Free Content
FiltersLooking for new ideas? Tap into VRMB's massive database of free content, including our multimedia archive. Our weekly discussions on guest experience and growth are designed to inspire and delight.
- Founder, VRMB
Casey Halloran has built a travel empire selling custom, upscale trips across Central and South America and operating a boutique hotel in Costa Rica. He is also an early mentor to Matt and the reason Matt first came to Latin America and got into vacation rentals. In this episode we explore the evolution of Namu Travel Group from its humble beginnings to its pre-covid status and dive into the difficult time...
- Founder, VRMB
Jeremiah Gall is the founder and CEO of Breezeway and a true vacation rental industry veteran. In this interview, he and Matt explore how the current challenges facing the vacation rental industry may help it forge a stronger, safer, and more professional future.
Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:
PointCentral, the leader in business grade smart property solutions designed for...
- Founder, VRMB
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...
- Founder, VRMB
Welcome back to the third season of the How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business podcast. After our podcast conversations and a research deep dive, we've developed a comprehensive, printable scorecard which we are excited to share with you.
In this episode, we are privileged to host Tim Rosolio, the Vice President of Vacation Rental Partnerships at Expedia Group. Tim shared critical insights on our journey so...
- Founder, VRMB
Margot is CEO and Co-Founder of Hostfully which services more than 17,000 vacation rental properties worldwide. She is also an Apple veteran and her focus on community-driven products brings a unique perspective to the vacation rental industry. In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she covers everything from finding focus in difficult times to automation in the vacation rental experience.
Please visit our...
- Founder, VRMB
In this grand finale episode of the season, we're pulling back the curtain on our highly anticipated Vacation Rental Advocacy Health Scorecard. Join us as Jamie Lane helps us dissect the finer points of this tool that's set to revolutionize the way we evaluate our industry.
This isn't just about observing from the sidelines. We're inviting you, our valued listeners, to participate actively. We want you to...
- Founder, VRMB
In this episode, Sarah Franzen of Natural Retreats gives us deep insight into the world of revenue management. This is a practice that includes much more than just dynamic pricing and it should be part of every successful vacation rental business.
Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:
PointCentral, the leader in business grade smart property solutions designed for rental properties...
- Founder, VRMB
Nathan Schneider is the director of the Media Enterprise Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is also a journalist and author who is currently exploring models for democratic ownership and governance for online platforms and protocols.
Nathan has a deep knowledge of cooperative business models, an age old, but oft overlooked concept that continues with great relevance in the modern world.
In...
- Founder, VRMB
Zombie Vacation Rentals™
IDEA
A Zombie Vacation Rental™ is an uncompetitive vacation rental business that lacks personality, quirks, and zest for the business. ZVRs (hey! that's a good new listing site!) are unable to stand on their own two feet. They may look normal from afar. But up close, they have no soul: they deliver generic and unremarkable experiences. ZVRs can be dangerous because they hollow out the...
- Founder, VRMB
Robin has spent a lifetime in adventurous areas of hospitality and now runs a luxury, mountain oriented vacation rental business with his family. In this episode, Robin talks to Matt about finding balance on the journey, company culture and the challenges and hopes for high-touch hospitality in the new Covid era.
Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:
Vintory is the only sales and...
- Founder, VRMB
Pierre Becerril is CEO of Transparent, a data intelligence provider for the short-term rental industry. Their analytics and dashboards help compare rates, improve pricing, analyse demand, supply and upcoming events and they recently released a free version you can try. Pierre and Matt sat down in person at last year's VRMA and dove deep into travel, hospitality and the vacation rental industry. This is a covid...
- Founder, VRMB
Harsha L’Acqua runs Saira Hospitality, a non-profit transforming the way hotels connect with local communities through education. Her insights into hospitality, staffing and motivation provide a wealth of unique takeaways and actionable ideas for your vacation rental business.
Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:
Vintory is the only sales and marketing agency in the vacation rental...
- Founder, VRMB
Before all of this pandemic madness started, Matt went to visit Karen and John Bobe on Alabama's Gulf Coast to soak up the sun, drink bourbon and talk vacation rentals. Karen and John have 18 years of experience running an extremely professional family vacation rental business. This episode is chock full of actionable advice that is more relevant than ever, now. It is also a lot of fun!
Please visit our...
- Founder, VRMB
There was no thought of a pandemic when Matt sat down with Brian Olson of Beachcomber Vacation Homes at last year's LiveRez conference. The industry was already in turmoil, however, and Brian's 'everything's gonna be alright' philosophy came as a real comfort.
More importantly, his years of experience and deliberate approach to growing and maintaining a highly professional vacation rental business with his...
- Founder, VRMB
Dr. Louis Rosenberg founded Unanimous AI to pursue a crazy idea – that we can amplify the intelligence of human groups by developing a new form of AI based on the biological principles of Swarm Intelligence. The idea panned out, resulting in Swarm AI technology, a powerful method amplifying group intelligence.
Community thinking is essential to the survival of the vacation rental industry and the ideas...
- Founder, VRMB
In this special edition of Unlocked, we're airing the first episode of the How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business podcast and kicking it off with an exclusive intro from Matt and Dana. This new podcast is produced by VRMB Communities, hosted by Dana and something Matt's been passionate about for sometime, now.
Vacation rental professionals can no longer afford to ignore community based advocacy. In this...
- 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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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 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: https://community.vrmb.com/threads/8-deep-adjustments-to-your-listings.5955/
- 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
This is a Quick Tips episode of Unlocked, where Matt shares actionable wisdom from VRMB Communities.
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...
- Founder, VRMB
This week Matt sits down with Anthony Gantt of At Ease which was created to solve challenges with vacation rentals for military personnel and their families. Anthony's story of discovering and executing in his niche is must-listen content for anyone looking to level up with the biggest current opportunity in the vacation rental business.
This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart...
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.