Unlocked Podcast
There are certain people in our industry who, when you meet them, you just kinda get excited about everything. Christine Saba is one of those people. Christine is technically the Head of Growth at Noiseaware, which is the fire alarm for noise. But her roles and responsibilities tend to spill over into all kinds of areas. I had the chance to visit NoiseAware's headquarters in Dallas, Texas and the irony that we...
In this experimental podcast format, I am to address one subject matter that has the industry buzzing and break it down for our listeners.
[Note: Our normal interview podcast schedule sponsored by our friends at PointCentral will not be interrupted.]
This episode addresses Vacasa's recent acquisition of Wyndham Vacation Rentals, effectively doubling their inventory to more...
A keystone is the architectural term for a wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch or bridge that locks the other pieces in place. We believe this is the perfect metaphor for the right property management software in a vacation rental business.
Using data from 100+ hours of demos, 750+ completions of our Property Management Software Selector Tool and qualitative feedback that has come in by...
Using data from 100+ hours of demos, 750+ completions of our Property Management Software Selector Tool and qualitative feedback that has come in by...
Cliff Johnson was the first icon interview I ever recorded: it's fair to say that Cliff was the reason behind the whole icon series...I was talking to him at lunch, fascinated by his background and his attitude about life, and basically just really curious to learn more about him.
Cliff is one of the more recognizable names in the vacation rental industry. He can be seen at...
Lee Zeller is one of my besties in the vacation rental space. Her company Vacation Telluride is a mainstay in Colorado and her position on how to utilize each property for good is equally forward-thinking. This concept could be applied to pretty much any vacation rental business -- in fact, if you're not doing it, you're missing out on lots of goodwill. If you want to innovate like Lee, consider a demo with...
Megan McCrea is one of the most impressive leaders in the vacation rental industry. I get the chance to meet a lot of experts and ambassadors and people who are really good at what they do -- but Megan has one of the most unique blends of vision, standards, discipline, and hard work that I have ever come across in vacation rentals. Really, in any industry: she is just a...
Guglielmo Scarpa is a young Italian businessman who embodies the vacation rental pioneer spirit for me. He fell into the business somewhat accidentally, has successfully build a brand around his company Canguro properties in two countries, and he looks at everything through a realistic yet optimistic lens: if something works, he does more of it. If something doesn't...
Mike Copps is the Executive Director of the VRMA which aims to be the singular voice of vacation rental owners and managers throughout the world.
Any industry needs a trade association, but for a young and emerging industry like vacation rentals it is especially critical.
Take a chance to meet Mike and learn about his background and the experiences he uses to make his...
Any industry needs a trade association, but for a young and emerging industry like vacation rentals it is especially critical.
Take a chance to meet Mike and learn about his background and the experiences he uses to make his...
In this experimental podcast format, I aim to address one subject matter that has the industry buzzing and break it down for our listeners.
[Note: Our normal interview podcast schedule sponsored by our friends at PointCentral will not be interrupted.]
This episode addresses an article on Amy Hinote's VRM Intel site titled, titled "GSV Initiates Technology Rollup in...
[Note: Our normal interview podcast schedule sponsored by our friends at PointCentral will not be interrupted.]
This episode addresses an article on Amy Hinote's VRM Intel site titled, titled "GSV Initiates Technology Rollup in...
Sarah Nie is based in Asheville, North Carolina. And after she began her property management business, she began to be approached by owners all over Asheville. But this kind of growth came with a caveat: the city’s short term rental rules which were fluctuating and restricting business left and right.
What Sarah shares with us, now years after this journey begun, is the...
Kristi Kautz used to work in the digital entertainment space, so she was familiar with the world of influencers before her property manager Brad Klopman of The CoHost Company suggested offering a few free nights to some instagram influencers in exchange for a fresh set of photos. The tactic ended up becoming a way to unlock their vacation rental, Starship Landing Retreat, to...
Bradie Beagley-Reiner went through an incredibly stressful process in the crackdown of vacation rentals in San Diego, California. And in hindsight, she realized that a whole new kind of sharing economy sits within just beneath the surface: something we can all begin doing before it's too late. The instinct of independent vacation rental professionals is not always to get...
Phil Minardi is the Head of Public Affairs at the Expedia Group which owns HomeAway and VRBO. His job entails a lot of travel so he has a great perspective on the vacation rental regulatory landscape throughout the USA. But what I like most about Phil is that he always speaks on behalf of the industry. Not about any one owner or manager or company, but on the movement as a...
I only met Steve a few years ago but he's been leading the PM charge for eons with his company VTrips and he can also be spotted on the speaking circuit at conferences around the world: shooting straight and saying some of the things that others may not like...but need to hear.
I had the chance to sit down with Steve in Barcelona, Spain this month after we bumped into each...
Danna Kittell is the founder of Starfish Luxury Rentals on the coast of Oregon. Her enthusiasm and positivity for the industry is eclipsed only by her hard work.
After doing some rehab to her family's vacation home, she and her husband Jeff realized the potential of having a renovation aspect to their management services: upgrading a diamond in the rough has now become...
Jean-Philippe Ramé of 2 Be Apart in Lyon France is something of a vacation rental icon: he’s one of those entrepreneurs that sort of transcends industry and his management fleet is about as personality-driven as anything I’ve ever seen (check out the website if you don’t believe me).
It was in Barcelona, Spain at the KigoWorld event that Jean Philippe was sharing with me...
Jeff Jensen and his team of concierges at Utopian Luxury Vacation Homes believe that personalization is luxury: that placing your favorite newspaper or a hat from your alma mater in your vacation rental can convey thoughtfulness and win repeat business.
But in order to personalize you need to know something about those guests — something personal. So from the moment of...
Mike Harrington was the de-facto head of VRMA up until a few hours after our conversation. He’s also the President of Topsail Realty in North Carolina which was hit by a nasty hurricane in September.
Almost 75% of Mike’s properties had damage so this was a pivotal learning experience for him and his team. Mike’s big saving grace was trip insurance.
If you’re the kind...
Eric Bay is a connector. He’s the kind of guy that every neighborhood would be lucky to have: he shoots straight, he respects opposing viewpoints, and he’s willing to work hard for the community. Pretty much a model small business advocate.
He’s also the President of the Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity, which, based in New Orleans, is one of the most influential...
Jeremiah Gall is a vacation rental pioneer: he was one of the founders of the listing site FlipKey, which was eventually sold to TripAdvisor. And not willing to leave the industry, Jeremiah’s latest brainchild is Breezway which is an app that allows hosts to optimize the operations of their vacation rental businesses. After the Streamline conference in Phoenix, Arizona I...
Durk Johnson is a housekeeping guru. He’s the director of the Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP) but he’s also the consummate systems thinker: Durk is always looking for a way to systematize or temptatify or create a framework that can be followed and scaled: it could be argued that Durk's ability to do this has the potential to unlock the vacation rental...
It's not often I meet a mastermind like Jeanne Dailey, she's the Founder and CEO of Newman-Dailey Resort Properties in Destin, Florida.
Like many vacation rental professionals, Jeanne is keen on the idea of diversification. But unlike many vacation rental professionals, Jeanne views this concept through an industry lens: having built several pillars in her business to avoid...
John Dean of Only Provence is what I like to refer to as one of the most limited edition property managers in the world. His fleet of properties are widely recognized as the best properties in the Provence region of France.
But this distinction does not happen by accident. I was in Barcelona, Spain at KigoWorld when John told me about this tactic. I asked him to step into...
Brad Stewart of Stewart Mountain Lodging in Sundance, Utah is one of my best buddies in the industry. I think it’s fair to say that I admire his work as much as he appreciates mine.
More specifically, I really admire how Brad thinks in systems and processes. And as a property manager, one of Brad’s big turning points was with regards to his owners: like we’d strengthen any...
Alex Barba was the General Manager at BCN Apartments when we recorded this conversation -- it's a boutique vacation rental fleet in Barcelona, Spain. And while he's not there anymore, the way he helped change my perspective on start-ups, acquisitions, and problem solving in our young vacation rental industry still whispers at me regularly.
It's a creative solution for any...
Mailie Green manages three vacation rental villas in Bali from her home in South Africa. And like any manager, she is constantly on the lookout for ways to boost occupancy in the low season: she is always open to ideas that result in a win for everyone involved.
This particular technique started with a skeptical email...but it has turned into one of her regular booking...
Lawrie Lawrence is a real estate guy. He loves real estate. he’s really good at real estate. And only recently has he become infatuated with a new kind of real estate, and that’s vacation rentals.
But in his typical renegade style, Lawrie doesn’t do anything textbook.
What I like most about Lawrie’s boat model is that it is based highly on statistics and evidence. He...
Bernardo Retana of Otium Residences in Marbella, Spain has a great pedigree of hospitality and finance. But what I like most about his topic here is its unconventionality — it’s innovative in that no one taught him or instructed him to do this. But simple enough that pretty much all of us could do it too.
I was drinking beers with Bernardo in Barcelona, Spain at the...
The vacation rental industry has exploded in the last few years with big players. Big players like AirBnB, HomeAway & Booking.com have been rapidly consolidating the industry, creating an industry with more familiarity that’s palatable to the average consumer. But what does this mean for the “mom-and-pop” style businesses who don’t want to grow? Those who would rather create...
Ralph and his wife Karen, like many people, fell in love with Paris. However, instead of doing what most people would of done, they began buying property in Paris & Nice. Since then, they have been successfully operating a vacation rental business remotely. In this episode we learn how Ralph and Karen have created a remotely operated business process, and how they’ve overcome...
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...