Unlocked Podcast



@Sherry Woodhouse and Darrel Looney are two of my all-time favorite vacation rental marketing heroes. They curate their stunning Villa Mais Oui in Jamaica from their home in Central Illinois. A true remote Limited Edition business. It has not been easy for them: but when you hear WHY they do this, a clear and inspirational picture of our industry starts to emerge...
For our first in-person recording since early 2020, Matt sat down with Julie Brinkman of Beyond at the recent VRMA Connect event in Sandestin Florida. Julie is part of a new wave of CEOs entering the vacation rental industry with perspectives that benefit us all.



This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders in smart home automation, and...
This is a Quick Tips episode of Unlocked, where Matt shares actionable wisdom from VRMB Communities.



Most vacation rental professionals tend to over-work because they wear many hats. Over-working is not sustainable...it will eventually burn you from the inside out. In this episode VRMB Communities discusses the solution: a forced break!
In this episode Matt sits down with Andrew McConnell of Rented.com for some must-listen industry analysis and...a few 'twerks'.



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.

I asked @AMcConnell to share his most startling discoveries...
This is a Quick Tips episode of Unlocked, where Matt shares actionable wisdom from VRMB Communities.



Have you ever come across a product whose presentation is so on point 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...
This week Matt speaks with Eddie Gray, the housekeeping and laundry manager for Newman-Dailey Resort Properties. With 17 years in the business, Eddie has amassed wisdom that can benefit every vacation rental business. Best practices, checklists, delegating, software, employees, covid...Eddie covers it all.



This episode is brought to you by Point Central, the leaders...
This is a Quick Tips episode of Unlocked, where Matt shares actionable wisdom from VRMB Communities.



"Moments of engagement” is one way of thinking about those special interactions in which you win over guests, turning them from stranger to friend (and reviewer/repeat/referral booker). Moments of engagement are interactions that connect us: the openings for lines of...
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...
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)...
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...
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.

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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.

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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Tim Cafferty of Outer Banks Blue Realty in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is one of the most admired and respected professional managers in the world. He is a paragon of professionalism and hospitality as a whole.



Tim’s region is something of a mecca for short term rentals in the USA, but when Tim started the business, he wasn’t expecting his business to take off the way it did...
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...
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...
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...
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...

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