Software Episodes

Lance & Elaine Stitcher are owners and co-founders of Seaside Vacations & Sales, a premiere vacation rental management company that represents nearly 300 properties in Chincoteague Island, VA and Ocean City, MD. This power couple has grown their business rapidly in the past decade by staying focused on the fundamentals - company culture, happy homeowners, work/life balance, innovative marketing and dynamic pricing. This episode is part of our Spotlight on Exceptional Property Managers, brought ...

Robin Craigen and his wife Heather had a unique beginning in their hospitality journey that started on the high seas with their luxury yacht charter business. During this time, they developed a formula for creating exceptional guest experiences that would later lead them to trade their swim trunks and flippers for snow suits and ski poles. They moved to Steamboat Springs and opened a ski chalet business with just 2 properties, applying the same principles they learned from the yacht business to ...

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...

Last week we talked to Matt Loney, CEO of Xplorie about consolidations within vacation rental tech, and one of the areas he projected would consolidate was Operations software. Today, we have Koryn Okey from Breezeway to share her perspective on why operators are choosing to use an external tool like Breezeway for housekeeping & maintenance, and how they've internally consolidated several similar services into one - from messaging to checklists and vendor invoicing, Breezeway positions their val...

Today we're joined by Matt Loney, CEO of Xplorie, for a conversation about the current state of guest experience and tech in the vacation rental industry and what the future holds for consolidation between overlapping products. Matt predicts there will be 3 main sectors of vacation rental technology that will see consolidation: Guest Communication/Acquisition / CRM In-room technology Operations (housekeeping & maintenance) The influx of new technology pouring into vacation renta...

We are beyond excited to have Andrew Kitchell, CEO/Founder of Wheelhouse, join us just a week before the 4th Annual Data & Revenue Management Conference. In 2021, Wheelhouse WON the prestigious Innovator of the Year Tech Battleground competition and shocked the industry with an unprecedented look into the transparency behind their algorithms. At the 2022 DARM conference being held next week in Nasvhille, we'll hear about Wheelhouse's next wave of innovation - one that puts YOU in the driver's se...

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...

Fresh off a major announcement that Hostfully successfully raised $4M in funding, Margot is part of only 2% of venture funded companies led by female founders. Margot credits her success to her ability to lead with transparency and authenticity that is rarely seen in the VC world. Mom of 3 beautiful children, she talks to us about how she balances a very busy work and home life and the challenges this has created along the way of building Hostfully into one of the most successful property manage...

In this insightful and candid interview with Hostaway CEO, Marcus Räder takes us on an eye-opening journey of what companies really learn as they attempt to grow with investment capital. Marcus joins us today as another member of "The Blondies", and while the three of us together look we could also be members of the Brady Bunch, we dive into some seriously impactful topics that are applicable to any business looking to scale and grow. Marcus shares how companies can only learn by doing the wron...

Lino Maldonado is recognized as one of the industry's most innovative players, known for his collaborative spirit and uncanny ability to see opportunity where most see road blocks. Lino's career includes 23 years with Wyndham Vacation Rentals as VP of Operations, where he managed a staff of 1200 employees and a budget in excess of $500M. Utilizing his wealth of knowledge and experience as an operator, Lino joined BeHome247 in 2019 to lead the charge and development of cutting-edge smart home tec...

In today’s episode we are joined with Vered Raviv Schwarz, President/COO of the property management platform Guesty. We had the pleasure of meeting Vered at the Women’s Conference at the end of 2021, and got to listen to her speak about being a female entrepreneur in a male dominated tech world. An advocate for women in business and technology, Vered shares with us stories from her career that led her to understand that you can truly do anything you put your mind to, and that with the right amou...

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...

In this episode we are joined by iTrip CEO Steve Caron, an industry veteran whose tour of duty began in the Air Force as a special operations night instructor. When Steve departed the service, he went on to use his computer science degree as lead technologist for Abbott Resorts, the largest vacation rental company on the Gulf Coast at the time. Abbott was eventually sold to Resort Quest, the first company to attempt becoming a national vacation rental brand. Founded by hotel execs, Resort Quest ...

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 ...

We have so many exciting interviews and topics lined up for 2022 that we had to share a few highlights! Today's episode is a preview of just a few of the amazing guests that will be joining us on the show as we launch Season 2. We also share our predictions for the vacation rental industry in the New Year. Tune in to hear a few highlights from from Amy Hinote, Jim Devos, Greg Fisher, Steve Trover and Julie George. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of us in this journey. Do you h...