Podcast Episodes

As we wind down this incredible year, we wanted to share our two favorite episodes from 2022. Narrowing down this list was no easy task! Over the past 12 months, we've had the privilege to interview many of the top leaders in the vacation rental industry and beyond. For part 1, we bring back our episode with Marcus Räder, CEO of Hostaway who shared an insightful perspective on the importance of planting seeds in your career journey that very much hits home for the both of us. Marcus shares how...

Francois Goello who is the founder of Enso Connect joins us today for an interesting tale of how a terrible guest experience led to him founding one of the slickest guest apps on the market. Francois tells us how Enso Connect was built from the guest perspective first - rather than the property first - and how this frame of mind is enabling them to solve communication issues that PMS's (property management systems) were not made to handle. An entrepreneur from a very early age, Francois shares ...

Pete Dimaio of TravelBoom Marketing is BACK for a three-Pete! This is Pete's 3rd appearance on the show, and today he joins us for a very timely and relevant topic. As we head into 2023 and an economic forecast that is anything but certain, it's more important than ever that business owners and marketers are ready to sharpen their pencils, and know when it's time to push the gas or pump the brakes. We discuss the importance of auditing your tracking, re-negotiating contracts, adopting an "alway...

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 Consulting joins us each month for "Simon Says", where we discuss the latest hot-button issue facing the vacation rental and short term rental industry. We re-cap our first month in our new positions with Casago and Homes & Villas by Marriott, along with recent vacation rental headlines from Track, Rented, Lexicon and Texas's adv...

Dennis Goedheid has built a budding empire in Orlando, that has recently spawned into Miami and Aruba. His entrepreneurial journey began in Belgium, where he learned the fundamentals of marketing and branding which he has applied to his Orlando based vacation rental business. Dennis is as humble as he is successful, and an asset to the vacation rental community. You'll never miss the Casiola team at conferences - they are always ON brand, in their bright fuchsia shirts! We love simple touches l...

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...

Scott Bunce, COO of Cabins for You joins us today for a look behind the curtain of their innovative enterprise that manages properties in the Smoky Mountains and Georgia mountains, with plans to expand into the Florida Panhandle on the horizon. Scott's extensive background in hotel revenue management has made him a top choice for panels at vacation rental conferences, and in today's episode he shares his thoughts on the impact of revenue management on our industry. Inventory growth - and loss o...

Flash back! On November 2, 2021, we launched the Alex & Annie Podcast with our 1st episode, The A-HA Moment. As we reflect on the past year and so many incredible memories, we thought it was fitting to revisit this episode. Yesterday on our 1st of the Month Bonus Episode, we made 2 major announcements - Alex has taken a new role as CMO for Casago, and Annie has taken a new role as Director of Business Development for Marriott Homes & Villas. It's impossible to ignore the timing of these two incr...

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 Consulting 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: Alex & Annie's Careers are a Changin' Tune in for not one but TWO major announcements from Alex & Annie, which we were happy to share alongside Simon who has been a m...

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...

Andrew McConnell joins us today for look behind his new book, Get Out of My Head: Creating Modern Clarity with Stoic Wisdom. Known in the vacation rental world for his role as CEO of Rented, Inc., Andrew shares the most expensive rent of all: the self doubt and negativity that we allow to live rent free in our minds. In this book, Andrew shows it’s possible to achieve clarity, make good decisions, and rise in your career, by illustrating that the human mind is not unlike real estate: adopting a...

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 ...

It was beyond a pleasure to sit down with Jennifer Hsieh, VP of Marriott Homes & Villas, to learn about both the challenges and opportunities Marriott has uncovered by bringing one of the world's largest hospitality brands into the world of vacation rentals. While Marriott International represents 30 hotel brands and 8,000 properties as part of their portfolio, Homes & Villas has presented perhaps the most unique - yet sought after - option for their loyal Bonvoy members. Alex, Annie & Jenny di...

Simon Says: It's Conference Season! Tune in to hear Simon's takeaways on the Vacation Rental World Summit and Avantio 2022, and preview thoughts of the upcoming VRMA International Conference being held in Vegas October 23 - 26th. If you're attending VRMA International, you do not want to miss Matt Landau's Homerunners premiere on Sunday night! We are SO excited to host the first ever Red Carpet event for the vacation rental industry, welcoming our celebrity guests and friends that have built v...

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 ...

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...

Matt Landau is one of the most respected thought leaders in vacation rentals. Founder of VRMB, Matt has built an information-sharing media empire, driven by one simple yet effective concept. As he tells us, "If you have a tip, share it!" You will find more like-minded individuals to collaborate with and by sharing information we are all helping each other and the industry grow. What does it mean to be Limited Edition, and how can you leverage this positioning to create your OWN lane and break f...

Ben Coleman, President of Rev & Research, joins us today for this 1st edition of "Bee Boppin' with Ben" - a NEW series where we'll dive into the most relevant tips and strategies for optimizing your revenue management strategy. As we prepare for 2023 and a year that has a significant question mark around it, it's more important than ever that revenue and marketing teams are working in-step to optimize occupancy and rates. Having the right tools, and knowledge, is key to making this happen. At DA...

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...

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...

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...