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Paul Waldschmidt of OwnerRez has spent the last ten years quietly building one of the best property management softwares in the industry. OwneRez barely advertises and yet they have a fiercely loyal customer base and are raved about in our private forum, VRMB Communities. In this episode we dive into innovation, pricing and loyalty with Paul and come away with some lessons we can all benefit from...
- Founder, VRMB
What do Japanese whiskey, oysters at a hardware store, and limited edition basketball jerseys have in common?
We'll get to that in a moment...
This week I had the chance to see many of you (@Megan C @MichelleR @Matthew @BrianO @BlakeM @AndyM @Nars @StacyW @GregoryF) at the NWVRP Conference in Oregon, where I featured an important new workshop titled...
We'll get to that in a moment...
This week I had the chance to see many of you (@Megan C @MichelleR @Matthew @BrianO @BlakeM @AndyM @Nars @StacyW @GregoryF) at the NWVRP Conference in Oregon, where I featured an important new workshop titled...
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Latest reply by - DMartinez
What specifically about your destination (to borrow a phrase from @Virginia) makes your heart race?
Actually, it's the fact that my...
Miles Chew of Compass Resorts is a marketing manager in the high stakes destination of Destin, Florida. In this interview Miles and Matt talk about being a marketing manager inside a hospitality company and nerd out on the specifics that drive leads and bookings.
- Compass Resorts: https://www.compassresorts.com
- Fall Family Facebook Campaign: ...
This is a Quick Tips episode of Unlocked, where Matt shares actionable wisdom from VRMB Communities.
Not all listings are created equally. This week, the community discusses 8 deep adjustments that are designed to maximize bookings in a crowded listing site landscape.
Read the full thread, here...
Not all listings are created equally. This week, the community discusses 8 deep adjustments that are designed to maximize bookings in a crowded listing site landscape.
Read the full thread, here...
This episode features Madeline List, a senior research analyst at Phocuswright, the leading travel industry research platform. Our nacesent vacation rental movement isn't always well understood by the broader travel industry and this is in part due to a lack of good data to explain the story of our rise.
Madeline is almost single-handedly changing that from a research perspective. Today's...
Madeline is almost single-handedly changing that from a research perspective. Today's...
After working in the industry for nearly a decade, Brittany Blackman started Breathe Easy Rentals in the crowded Destin, Florida market. She quickly gained a foothold by providing a no stress hospitality experience to guests and owners alike. In this episode Brittany also talks about heartfelt videos she has been sharing that have gained her a viral following and perspective on the business.
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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...
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...
Jeff Brown of Loma Homes is innvotating in a unique space within the vacation rental industry. In this episode we explore his themed home business, the tech used to power it, the bumps along the way and the money he uses to grow the business.
This episode is brought...
This episode is brought...
We're in-between podcast seasons right now. So I thought it might be nice to use this platform to share something very important:
The Vacation Rental Advocacy Playbook:
http://www.vacationrentaladvocacy.com
It's a compilation of videos from advocacy specialists that can help you and your colleagues in your destination prepare for the worst.
You can also see the 20 videos I picked out and...
In this week's unlocked interview with @Virginia (embedding it below if you haven't listened) at 40:00 we begin talking about the kinds of properties that are in vogue and Virginia reveals that she now offers a teepee!
In the listing description she BEGS people NOT to come to her teepee ("Do NOT come to this teepee! The road is rough, grumpy neighbor, you have to use outhouse") and lots of people...
In the listing description she BEGS people NOT to come to her teepee ("Do NOT come to this teepee! The road is rough, grumpy neighbor, you have to use outhouse") and lots of people...
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Latest reply by - Karla
I am going to bypass the “if money is no object” part of the what I love about a place, so much makes my heart still race about Tropical Blessings that the money part almost seems irrelevant. Although I had...
I stumbled into vacation rentals a few years ago and had no idea what I was doing. Yet, the transition wasn't too tricky coming from a hospitality background. What was difficult was the transition from amateur to professional.
My business partner and I got...
My business partner and I got...
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Latest reply by - KarenHunt
There are several great tidbits here that we will work into our business. We charge the same for housekeeping whether you rent for 3 days or 7 and have...
Virginia Ivy is a hospitality pioneer. From opening a music venue in a dead part of Memphis to starting her current vacation rental business in the Arkansas Ozarks, she has earned ‘first mover status’ many times over. She is now an integral part of a tourism oriented community and expanding into related businesses, but through it all she understands the best way to superb guest experience is to focus on the...
- Founder, VRMB
This message from a guest gave me the chills.
It made me wonder, have any members of this community had any supernatural reviews?
View attachment 4635
Here's the full Twitter thread...
It made me wonder, have any members of this community had any supernatural reviews?
View attachment 4635
Here's the full Twitter thread...
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Latest reply by
- Matt Landau
That's an amazing review!
We have one house. I know it was one of the originals in our little Oregon Coast town. it was probably the home to...
Channel management might be the single biggest confusing and misunderstood topic I come across. Here are a number of the falsehoods I hear often:
“A PMS is not a channel manager”
“Channel Manager integration is superior to a PMS integration”
“You only need one Channel...
“A PMS is not a channel manager”
“Channel Manager integration is superior to a PMS integration”
“You only need one Channel...
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Latest reply by - AlexN
Hi Terry: great article! I'd love some opinions on how much lift a channel manager can provide beyond direct bookings...
Megan Carda of Lifestyle Properties used her passion for her local community to build a network of connected businesses that opened the doors to Oregon's Wine Country. Not only does this create a rich guest experience, it drives business to the community and puts Megan lightyears ahead of the competition.
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...
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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 Feature.
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
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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...
Graham Donoghue is CEO of Sykes Cottages, arguably the largest profitable vacation rental management company in the world. He brings a unique perspective to our industry, having presided over some of the largest digital-led businesses across the UK. In this mega-episode Matt and Graham tackle how to build a team, how to wield data, how to buy and sell vacation rental...
So, I’ll preface this with the comment that it’s a long post, but hopefully one that is valuable to this community. I try to be detailed enough that someone reading understands the principles of what I am saying, and then can agree or disagree, vs just giving some bullet...
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Latest reply by - AlexC
Interestingly, I can make the argument that this writer is making the exact same mischaracterization of the "brands' consumers are buying as I am describing as a root of a lot of confusion out there. Hopefully its not a stretch, but here's my thinking on where the writer was wrong in...
I had a guest who had booked us through VRBO a few years ago, had a great time, left a great review. They then rebooked the same way 5 years later. It dinged my ego 😕 . I worried if they didn't trust us. Turns out they didn't realize they could have booked directly...
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Latest reply by - Sherry
With online agencies like AirBnB and VRBO dominating the vacation rental space, owners trying to develop independent properties face an...
- Efficiency Manager, VRMB
Master the instrument, master the music, then forget all that shit and play." —Charlie Parker
N.B. This manual was created for sales professionals, not vacation rental owners and property managers.
How do you leverage video if you don’t know the rules? For that matter how...
N.B. This manual was created for sales professionals, not vacation rental owners and property managers.
How do you leverage video if you don’t know the rules? For that matter how...
Michelle Ruber of Shift Vacation Rentals has not only built a thriving vacation rental business with her own properties, she has turned passion for her community into a way to give back and enhance guest experience. The result is a kind of first-mover status that carves a deep moat around her business and earns social capital in the eyes of neighbors & employees.
- ...
In this very special season finale episode of Unlocked with Matt Landau, our sponsor, Sean Miller of Point Central turns the microphone around on Matt and and asks the questions we've been waiting nearly sixty episodes to answer.
Everything from Matt's management past to his Vacation Rental Show future is revealed, along with a great deal of thinking and action items about...
Everything from Matt's management past to his Vacation Rental Show future is revealed, along with a great deal of thinking and action items about...
From last week's discussion about marketing the word "boutique" (which has evolved like a beautiful living document 🌱) I was inspired to share a lesson I learned from a $795/hour copywriter.
Tell ‘Em What You’re Going To Tell ‘Em
Next, Tell ‘Em
Next, Tell ‘Em What You Told ‘Em
OK so this isn't the exact lesson (it's famous advice for public speaking presenters) BUT it communicates the...
Tell ‘Em What You’re Going To Tell ‘Em
Next, Tell ‘Em
Next, Tell ‘Em What You Told ‘Em
OK so this isn't the exact lesson (it's famous advice for public speaking presenters) BUT it communicates the...
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Latest reply by
- Karla
I wonder if it's part of this concept that relates to the ubiquitous emails I get wanting to redo, refresh and re-polish my website or engage in google analytics at a great...
- Founder, VRMB
Hello community members based on your feedback from previous demos,
Terry and I invited @BobG to demo Cleanyst: www.cleanyst.com
What is it? In my words, it's an eco-conscious system that allows you to make your own consumables (soap, shampoo, dish soap...etc). Both Terry and I are getting a kit to test it out. Will update this thread with our feedback.
0:22 Explanation
7:28...
Terry and I invited @BobG to demo Cleanyst: www.cleanyst.comWhat is it? In my words, it's an eco-conscious system that allows you to make your own consumables (soap, shampoo, dish soap...etc). Both Terry and I are getting a kit to test it out. Will update this thread with our feedback.
0:22 Explanation
7:28...
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...
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...
In my 2022 Predictions Piece, I explain how big money and roll-ups will fuel the one-of-a-kind or Limited Edition players in the vacation rental industry. Said another way, the small businesses that accelerate in the direction of family/local/specialized/surprises will not just enjoy new-found demand -- the sector's tailwinds will satisfy their wildest business dreams.
Here's a prime example: I...
Here's a prime example: I...
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Latest reply by - Katie Bien
We require a contract, but like many here, we do have an "out" for either party. While the relationship with owners is very much a partnership, we don't want to force an owner to stay that doesn't want us or vice versa, as our relationships are built on trust...
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...
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...
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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 tool...
- Efficiency Manager, VRMB
VRMB in collaboration with the VRMB faculty unearthed nine fundamental principles beneath the surface of the most successful vacation rental businesses over time, and throughout the world. These nine principles build a force field around your business.
You can download the...
You can download the...
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.
Here Goes Nothin'
Retreats, workshops, and discussions that spark creative leaps in your business.
Upcoming Retreats
Matt's first Here Goes Nothin' retreat is slated for THIS NEW YEARS Dec 26-30 (cohort 1) and Dec 30-Jan 3 (cohort 2).
This retreat is all about creativity as an advanced leadership technique and is open to anyone exploring more creative risks in business (and life!)
Simply reach out to [email protected] with a bit about your current goals to learn more...