Podcast Episodes

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...

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..."It's Time to Put Egos Aside to Strengthen the Industry" At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which organization is doing what, so long as they are working for ...

We often talk about the importance of not building your marketing house on someone else’s land (Airbnb, Vrbo, Google etc), but in this episode we discuss how creative marketers are building their brands on their own channels. Stuart Butler, CMO of Visit Myrtle Beach and undeniably one of the sharpest minds in all of hospitality marketing joins us today to explain the concept of creating gravity in a destination, and why creating branded entertainment is key to distinguishing your destination or...

Sarah Karakaian and Annette Grant from Thanks for Visiting are here today for a lively discussion about the differences between vacation rentals and short term rentals, and the opportunities that exist to work together to strengthen and professionalize the industry as a whole. We often talk about the "bad apples" in short term rentals that give the professionally managed vacation rental industry a bad name, but rarely do we talk about the GOOD apples that run above-board businesses and understan...

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...

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..."The Times They Are a Changin'" It seems like every day we see an announcement that one of the leading companies in our industry has been acquired. Why are so many ...

We are so excited to welcome Pete Dimaio, VP Of Client Success for Travel Boom Marketing, back for his second tour of duty! (Pete joined us back in March on Episode 19). Pete is here today to talk about a very timely and important topic as many of us enter hurricane season: how to manage your marketing/communications strategy when faced with a natural disaster. From hurricanes and tropical storms to wildfires, if you are in a vacation destination you NEED to hear Pete's candid advice along with ...

We are honored to be joined by two of the most inspirational female leaders in travel, Silvia Camarota and Rachel Humphrey, as they share a behind-the-scenes look at the networking & mentorship organization Women in Travel Thrive. Founded to propel women closer to equality in the travel industry, this organization provides connections, education, and tangible resources designed to support women in their travel careers. Silvia leads Expedia as the Senior Director for North America Market Manag...

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...

It's the 1st of the Month! Tune in for our short and SUITE bonus episode series where we discuss news, upcoming events. trends, and anything of interest in the world of vacation and short term rentals. We're at the VRMA Executive Summit this week in Palm Beach, Florida, moderated by the one-and-only Simon Lehmann. We have some BIG news to share today, so stay tuned to the end...you don't want to miss this announcement from Simon Lehmann and AJL Atelier. CONTACT SIMON LEHMANN LinkedIn AJL Ateli...

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...

Tracy Johnstone is one of those leaders who if you are lucky enough to encounter on your career journey, will aspire you to become so much more than you ever thought possible. As a female who rose to the top of the ranks of corporate McDonald's in the 1990’s, Tracy shares how she built her confidence and found her voice in a male dominated boardroom. She recalls, “There’s lots of seats at the table… I just learned early on, which ones I wanted. Just being on the team wasn’t enough for me, at som...

Tune in for today's episode with Boostly CEO Mark Simpson, joining us from across the pond to chat about the importance of building a book direct strategy. The Pandemic showed the short term rental industry how dangerous it can be to rely on only 1 or 2 platforms for bookings, especially when you don't have control of these platforms. There's a heavy price associated with playing by someone else's rules and as the old adage goes, "don't build your house on someone else's land." Smart marketers ...

Tune in for Part 2 of our episode with Ed St. Onge, President of Flip.to and Founder of the first ever channel management software for hotels, EZ Yield. On last week's episode, Ed took us through the early days of channel and yield management and how the technology his team build became the foundation of an industry. On today's episode, Ed shares his story of Flip.to and how they are transforming the guest journey to drive more direct bookings, grow profits, and enhance the quality of the conve...

It's the 1st of the Month! Tune in for our short and SUITE bonus episode series where look at booking pace and discussing upcoming events. trends, and anything of interest in the world of vacation and short term rentals! CONTACT ALEX & ANNIE AlexandAnniePodcast.com LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram Alex Husner - Linkedin Annie Holcombe - Linkedin Podcast Sponsored by Condo-World and Lexicon Travel

This is Part 1 of a special 2 part series with Ed St. Onge, President of Flip.to (and the OG of Channel Management). Why are there 2 episodes? Because 1 just wasn't enough! Ed takes us on a journey that is nothing short of astounding, starting from his early days as the President of EZ Yield, the very first ever channel manager for hotels that he sold to Travel Click (then later acquired by Amadeus). The technology EZ Yield built in the early 2000's laid the bricks for future channel and rate ma...

Tune in for this special episode where we speak with VRMA President, Miller Hawkins, about the recent Spring Forum in Chicago. Advocacy was top of mind at this event, as vacation rental managers came together to find a way to protect the industry from the infringement of short term rental laws that are spreading like wildfire. While local governments are enacting these laws to prevent the problems that come from the "bad apples" that have accompanied the surge in popularity of short term rentals...

Tune in for today's episode with David Krauss, CEO and Co-Founder of Rent Responsibly, the organization that has helped thousands of managers from coast to coast as they deal with the influx of short term rental laws that are infringing on the industry. In most cases, short term rental laws are enacted by municipalities to combat issues created by the new wave of individual hosts that can now easily rent properties on Airbnb and Vrbo. Disruptive guests and hosts that don't pay taxes are among th...

Ali Cammelletti joins us today to discuss all things related to leadership and resilience in the workplace. Ali has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including several years with Navis where she worked with resort and lodging companies around the world to drive revenue and increase sales agent performance. Ali now owns her own consulting company, Spark Your Mindset, and specializes in leadership coaching with business leaders in all industries. While vacation rentals...

Tune in on the 1st of the month for this short and SUITE bonus episode series! In this month's episode we discuss: Changes to booking pace - what happened in March? Annie's trip to Myrtle Beach and HSMAI Event Is Annie really moving to Myrtle Beach?! Or is it April Fool's Day :) Our Fireside Chat (& lunch) with VRMA President Miller Hawkins Importance of aligning local and national trade associations within a destination Alex admits to committing the cardinal sin of vacation planning for ...

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 ...

Tune in to this inspiring episode as Jen Ford shares highlights of an impressive career and the pivotal decisions that helped her build confidence, discover her passions and ultimately, lay a solid runway for future growth opportunities. As Jen reveals, it's all in your mindset! Jen is a seasoned executive with a background in e-commerce, retail, travel, and technology. During her career, Jen has worked in both public and private companies, from start-up to Fortune 100. She has led successful t...