pup...
Limited edition management recommends emphasizing your one-of-a-kind virtues -- family owned/operated, locally based/headquartered, and specialized in a property type or location -- to create a moat of defense from competing vacation rental offerings. Some activities DO scale (and can be automated or done en mass). But I keep coming back to the word "Unscalable" as not just a good thing (for independents) but...
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Latest reply by - davidliedl
Thanks for asking @davidliedl
Here is a link to the housekeeping checklist (scroll down to the bottom): https://community.vrmb.com/threads/ep109-the-trickiest-challenges-of-vacation-rental-housekeeping-and-how-to-solve-some-of-them.6896/
Thank you!
From Phocuswright's 2021 STR study Through The Roof, 87% of travelers agreed or strongly agreed that they actively seek out properties with an interesting look and feel. "Character" was not a make it or break it moment of the conversion -- but definitely a big appeal.
Character is where a huge new wave of vacation rental entrepreneurs are investing: tree houses, tents, themed homes...etc.
So I wanted to start a...
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Latest reply by
- RuthM
For our Mexico property website, I created a shot list to tell a story about what it would feel like to live in this property. What would guests see, touch, use and experience that said "You're in Mexico!"
Professional...
Disclaimer: I am directly swiping this from @StaySavvy of https://www.savvytravels.co/ who (as far as I know) invented the phrase and explained it on our Accelerator call last night.
A walk-through is a protocol typically performed before (and sometimes after) a guest checks-in in which a knowledgable team member ensures that all other standard operating procedures (housekeeping, maintenance, and staging) have...
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Latest reply by - MPerkins
Love the term sleep through...we called it sleepover.....but to owners this was presented as QC Stay (Quality Control.
Staff were required to complete a detailed report covering all aspects of their stay to share with the team and...
In January, we started the discussion Encouraging Conferences for 2022 and so many community members chimed in.
***
When Bob Iger and Disney faced the looming disruption that streaming platforms caused to the conventional world of TV and film, they went on a buying spree picking up famous brands such as ESPN, Pixar, Marvel, Lukas Films Star Wars…etc. Why? They believed that no matter the disruptions to the...
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Latest reply by - StacyW
For me, it was my first time out of the State of Hawaii since 2019 and it was so great to be with my peers in the vacation rental industry and continue to learn about all of the technology that can be used to make us more efficient and...
Once you've come to grips with the fact that few employees will likely ever have the same level of passion or commitment that you do, you turn to the next best thing:
"How can I best incentivize them to reach their full potential and KEEP them at my business?"
I wanted to start a thread of some great ideas I've learned in the last few weeks of attending conferences, with the hope that YOU can jump in and...
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Latest reply by
- MPerkins
We profit share with everyone in the office and offer holiday bonuses, great health benefits, sick and vacation time and all the usual good stuff PLUS, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are always half days but paid as full days. We do everything we can to...
At 10:05 of our latest Unlocked interview with Jeremy Gall, we talk about Brittany Blackman and her deep passion for vacation rental hospitality.
I go on to share how @MikeH saw Brittany's "passion" as a downright game-changer.
'"They' can't compete with that!" Mike says.
The “they” in Mike’s sentiment is intentionally vague — it can apply to whoever you may have in mind.
They = venture-backed competition...
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Latest reply by - AFirmani
We just put together our 5th VR and then I saw this post (I do not know why they do not come to my email but that goodness I found it here)! And it really got me thinking. In setting this one up - what did...
After running my vacation rental business for 7 years, I burned out.
The fun, excitement, and focus from my "start-up" days had faded.
I was no longer passionate about the hospitality, which we always considered our greatest virtue.
And after coming to grips with that fact, I sold the business.
Part of me attributed the "burn out" to simply working 24/7 for 7 years. Gene Marks, author of The Small Business...
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Latest reply by - ROster
Rick, sometimes good enough is good enough. Please don't pressure yourself to do more. We know you strive for excellence, and would never coast. Give...
This thread is for the general discussion of the Article Contrarian Perspective: Is there a VR Industry Bubble?. Please add to the discussion here.
I am currently visiting @Godfrey in Sun Valley, Idaho where the supply of vacation rental properties is so limited (and the demand for this destination so great) that property owners and managers need to be extra intentional about how they spend their time. To a degree, I think this focus is increasingly playing out across the world.
Every activity falls somewhere on the profit spectrum, but which activities...
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Latest reply by - Catherine
Here's a full interview so you can understand better:
Thanks, as always, Matt! 👌
Note: Thanks to @ToonTownRob for posting this mini-revelation about the power of starting your email responses with a twist. It inspired this week's Motivation (and I decided to record it in podcast form too below).
Listing sites like Airbnb and Vrbo rank as the top pound-for-pound allocation of your time to generate inquiries. All the various listing sites make up Stage 1 of Listing Site Independence...
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Latest reply by - Sallie
#3 from the Guest point of view.
We wanted to rent a dog-friendly house in a specific beach community for three months during winter 2023. We're two adults...
Hey @EBadia -- what do you think about the word “boutique” to describe what makes vacation rental companies great? Used in all of our marketing materials and in our day-to-day, could "boutique" successfully convey what makes vacation rental companies great in ways that other words (we've come up with) can not?
Side Note: For those of you who haven't listened, Evelyn and I are on a mission to define the word...
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Latest reply by - Debi
I added the word "boutique" to my listing title on Airbnb when this thread first came out. My summer is filled. However, Airbnb has recently ELIMINATED titles in their listing search. I understand this is a new AI standard for them...
Upon just visiting @Debi @MichelleR @Megan C @Matthew and @BrianO in Oregon, I have settled on fresh local coffee as one of the lowest-hanging Limited Edition welcome gifts you can invest in.
Consider approaching a local coffee shop about a partnership for the following reasons:
Function: More than 50% of adults (ie. someone in almost every stay) will otherwise need to go out and buy coffee anyway.
Fit...
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Latest reply by - Bruce
I tried reaching out to a local roaster but the smallest bags they produce is 1/2 pound - way too much for a weekend stay for a 2...
Content idea time!
IDEA: We're all familiar with the press pieces featuring THE TOP {insert adjective} VACATION RENTALS IN {insert destination}.
There are plenty of variations but for the sake of this post I'm referring to these pieces as "Top X." And typically, the author has little to no subject matter expertise. Sometimes companies being mentioned in the article are paying to be featured!
But these...
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Latest reply by - KarenB
You were asking "where to publish" a Top "XYZ" article... We are in the middle of writing one right now.... We are including some of our favorite competitors and also an AirBnB,, which I didn't think of, until Matt suggested...
This week's podcast interview features Graham Donoghue of Sykes Cottages which is the largest profitable vacation rental manager that I am aware of in the world. If you haven't listened to the episode, I would encourage you to do so here:
Graham references "the House Model" a few times and I asked him if I could share the diagram with our community. It is quite simply one of the most beautiful things I have...
IDEA: Any vacation rental property can be made more “limited edition” with the introduction of a landmark feature: a structural, decorative, or recreational aspect of the home’s offering that is unique (in your competitive set), photogenic (for promotional purposes), and perhaps most importantly enjoyable for new and repeat guests.
ACTION: Ask yourself any of the following questions...
Are there any homes in...
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Latest reply by
- Matt Landau
Came across this Airbnb with a big swing front and center: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28105905?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=3d6a85a3-81ac-4d55-bdc6-213307c09a2b
Wonderful example of a Landmark...
Our industry is at a pivotal juncture.
Vacation rental demand at all-time high means...
New owners & managers need guidance and...
Guests need training or else...
Unrealistic expectations produce...
Bad actors who...
Tarnish the craft and contribute to unfair regulation in your region
Until our diverse community can agree on a common definition of "what makes us professional" -- our independence resembles not a...
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Latest reply by
- Sallie
When I started using our house as a vacation rental I was told at the get-go: Everything you put into this house must be considered...
Ever since I moved to Miami and started swimming in the ocean each morning with my crew of completely random but equally inspiring swim buddies (photo attached) I joined in on the unspoken practice of being grateful.
There's no fee and no rules joining this swim group. Show up whenever you want, swim with the group however far you want, however fast you want.
But at the beginning just as we're all in the water...
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Latest reply by - Karla
@Matt Landau I was so moved by your last mailer of 2021 and your essay about your experience on St. John that it made me cry, memories of what happened to people after those two back to back cat 5...
This post is about newsletters: the single best way to stay in touch with former guests, generate new referrals, and keep your business brain sharpened and focused.
I am something of a newsletter nerd. I sign up to receive newsletters (and assess them), I've spent every week for the last 5 years sending out VRMB's weekly newsletter, and prior to that, I spent a solid 5 years sending out one for my vacation...
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Latest reply by
- Matt Landau
Some added thoughts...
Commit: if you don't commit to sending out emails to former guests regularly, when you do actually send them out, it will appear too isolated and needy. Email marketing is a nurture marketing...
Hello community members, I'm sharing with you my big trend for independent owners and managers in 2022, along with links to all mentioned resources below.
Please use the thread below to share any trends you believe are worth doubling down on...
Resources Mentioned:
Vacasa has gone public [Skift]
Matt Roberts on Unlocked
Carl Shepherd on Unlocked
The Agile Approach PDF
Keystone Awards (software suggestions)...
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Latest reply by - JanS
In Vacasa's quest for more more more properties, they are going to run smack into the regulatory issues we are all struggling with. I'm waiting to see what they will do. Will they join the fray and make a positive difference?
Niches are the next big thing in vacation rentals.
They are the essence of Theory of Limited Edition: that if you do the things only/inimitably YOU, that no bigger/richer company can ever compete.
Special interest and geographic niches possess significant profit: they are not scalable: and they tend to be more intimate than the big box managers... therefore less hazardous to communities.
If you are an...
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Latest reply by
- DMartinez
A surprising spike in a keyword search bump was noticed today for my website -with thanks to a blog post I wrote a while ago...
Welcome to VRMB!
I’m Matt Landau, the founder of this forum. It was created in 2016 when a group of us wanted a safe space to discuss our growing STR businesses.
Today, you can join our community of 1,000+ creative, thoughtful, and generous members who believe in a better future.
The Accelerator Program
Each quarter, we choose vacation rental managers to join our 1-year, mentorship-driven accelerator, providing hands-on business building and access to our network.
Latest posts
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No Matter What Happens, You Can Always Pick Up And Move To France
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How Will Ai & Robotics Change Your World?
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