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- Founder, VRMB
This week's tip is inspired by our interview with @ambercarpenter of DemandIQ (full interview below). It is aimed at anyone who has a website and a basic property management software.
"Unconstrained demand" is the traveler demand for your vacation rental property(s) without the constraints of availability or rate rules. Including beyond 100% occupancy. Your 'unconstrained demand' for nights is much greater...
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Latest reply by - Robin
Unconstrained demand! What a great concept and such an intelligent way to view the opportunity that is out there for vacation rentals. The podcast is a...
- Founder, VRMB
This week Matt sits down with Amber Carpenter of DemandIQ to talk about a significant source of revenue we've all been missing. What started as a capstone project for Amber's master's degree has become must-use tech for the entire vacation rental industry.
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, the best in class property care and automations...
- Founder, VRMB
Bob Garner and his husband, Ian, have built their Casal dei Fichi into a powerhouse of repeat bookings, positive environmental action and the profitability needed to achieve a fun, balanced lifestyle. In this episode Matt and Bob dig into the how's and why's, and explore a 'two loops model' for vacation rental businesses that is critical listening for anyone in the industry.
This episode is brought to you by...
- Founder, VRMB
This week Sibylle Kim gives us a masterclass in the single property lifestyle business. She bought her dream vacation home in Waterbury, Vermont, and turned it into Villa Ausblick, a profitable, family-friendly short-term rental sanctuary, where she created years of memories for her family and her guests. Now, after nearly two decades in business, Sibylle is sharing wisdom that is of value to everyone in the...
- Founder, VRMB
Have you ever come across a product whose presentation is on point?
Whoever put together the photos, copywriting, design was "on their game" or "looking sharp" in that it subliminally sucked you in and persuaded you to buy?
Finca Victoria is a farmhouse style B&B on the small island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, and every vacation rental professional can take something away from their website...
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Latest reply by - ToonTownRob
Does it have to be an either/or? Can't a website be everything you talk about, and still have great SEO?
- Founder, VRMB
I've organized the traits into categories so you can go through like a checklist. And if you would like any further information, please just jump into the thread on VRMB Communities here.
Note: Profitability does not discriminate. Whether you own one property or manage 1,000, these should all apply to you.
Pricing
The most profitable VR pros know their value and have a clearly-defined pricing strategy that ebbs...
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Latest reply by - Catherine
@Matt Landau
"Charge non-refundable damage deposits": dumb question- do you take a % of rental charged or a flat fee? If you charge a %, is that for all charges ( extra fees) or just a % of total nightly rate?
* OR let's me buy a $500 damage insurance for each guest. They charge $13...
- Founder, VRMB
Part 2 of Matt's sit down with Carl Shepherd, co-founder of HomeAway. This week we get into the fun stuff. Where's the opportunity? How to build brand? What deep trends should you be keeping an eye on as they evolve?
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, the best in class property care and automations platform.
Part 1...
- Founder, VRMB
In this episode, Matt sits down with Carl Shepherd, co-founder of HomeAway, for an oral history of some of the vacation rental industry's formative moments and a visionary look at its future.
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, the best in class property care and automations platform.
**Special Note**: The full transcript of this interview...
- Founder, VRMB
IDEA
Last weekend, I met a woman who rents out the studio above her garage and despite having ZERO other marketing, this woman is so insanely dialed in.
There are no better words to describe the professionalism of an owner or manager than being 'dialed in.'
The level of thought this woman puts into her hosting was more 'dialed in' than many property managers I've seen.
Hand-written welcome notes, fresh limes...
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Latest reply by
- Catherine
Yes, to everyone's comments. Since I started allowing dogs, I find dog-owners less "entitled".
I finally got my 1st REAL direct booking from a family plus Fido, and they raved about how much their dog will love my...
- Founder, VRMB
IDEA: This past week I had dinner at Red Rooster in Miami: the chef Marcus Samuelsson (from tv show Chopped) channels his Ethiopian roots, making for a most remarkable blend of spice and flavor (said in my best food critic voice).
The waitress seated us and before getting our drinks pointed out that one item on the menu (the 3-day braised ox tail) was almost out. As seen on ‘the best thing I ever ate,’ this fire...
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Latest reply by
- ToonTownRob
P.S. There is one call to action that is more powerful than just about any other. Click here to find out what it is...
- Founder, VRMB
In this episode Matt talks finding your niche and your balance with Sheron of Scurlock Farms. Sheron mixes a working farm, famous art, pet friendliness and a friendly family to create the ultimate limited edition vacation rental business.
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, the best in class property care and automations platform.
- Founder, VRMB
In the post-pandemic travel landscape, the professional vacation rental sector is one of the best positioned to flourish. And as vacation rental professionals, we seek trends to invest in today that will reward us over time. How our guests, properties, and business practices interact with the environment sits at the very top of that list.
VRMB Declares a Climate Emergency
We’ve signed up to Tourism Declares, an...
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Latest reply by - DMartinez
FYI- For those of you who have joined the Tourism Community focusing on Climate Change (whether officially through the Tourism Declares or via your own initiatives):
Survey on The Future of Natural Resource Governance
You may be...
- Founder, VRMB
Last week we talked about the actives that generate the most profit for vacation rental entrepreneurs. If you haven’t checked back recently, this thread has become filled with some really brilliant new perspectives.
And this week we turn focus to guests in asking, “how do we cultivate moments of engagement?”
"Moments of engagement” is one way of thinking about those special interactions in which you win over...
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Latest reply by - Will Franco
This is one of the tactics that, if you do it consistently, WILL increase your conversion rate by double digits...
- Founder, VRMB
In this episode, Matt sits down with Kyle Finley of Legalbnb and Briefhomes to talk about how Kyle went from the wild west of vacation rentals to helping other hosts legalize their businesses. They also cover tools and operations, finding work life balance, and recovering from Coronavirus.
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, the best in class...
- Founder, VRMB
FAQ: Click the orange button in the top right corner to download the workbook.
After researching the most successful advocacy groups throughout the USA, we have settled on 8 factors that determine the advocacy strength of any given destination. You're either strong and prepared, or weak and vulnerable to unfair regulation.
Instructions: Download this resource, answer these difficult questions as honestly as...
- Founder, VRMB
A PDF document containing all the transcribed episodes of this industry-first podcast.
- Founder, VRMB
It's the the season premiere of Unlocked Magic Zones! In this episode, Steph Farr of Maya Luxe walks us through every aspect of her vacation rental business. From owner relations, giving back to the community and thriving during a global pandemic, Steph is one of the most limited edition vacation rental managers we’ve ever seen.
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home...
- Founder, VRMB
VRMB is thrilled to announce Season 6 of Unlocked by Matt Landau, a podcast that invites you to be a fly-on-the-wall with some of the most creative vacation rental professionals in the world. The first episode premieres Wednesday February 17th, 2021.
- Founder, VRMB
Have you ever discovered a food or artist or product or service or website that changed your life?
Something you tried and then pretty much can't ever go back?
For me, here are some recent ones:
Breville espresso machine (I may not ever again pay $5 for an espresso)
Inflatable exercise ball instead of office chair (completely reversed my bad posture)
Weighted blanket (weighted blanket)
The funny thing about...
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Latest reply by
- Matt Landau
I'm a huge fan of creating efficiencies.
This is such a perfect way of putting it!
- Founder, VRMB
In this special episode, Terry and Matt announce the winners of the 2021 VRMB Keystone Awards! The theme of this year's awards is agility and they cover property management software for any size vacation rental business as well as several categories of third party software.
Thank you to Vintory for bringing us this year's Keystone Awards. Vintory is the only sales and marketing agency in the vacation rental...
- Founder, VRMB
As we prepare to launch a new season of Unlocked, Matt sits down with Eric Thibodeaux of Current Tides and Safer VR's for a very detailed discussion of growing and running a vacation rental business, the technology used for operations, incorporating long-term rentals into your portfolio and the upcoming Vacation Rental Business in Today’s World virtual summit, which kicks off of February 1st.
Resources...
- Founder, VRMB
This PDF document consists of all the resources mentioned in the 'How To Save Your Vacation Rental Business' podcast hosted by Dana Lubner (co-hosted by Matt Landau). We've created a PDF document for you to keep on your desktop or print-out for sharing in your local vacation rental advocacy group.
- Founder, VRMB
This week's tip is about direct relationships with your guests and removing intermediaries that dilute enthusiasm and loyalty. A combination of Listing Site Independence and the Theory of Limited Edition.
If you are a creator — say an artist, musician, author — and you can get 1000 “true fans” to support your work by buying $100 worth of what you create every year, you’d earn $100,000 per year.
This sounds...
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Latest reply by
- ConradO
Love this Matt.
What must happen for me to turn a listing site inquiry (stranger) into a true guest?
Marketing-wise an email here is too valuable! Connecting with their real email is how you can (literally) build a list of 1,000 guests to market to.
Do your true guests pay you...
- Founder, VRMB
As the worst year ever winds to a close, some vacation rental professionals find themselves in surprisingly good situations whereas others are still completely stuck due to travel restrictions.
This applies to both vacation rental managers (VRMs) who manage other peoples' properties AND "RBOs" or rent-by-owner types who manage their own select property(s).
So what's a vacation rental hopeful to do? I've broken...
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- ConradO
Get serious about email marketing: segmentation and personalization allow you to better control, monetize, and project future bookings. Your list is the most important marketing asset you own, so it's time (with an...
- Founder, VRMB
Welcome to How to Save Your Vacation Rental, a 10-part educational podcast series hosted by vacation rental advocate Dana Lubner that will teach you how to solve your business’ greatest looming threat -- unfair regulation -- from the ground up.
In this episode, we take a look back at the season and provide our 'super-takeaways' from this journey through community-based advocacy. Our voices from around the...
- Founder, VRMB
Welcome to How to Save Your Vacation Rental, a 10-part educational podcast series hosted by vacation rental advocate Dana Lubner that will teach you how to solve your business’ greatest looming threat -- unfair regulation -- from the ground up.
In this episode, we explore big ideas driving advocacy and the industry forward. We dive into regulation, taxation, OTAs, and antis. Dana also walks us through her new...
- Founder, VRMB
Welcome to How to Save Your Vacation Rental, a 10-part educational podcast series hosted by vacation rental advocate Dana Lubner that will teach you how to solve your business’ greatest looming threat -- unfair regulation -- from the ground up.
In this episode, we share some harsh realities you'll face in vacation rental advocacy. Together with voices from around the industry, we'll also take a look at the...
- Founder, VRMB
The single most valuable skill a vacation rental entrepreneur can develop is curating special experiences for guests.
Done successfully the rest of the dominoes fall into place: special experience = 5-star reviews + repeat bookings / referrals / PR. Oppositely, if you don't do this (no matter how good the rest of your business is) guests won't remember, return, or refer.
"Curating special experiences" starts...
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Latest reply by
- Will Franco
The first thing that comes to mind is tailoring the experience(s) to their love language.
Speaking from a guest's perspective, three vacations come to mind...
- Founder, VRMB
Welcome to How to Save Your Vacation Rental, a 10-part educational podcast series hosted by vacation rental advocate Dana Lubner that will teach you how to solve your business’ greatest looming threat -- unfair regulation -- from the ground up.
In this episode, you'll get an absolute masterclass on how to work with the media from Dana's secret weapon: Alex Lawson of Social Security Works. Dana, Alex and more...
- Founder, VRMB
Welcome to How to Save Your Vacation Rental, a 10-part educational podcast series hosted by vacation rental advocate Dana Lubner that will teach you how to solve your business’ greatest looming threat -- unfair regulation -- from the ground up.
In this episode, you'll learn the critical importance of host group communications to the advocacy effort and the challenges we all face in bettering them. You'll learn...
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.
Spotlight
Discover "Unlocked: The Intermission" - a captivating 6-part podcast series featuring the individuals who have shaped Matt Landau's horseradish in the past 6 months.