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In this episode Michael Mori shares his expertise and insight as a vacation rental investor. His decision-making process and key criteria for evaluating potential markets will vastly improve our scorecard. Additionally, Michael provides valuable insights on the current state of the market and a key way of looking at community engagement for vacation rental success.
This season is made possible by Minut and...
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 photos showed made-in-Mexico textiles...
Reviews (whether entered online or handwritten) are important in our industry because they provide validation (feedback loops that make sure you're on the right path) and purpose (that what you are doing really matters).
@Todd's thread a while back about how to make a housekeeper cry and @Rocio suggesting travelers write "love letters" to housekeeping (because they mean the world), got me thinking about a...
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Latest reply by - Andy McNulty
LOVE this Matt. Genuinely I do, I don't use CAPS often. I'm going to raise this on our management team meeting today, maybe one person in the team writes a review of one other person, so we're all peer-reviewed. And maybe it's a 'thankful for' rather...
In this episode, @BrianO discusses the impact of health on our teams and networks after a personal wake-up call. Tune in to hear his perspective on how to prioritize well-being and the well-being of your team in what is often a fast-paced work environment.
This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway...
Hilton Head Island was conceived as a vacation destination, and rental homes have been a part of that vision since the beginning. Now, a small minority is reshaping the landscape, and Dru Brown and his colleagues find themselves at the center of a real advocacy fight. In this episode, we explore how things got out of hand in the land of golf, tennis, and pickleball and how a different kind of scorecard can...
UPDATED December 8, 2022
A while back I posted a trend I was calling "The Falling Tide" -- the commentary from members on this metaphor is super insightful and as a result...
I have revised my metaphor: instead of a falling tide in 2023, I think of it a big shake-out.
A big shake-out comes when a wave of hype exceeds the realities of demand (in our case, guests looking for a reliable place to stay).
Do you...
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Latest reply by - JanS
HI @Matt Landau, I have definitely been noticing a falling tide in my own little micro-market and had been wondering if it was broader than that, so this was a very timely topic for me.
I think we reaped the benefits of travelers staying closer to...
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...
In many ways, Sharon Walker is the ultimate Limited Edition vacation rental professional. She built a business from scratch with great care for guests and employees while raising a family. Now, with the freedom that business provides, she is heading up the statewide advocacy effort in Texas and blazing a trail for her industry fellows. In this episode, Matt explores what makes her business great and talks...
OLD BAY is a limited edition brand that we can emulate.
It is valuable, it is authentic, and it is niche!
What started as a family-owned, locally-headquartered, and specialized spice eventually got acquired in 1990 by McCormick Spice Company (adding to its portfolio alongside brands like Lawry’s, Simply Asia, Thai Kitchen, and Zatarain’s -- which should underscore the VALUE of any niche spice brand when it...
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Latest reply by
- RuthM
I really love the quick "limited edition" backstory on the back of every box:
"Our unique blend of 18 herbs and spices was born in the Chesapeake Bay area...
Shelby Fletcher is the president of the The Dallas Short Term Rental Alliance...a very well organized advocacy group with more than 800 members focused on achieving fair, lasting regualtions in the Dallas area. They've faced years of delay, tough anti groups and backroom politics but they're making headway and the next step may be to bring in professional political help. At the same time, efforts are underway...
In this episode Matt and Nate Wysk of Point Central talk 'advocacy technology' and upcoming 2023 trends for the vacation rental industry.
This episode is brought to you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, https://www.breezeway.io/vrmb the best in class property care and automations platform.
Point Central's Smart Noise Monitor...
Vtrips is one of the fastest growing companies in our industry and its leader, Steve Milo, has advocacy in mind with every aquisiton he makes. In this episode we dive into his advocacy masterplan, talk about what he looks for in a destination and see how we can apply it to our scorecard. We also hear from Amy Gaster and Dusty Church who are working with Vtrips on Tybee Island to save vacation rentals there...
In this episode Dana and Matt discuss our progress so far this season and talk about what the scorecard really means.
Matt shares audience questions on how the scorecard will be used, we dive into some lessons from the first three episodes and talk about what is to come as we look ahead to bill creation, lawsuits, measuring public sentiment and how to keep score.
This season is made possible by Minut and...
Welcome to the Homerunners Shorts, a curated series of family-owned, locally-based, specialized vacation rental experiences to spark your next adventure. All businesses featured are family-owned, locally-based, and specialized in a particular niche.
In this series, meet @LanceS @TimJohnson and the team from Seaside Vacations!
The waters around the island of Chincoteague Virginia offer a wealth of adventure...
This past week I visited Matt @Durrette who is often accidentally referred to as "Matt Cozi."
This is simultaneously not weird (COZI is the name of Matt’s property management company in Texas Hill Country) but also very weird seeing as though his last name is clearly stated Durrette and yet people continue call him Matt Cozi. (People like me continue to call him Matt COZI.)
Matt runs COZiVR with his wife Jenna...
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Latest reply by - Jeff_I
My brain exploded when I read 27 pieces of tech! I think there is also some secret sauce in the Cozi equation with Matt. I've met a ton of PM / STR operators and sometimes people just stand out. Maybe this dovetails...
@Eddie Love used to work in credit analytics giving small business loans to military veterans. When he got let go because of the pandemic, he began to build his short term rental property into Mountain Mama Cabins in West Virginia. The protagonist is a young man who is thoughtful beyond his years: part of a new generation of Homerunners changing their communities and the world!
This episode is brought you by...
@Dana 's quest to quantify vacation rental advocacy health continues in Episode 3 with Robin Craigen of Steamboat Springs and John An of Oahu.
The mountains of Colorado and islands of Hawaii are facing some of the toughest regulatory fights in the country. Even if managers manage to stay afloat or win a battle, they're seeing underhanded tactics from local governments and punitive economic measures. We think...
Our industry talks a lot these days about a departing generation of wisdom. About the operators exiting their businesses and taking all of their knowledge with them. But what you don't hear about is the new minds, the new leaders who will carry the torch and @Amanda.Hoffmann is definately a new leader on the rise. She's building a finance division from scratch at Highgate and she's forging a new path at the...
Our quest to quantify vacation rental advocacy health continues in Episode 2 with Linda Curry of Arizonans for Responsible Tourism!
Arizona is as good of an environment for short term rentals right now as any we've seen in the United States. (Though, as Matt cautions, we shouldn't assume the score of a destination before really digging into our research.) If we can pinpoint what is working in Arizona, we'll...
In January, we started the discussion Encouraging Conferences for 2022 and so many community members chimed in.
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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...
In this episode, two of the industry's top thought leaders reminisce on their friendly rivarly and come together with insights meant to push the whole industry forward.
This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, https://www.breezeway.io/vrmbthe best in class property care and automations platform.
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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 accommodate family-related...
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 we include...
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 yourself permission to devote time to enjoying your life.
The first year I worked as a divemaster at a laid-back resort in the...
Welcome back to the How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business show! To tease the impending launch of Season 3 and to get a sense of the state of advocacy right now, Dana and Matt sat down with a panel from across the industry for a live recording session on where we are and whats coming in Season 3.
This was recorded a few hours ago as the 2022 VRMA International Conference came to a close.
The first episode...
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Latest reply by
- JanS
@Dana just wanted to say I have heard from several people (most recently @JanS) who all are beginning to think about advocacy in unique new ways because of these efforts :)
What a meaningful round table...
In the first episode of Season 3, Dana sets off on a journey with Matt Landau and Jamie Lane to find the questions that will define our advocacy scorecard and shape our advocacy efforts moving forward. From housing data to OTA scraping to quantifying the unquanitifiable...we go deep with one of the best data minds in the business.
This season is made possible by Minut and TrackHS as well as our thought...
Sometimes, great initiatives need to be shut down because they are not sustainable.
Which is a difficult pill to swallow, especially when you're passionate (read: stubborn) about something and you badly want it to work.
But it's the truth: as vacation rental innovators we test out lots of ideas...some work, others don't...and then some (the really "special" ones LOL) are both amazing and unsustainable.
What...
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Latest reply by - DeborahL
I love this. I love what you guys have done, I love the lack of a plan (and the honesty to say it, but that is the reality of what happens, speaking from experience) and the fact that you learned about monetisation. This is EXACTLY what I am...
Lauren Madewell found her calling when Vacation Rentals unexpectedly became the family business. In this episode Lauren and Matt discuss finding that calling, how a passion for the family business can unlock tools to work with guests and staff and what the future holds for our industry.
This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and...
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Latest reply by
- RuthM
Amazing podcast. Our industry is full of great stories and good people. Thanks Matt for shining a light.
Tiffany Edwards grew up in the vacation rental business and has become one of its foremost goverment affairs experts and fundraisers. In this episode we dig into what our industry is doing well and what it needs to do better for a fair regulatory future.
This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway...
@Steve Schwab went from living in the back of a bar in Puerto Peñasco Mexico and helping out with HVAC systems to building Casago into a major property management company with thousands of properties and franchises all over the US and Mexico. He's featured in our second episode of Homerunners and he's become a thought partner to Matt in tackling some of the deepest questions of our industry.
This episode is...
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Latest reply by - Steve Schwab
What a great experience working with Matt and Stuart on this project. I am always available if any of you ever want to talk about the industry, how to find your own values and principles or need anything else.
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.
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