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Phil Minardi is the Head of Public Affairs at the Expedia Group which owns HomeAway and VRBO. His job entails a lot of travel so he has a great perspective on the vacation rental regulatory landscape throughout the USA. But what I like most about Phil is that he always speaks on behalf of the industry. Not about any one owner or manager or company, but on the movement as a whole. I think a lot of problems can be...
Sarah Nie is based in Asheville, North Carolina. And after she began her property management business, she began to be approached by owners all over Asheville. But this kind of growth came with a caveat: the city’s short term rental rules which were fluctuating and restricting business left and right. What Sarah shares with us, now years after this journey begun, is the big lesson she learned: the lesson for...
Heather Bayer of the Vacation Rental Formula Podcast is like my BFF in the industry. We were both in Las Vegas for the VRMA International event and she would be presenting on the 5 Love Languages, a famous book that classifies the various interpretations of love. Heather applies this thinking to the vacation rental industry — where you may be making extraordinary efforts in one department, but lacking a...
In this experimental podcast format, I aim to address one subject matter that has the industry buzzing and break it down for our listeners. [Note: Our normal interview podcast schedule sponsored by our friends at PointCentral will not be interrupted.] This episode addresses an article on Amy Hinote's VRM Intel site titled, titled "GSV Initiates Technology Rollup in the Vacation Rental Industry including...
Mike Copps is the Executive Director of the VRMA which aims to be the singular voice of vacation rental owners and managers throughout the world. Any industry needs a trade association, but for a young and emerging industry like vacation rentals it is especially critical. Take a chance to meet Mike and learn about his background and the experiences he uses to make his leadership decisions today. If you want...
A keystone is the architectural term for a wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch or bridge that locks the other pieces in place. We believe this is the perfect metaphor for the right property management software in a vacation rental business. Using data from 100+ hours of demos, 750+ completions of our Property Management Software Selector Tool and qualitative feedback that has come in by the droves...
Guglielmo Scarpa is a young Italian businessman who embodies the vacation rental pioneer spirit for me. He fell into the business somewhat accidentally, has successfully build a brand around his company Canguro properties in two countries, and he looks at everything through a realistic yet optimistic lens: if something works, he does more of it. If something doesn't work, he considers carefully whether or not he...
Megan McCrea is one of the most impressive leaders in the vacation rental industry. I get the chance to meet a lot of experts and ambassadors and people who are really good at what they do -- but Megan has one of the most unique blends of vision, standards, discipline, and hard work that I have ever come across in vacation rentals. Really, in any industry: she is just a veritable rockstar. I flew to Nashville...
Lee Zeller is one of my besties in the vacation rental space. Her company Vacation Telluride is a mainstay in Colorado and her position on how to utilize each property for good is equally forward-thinking. This concept could be applied to pretty much any vacation rental business -- in fact, if you're not doing it, you're missing out on lots of goodwill. If you want to innovate like Lee, consider a demo with...
Cliff Johnson was the first icon interview I ever recorded: it's fair to say that Cliff was the reason behind the whole icon series...I was talking to him at lunch, fascinated by his background and his attitude about life, and basically just really curious to learn more about him. Cliff is one of the more recognizable names in the vacation rental industry. He can be seen at most of the top conferences on panels...
Dana Young is one of those people who is just unyieldingly passionate about technology. But so are a lot of people. What makes Dana unique is the way he is applying that obsession -- specifically with voice activated devices -- to the vacation rental space. He got started in our industry managing a property with his mom. But the ramifications of his singular and relatively straightforward "Unlocked" tactic reach...
In this experimental podcast format, I am to address one subject matter that has the industry buzzing and break it down for our listeners. [Note: Our normal interview podcast schedule sponsored by our friends at PointCentral will not be interrupted.] This episode addresses Vacasa's recent acquisition of Wyndham Vacation Rentals, effectively doubling their inventory to more than 20,000 homes. Here are some...
Join us for a captivating conversation with Valerie Gangas as she shares her inspiring journey of growth, spirituality, and resilience. From starting a vacation rental company during the pandemic to exploring the depths of her spiritual awakening, Valerie's story is a powerful testament to the human spirit. Tune in for a dose of inspiration and insights into embracing change, seeking support, and creating...
There are certain people in our industry who, when you meet them, you just kinda get excited about everything. Christine Saba is one of those people. Christine is technically the Head of Growth at Noiseaware, which is the fire alarm for noise. But her roles and responsibilities tend to spill over into all kinds of areas. I had the chance to visit NoiseAware's headquarters in Dallas, Texas and the irony that we...
Join us for a conversation between Matt and his mother, Barbara Landau. This episode offers a glimpse into Barbara Landau’s rich life experiences and adventures. She reflects on her career choices, emphasizing the importance of building a network of mentors and allies for success. Barbara's impressive achievements are a testament to her dedication and determination. Intriguingly, the episode delves into the core...
I've known Matt Hoffman for what feels like an eternity. I remember talking to him back when I was running my vacation rental business in Panama in 2008 and his passion and enthusiasm for vacation rentals has not faded since...if anything they've sharpened. Matt is the Senior Vice President and Product Leader at Kigo, which is a vacation rental management software company. Our conversation about Matt's...
In this podcast episode, Matt Landau and Guy discuss personal growth, business insights, and transformative experiences. Matt talks about his life-changing trip to Israel and how travel can trigger transformation. Guy shares his enlightening experiences with psychedelics and how they altered his perspective on life. The episode also covers Guy's journey into parenthood and its profound impact on him, emphasizing...
Sean Miller is the President of PointCentral, the sponsor of this podcast. And I just want to say up front that including him in the series was not required or part of the sponsorship contract or anything: Sean's just a really interesting and smart guy...someone I was really curious to learn more about. I had the chance to sit down with Sean in Barcelona Spain at the Kigoworld conference. And he possesses this...
In this episode, Matt talks with his close friend and landlord robin. Robin‘s whole life seemed to be going according to plan until she got hit by a shit storm and her marriage started to unravel. In this episode, we explore themes of relationships, adversity, movement, and travel, and how to lead your children and loved ones by leading yourself. This episode is brought to you by Breezeway...
This episode takes a look back on Matt Landau's favorite lessons from the season. Links: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep40-short-term-rent-long-term-win-with-matt-hoffman/ https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep36-a-theater-of-growth-with-cliff-johnson/ https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep-34-no-time-to-waste-with-megan-mccrea/...
After an action packed VRMA week, I got the chance to sit down with Terry Whyte and talk about the conference as well as software and I wanted to share our conversation while VRMA is fresh in everyone’s minds. Please note that the 4th Season of Point Central sponsored Unlocked launches next Wednesday the 23rd of October! Links mentioned in this episode: www.vrma.org www.vrmb.com/keystone-awards/
Amy Hinote is an industry legend and I finally managed to get her on a podcast prior to VRMA international in New Orleans, the first city she got drunk in as a teenager. Amy rolled in with an entourage of vacation rental luminaries including Steve Milo, Simon Lehmann, and Heather Bayer, so the peanut gallery was intimidating...but that would not stop us. In this interview, we learn the history of VRMIntel...
This episode features a conversation between two lifelong friends, Adam and Matt, who talk about their childhood, their fathers, and their heritage. In this conversation, they reflect on how travel reunited them in a very special place in this world, close to their roots. This episode is about exploring who they are as a person and creating life-lasting memories at their home away from home… This episode is...
Jennifer Frankenstein-Harris built her Great Ocean Condos business in New Smyrna Beach Florida into a 300+ property empire after being unable to find a technology-forward management company for a single property. Now the largest manager in her area, Jennifer has played an important role in raising the standards and holding colleagues accountable in her region. I had a chance to sit down with Jennifer during the...
Sarah Bradford of Winter Park Lodging & Steamboat Lodging Company not only grew to 160 highly-respected properties from just a handful, she also has her own vacation rental-themed podcast and strong opinions about Norwegian-inspired design. I had a chance to sit down with Sarah at the Streamline Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sarah is a regular on the conference circuit and has developed a 360-degree...
CJ Stam is a vacation rental legend to many who know him. He has built Southern Comfort Cabin Rentals into one of the best cabins getaway fleets in the American South, and now he is focusing on new purpose-built cabins for his vacation rental fleet. I was road tripping recently and decided to stop and do an in-depth podcast with CJ. In-depth podcasting with CJ may or may not involve real estate site visits...
Jodi Refosco has built her Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations into a veritable empire in Deep Creek Maryland, but it wasn’t an easy start. She grew up with vacation rentals as the family business, but restarted in the depths of the financial crisis with a single property. From paying cleaning staff by taking on late night snow-plow work to dealing with competitors, owners, and guests - Jodi has invaluable...
I GOT STUCK is my story but it could also likely be yours. As burnout started to rear its ugly head my relationships and projects started to wobble. I was forced to accept that I was lacking a clear vision for my future: I was without a firm foundation to create from. How does one become visionary? What does it feel like to grow in new ways? How do we adapt and unstuck ourselves as we enter and era of...
Corey Jones is the creator of Lucky Savannah, which in my humble opinion is one of the most impressive boutique vacation rental companies in the world. Corey got started in short term rentals, like many people, by complete accident. A visiting French student was secretly renting out historic Savannah property, and when she disappeared, she left him a note: you should continue renting this property on VRBO...
Elizabeth Maora Sickels is one of those people with infectious energy: she’s one of those people who you can’t help but want to listen to and hang out with. I first discovered Elizabeth on LinkedIn where she was posting a regular stream of videos titled “Dirty Laundry” in which she’d address one less-than-savory aspect of the short term rental business. The videos are as hilarious as they are true to the bone. So...

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