Employees & Hiring Episodes

In this third episode of First of the Month Wrangle, presented by Lasoh, we are joined by Orlie Benjamin, Founder and CEO of Lasoh, and Patti Ziegler, Orlie’s longtime mentor and former leader at Scotts Miracle-Gro. Before building Lasoh, Orlie worked with Patti across direct-to-consumer marketing, brand building, innovation, and partnerships. That experience shaped how she thinks about customer relationships, distribution, and the value of knowing the people behind each purchase. That sam...

What does it take to build a vacation rental company that can grow, evolve, and remain successful for nearly seven decades? In this episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Rick Elliott and Brandon Cox of Elliott Realty to explore the people, systems, leadership decisions, and business fundamentals behind the company’s longevity. Elliott Realty has been part of the Myrtle Beach vacation rental industry since 1959. Over those 67 years, the company has navigated new technology, changing traveler ...

Send us a message! In this episode, we are joined by Paul Wohlford and Amanda Szubert of Call Center Solutions to talk about staffing, guest services, AI, and the growing need for reliable support in vacation rental operations. Paul and Amanda share how Call Center Solutions grew out of a real hospitality staffing challenge and how their nearshore team in Montego Bay, Jamaica now supports vacation rental and hotel companies with reservations, outbound calls, after-hours support, back-office w...

In this special throwback episode, we revisit a powerful conversation with Amber Hurdle, CEO and founder of Employer Brand Central. Originally aired around this time last year, this episode marks a pivotal moment for Alex & Annie as they navigated career transitions and personal growth. Amber’s wisdom, energy, and insights set the tone for what was to come, not just for the hosts, but for countless listeners. Amber reflects on the importance of building strong personal and employer brands, ov...

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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 of Alex & Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals, we are thrilled to welcome Rachel Alday, co-owner and co-founder of Abode Luxury Rentals. Rachel shares the fascinating journey of how she and her husband built a successful luxury vacation rental business that spans multiple high-end markets, including Park City, J...

In this episode of Alex & Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals, we sit down with Alexis Rivera Scott, the dynamic founder of Fairy Job Mom. Alexis shares her journey from a career in hospitality sales to becoming a powerhouse on LinkedIn with over 81,000 followers. She opens up about her transition from traditional employment to entrepreneurship, the challenges she faced along the way, and the importance of building a personal brand. Key Topics Discussed: 🔁 The Evolution of Alexis' Ca...

In this episode of "Alex & Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals," hosts Alex and Annie are joined by Susan Barry, the president + “queen bee” of Hive Marketing and the podcast host of the “Top Floor” Podcast. Susan shares her journey in the hospitality industry, her experiences with Hive Marketing, and her insights on the evolving landscape of hospitality marketing and management. Susan's Background and Journey: Susan Barry, originally from Panama City, shares her background and how she ...

In this insightful episode, Alex & Annie are joined by Elisabeth Yoho, Chief People Officer at Harris Vacation Rentals. Elisabeth dives into the critical role of corporate culture in retaining top talent and creating cohesive teams that thrive. She shares valuable strategies for understanding individual team members, leveraging events to build connections, and setting rates aligned with core values. As the hospitality industry navigates a post-pandemic landscape, Elisabeth provides a refreshing ...

Join Alex & Annie as they delve into the dynamic world of vacation rentals with Erin Booth, COO of Summit Mountain Rentals in Colorado. Erin's extensive background in the industry, from managing a single unit in Brooklyn Heights to her current leadership role, provides a wealth of knowledge and insights for listeners. Erin's Background: Erin Booth's journey in the vacation rental industry began with managing a single unit in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Her passion for hospitality and property...

In this episode, Alex & Annie welcome Rich Sippos, Head of Sales at Extenteam, to discuss how their dedicated remote staffing solutions can streamline vacation rental business. Rich shares valuable insights into Extenteam's philosophy, dispels common misconceptions, and reveals how they can support vacation rental businesses. Rich brings a wealth of experience from the vacation rental industry, having transitioned from owning and operating his own vacation rental business to consulting and ev...

In this episode of "Alex and Annie, The Real Women of Vacation Rentals," we embark on a fascinating journey into the vacation rental industry with a panel of seasoned experts known as the OGs of the Panhandle. Our guests, including trailblazers like Jim Olin, Steve Caron, Lino Maldonado, and Paul Wolford, share their personal journeys from the industry's early days to the dynamic landscape it occupies today. The Early Days: Dive into the challenges and triumphs of being pioneers in the vacati...

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 empowering episode of "Alex and Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals", we're reunited with a dear friend and the very first podcast guest, Amber Hurdle, the CEO and founder of Employer Brand Central. Together, the A.H. Trio dives deep into the transformative power of confidence and personal branding. The Fluidity of Confidence: The conversation delves into the concept of confidence not being static, but something that needs continuous work and self-awareness. They discuss the vulne...

In this episode, Alex & Annie are joined by Marcus Räder - Founder & CEO of Hostaway. Hostaway is one of the fastest growing vacation rental management software companies, perfect for those with 5 to 1,000+ listings. They make it easy for you to get more out of your business while spending less time with tedious manual tasks by offering a variety of pre-made software-based solutions. Last time Marcus was on the show, we spoke about what companies really learn as they attempt to grow with investm...

On this episode of Alex & Annie : The Real Women of Vacation Rentals, Alex is joined by D. Brooke Pfautz, Founder of Vintory - a company that is laser-focused on helping vacation rental managers grow their inventory. Brooke stumbled into the vacation rental space right before the global economic crisis of 2008 when he founded Vantage Resort Realty which quickly grew to 500+ properties under management and became one of the country’s largest vacation rental managers. After exiting from Vantage in...

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...

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...

In today’s episode, Alex and Annie sit down with Steve Trover, the Founder, and CEO of Better Talent. Knowing a person makes connecting their talents with the right jobs easier. Interestingly, Steve is also the one who brought together Annie and her current role today at Homes & Villas by Marriott International. Steve talks about the people stack and how optimizing human capital has a profound effect because it is most companies' single biggest cost. He shares how a company's integrator works...

VALUES AND ETHICS ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS In today’s episode, Alex and Annie welcome Steve Schwab, CEO of Casago. He shares his unintentional entry into the vacation rental industry and how working with the local community is at the core of his success. Steve also talks about Casago University, the company’s in-house training institution, and how this empowers local heroes because their success is the franchise's success too. Find out more about Steve and the owner-centric systems he c...

It's the 1st of the Month! Tune in as we recap the previous month and look ahead to the next, discussing industry trends, pacing, events and more. Simon Lehmann of AJL Atelier joins us each month for "Simon Says", where we discuss the latest hot-button issue facing the vacation rental and short term rental industry. Simon Says: Human Capital is KEY to Profitability In a rapidly changing business environment, companies and investors are realizing the importance of human capital in their acquisit...

As one of Greg Fisher’s partners recently said, “There’s a difference between an Owner and a Founder; and Greg is a Founder.” Greg joins us today to share his entrepreneurial journey and how he grew TripShock into one of the largest online tour & activity marketplaces in the country. When Greg launched TripShock back in 2009, he faced significant headwinds as he battled to get the platform up and running. Most water sports and attractions were still managed by pen and paper during this time, so ...

Jim DeVos is the type of business leader and entrepreneur that any employee who takes pride in their job would love to work for. Jim's career started in the airline industry with Piedmont Airlines, where he honed the skill of team building, opening up 3 hubs and 70 new markets. He then went on to work as an advertising exec for 17 years, and got to witness the the tail end of the Mad Men era of agency life and the days when 3 martini lunches were the norm. Jim's experience in sales and marketin...

Steve Trover is a 25-year vacation rental industry veteran whose career took off in the 1990's when he founded All Star Vacation Homes (ASVH), a property management company in Orlando that he expanded to include several different business models in 4 total markets. Steve designed, developed, and/or built hundreds of vacation homes during this time, and served as President and Vice President of the Vacation Rental Manager Association (VRMA) over a 5-year period. Steve's deep understanding of the ...