AirBnB Episodes

Send us a message! Airbnb’s evolving policies have become one of the most pressing conversations in vacation rentals today - sparking questions, frustrations, and new realities for property managers across the industry. In this episode, Alex & Annie welcome Dennis Schaal, Founding Editor at Skift, to unpack what these changes really mean for property managers, and the broader short-term rental ecosystem. With more than 25 years of experience covering online travel, Dennis brings a sharp journ...

This week, we’re thrilled to welcome back John Hildebrand, founder of Hilde Homes and a leading advocate in the short-term rental industry. From his early days as a property manager to becoming a leading voice in vacation rental advocacy and education, John shares his inspiring journey with authenticity, humor, and valuable insights. With firsthand experience navigating the challenges of hosting, John highlights the vital role of advocacy in driving positive change for operators, guests, and ...

Exclusive offer for Alex & Annie listeners: Get $400 off your onboarding fee when you partner with Hostaway using this link: http://get.hostaway.com/alexandannie In this episode, we dive deep into the world of public relations with industry expert Jessica Gillingham, CEO and founder of Abode Worldwide. Jessica shares her unique journey into the vacation rental space, from her early days in Canadian tourism to launching her own booking platform, and eventually founding Abode Worldwide. She off...

Exclusive offer for Alex & Annie listeners: Get $400 off your onboarding fee when you partner with Hostaway using this link: ⁠http://get.hostaway.com/alexandannie In this episode, we sit down with Zach Busekrus, Founder/CEO of StayWatch and host of the "Behind the Stays" podcast. Zach shares his unique journey into the short-term rental industry, from living exclusively in Airbnbs during the pandemic to founding a company that's revolutionizing how travelers find and book vacation rentals. ...

Exclusive offer for Alex & Annie listeners: Get $400 off your onboarding fee when you partner with Hostaway using this link: http://get.hostaway.com/alexandannie Join Alex & Annie as they dive into an enlightening conversation with Margenett Moore-Roberts and Gia Sharp, key figures in the short-term rental advocacy scene in New York City. This episode explores their personal journeys, the challenges posed by current rental regulations, and their relentless efforts through RHOAR (Restore Ho...

Join Alex, Annie, and special guest Margot Schmorak in this episode of "Alex & Annie, the real women of Vacation Rentals," as they explore the captivating journey of Hostfully over the past year and the crucial aspects of building a supportive community for women in the vacation rental industry. Listen as Margot shares her experiences in a powerful group, emphasizing the importance of mutual support, advice-sharing, and mentorship for women navigating both personal and professional challenges. ...

Join Alex and Annie in this exciting episode of "Alex and Annie, The Real Women of Vacation Rentals," as they sit down with Assaf Karmon, the CEO and founder of Turno. Discover Assaf's journey from being an Airbnb host to creating a revolutionary platform that transforms the vacation rental turnover process. Assaf's Journey: Assaf opens up about his struggles managing cleaning and turnovers as a host, leading to the birth of Turno. The hosts delve into the challenges hosts face in finding relia...

In this captivating episode of "Alex and Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals," we are thrilled to have Mark Simpson, the visionary founder of Boostly. Boostly is a game-changer for vacation rental hosts and managers, providing a unique blend of tools, tactics, and a supportive community. Boostly's Mission: Mark dives deep into how Boostly empowers short-term rental owners. The company focuses on securing more direct bookings, reaching the ideal guests, and giving hosts valuable time bac...

In this episode, Alex & Annie are joined by Syed Lateef of SyedBnb. Syed is a philanthropist, a family man, an exotic car collector, an 8 figure Airbnb Coach, and the CEO of his short term rental company. He currently operates almost 300 units and is looking to add more. Last year his Airbnb business did more than $10,000,000 in revenue - but it was NOT an easy ride. Syed’s journey into short term rentals began when he was in the midst of looking for ways to achieve financial freedom, which led...

Today joining Alex & Annie is Tony Stancato, Owner-Operator of Book ‘n Gather - a vacation rental management company that helps you get the most out of your vacation rental by helping with optimization and maintenance. He’s also the co-host of Michigan Short Term Rentals Podcast, their show is about to hit their 50th episode milestone - so if you’re in Michigan, queue their show on your podcast list! Tony’s background is in manufacturing - he was in that industry for 14 years prior to pursuing ...

Today joining Alex & Annie is Kimberly Miles, Executive Director of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) - an international, professional trade association of the vacation and holiday rental property management and hospitality industries. Kimberly has been with the VRMA for 2 years, and previously had an impressive 19 year tenure at American Hotel & Lodging Association, where she advanced up to becoming their SVP of Operations. Our very own Alex Husner is also a board member of the...

On the August 1st of the Month Bonus Episode, Alex & Annie welcome the return of Simon Lehmann - CEO and Co-Founder of AJL Atelier, a boutique consultancy that specializes in the international private accommodation and vacation rental industry. The topic of today is the shifting landscape of the short term rental industry, and what the current situation is in different STR hotspots around the world. Simon has a 360 view of the global vacation rental market, as both his consultancy and the clien...

In this episode, Alex and Annie are joined by Alex Shapiro, CEO and Co-Founder of CanMonkey - the very first Trash-To-Curb Service that handles the waste and recycling can duties of your vacation rental properties. CanMonkey started 4 years ago with a business model that’s similar to Uber and DoorDash - employing gig economy drivers to ensure a seamless service across 13 different states. What differentiates them from Uber’s business model is that they’ve achieved profitability as a bootstrappe...

On today’s episode, we’re featuring our recent panel at DESTICON, a virtual conference that brought together tourism and hospitality professionals from the DMO (Destination marketing organization) space. In our session, we discussed how professional managers can work with their DMOs and CVBs to promote responsible tourism. (DMO = designated marketing organization and CVB = convention visitor’s bureau. These organizations are typically funded by local and state tourism dollars, and exist to pr...

Tune in for Part 2 of our Holiday Bonus - our two favorite episodes of this past year! Unlocking $4.9 BILLION Dollars in Military Travel to the Vacation Rental Industry, with Anthony Gantt Anthony Gantt, entrepreneur and recently retired Officer for the United States Marine Corps after 22 years, joins us today to tell a tale of what it truly means to build a purpose-built startup. During his service, Anthony was relocated from Virginia to Texas, charged with orders to find accommodations for h...

Lauren Madewell joins us today to share the story of her family's business, Auntie Belham's Cabin Rentals. The company is ran by Lauren and her sister Mallory, along with their Dad, John Madewell, who fell into vacation rentals when a relative passed away and left the business to John in 2008. The family rose to the occasion, and has grown the company into one of the most respected outfits in the Smoky Mountains with a loyal following of guests that return year after year. Topics we cover: ...

John Hildebrand of Hilde Homes joins us today for a discussion on all our favorite topics! John's company is based out of Scottsdale, AZ with properties in Arizona and California and has risen to fame as a Brand Ambassador for Airbnb. Despite having this important role with Airbnb, John's account got suspended last year - a shocking and frustrating mystery that Airbnb couldn't even explain. This incident made John realized the importance of building his own brand off the platform, and why creati...

Tune in for a fun look behind the curtain of this amazing gal that is changing the game for small and large vacation rental operators that want to provide an enhanced experience for their guests! Tyann wears two hats - she operates her own portfolio of properties, and at TouchStay her title is quite literally, the Queen of Guest Experience. Creating a memorable guest experience helps you build your brand and drive repeat business - don't miss this one! This episode is brought to you by Wheelho...

Vanessa Humes of ICND joins us today to share the top 5 strategies for building a book-direct vacation rental brand. As we often talk about on the podcast, building your house on someone else's land puts your business in a dangerous position - but where do you begin if you want to take business BACK from the OTAs? Whether you're an experienced manager or just starting out in the industry, Vanessa has great insights and tips that will help you build your business on your own land...because the gr...

Terry Whyte joins us today for an insightful look at the past, present and future of the vacation rental industry, and he shares his candid predictions for who will win the long game in vacation rental technology. Named as part of the "Top 20 Most Influential People in Vacation Rental Technology" by VRTech, Terry brings an incredible combination of experience and passion for the industry to any conversation he engages in. Terry and his wife Sandy have built a legacy of excellence over the past 2...

Marc Hostovsky, CEO/Founder of Minoan Experience, joins us today for an enlightening look at e-commerce and how vacation rental companies and hosts now have the ability to make their properties a shoppable, revenue driving experience. Gone are the days of ordering furniture from multiple websites or companies and keeping track of work orders - Minoan Experience allows you to make all the furnishings and decor in your unit shoppable to your guests. Marc's previous experience at Jet.com and Wal-Ma...

Steve Milo joins us today for a candid Q&A you DON’T want to miss! As founder and CEO of Vtrips, Steve has grown the company from a handful of vacation rentals in 2006 to nearly 7,000, acquiring 10 companies just in the past year with a goal to hit 10,000 by the end of 2022. This massive expansion doesn’t just happen overnight; but as Steve reveals, his success has been as much opportunistic as it has been planned. Topics we also cover: Differences between Vtrips and Vacasa’s business models P...

Anthony Gantt, entrepreneur and recently retired Officer for the United States Marine Corps after 22 years, joins us today to tell a tale of what it truly means to build a purpose-built startup. During his service, Anthony was relocated from Virginia to Texas, charged with orders to find accommodations for his family which included his wife plus their 6 children. A standard hotel room (or multiple) was not an option - so Anthony booked a rental on Airbnb. Little did he know, the Government did N...

Today we’re diving into a topic that continues to grow in importance for vacation and short-term rental managers: guest screening and property protection. Leo Walton is co-founder of Superhog, a company that has streamlined the process for managers to easily confirm the identity of their guests and protect against fraud, damage and crime. The key to providing a good guest experience when it comes to processes like screening and other security measures is to set expectations early and bring them...