Podcast Episodes

Join Alex and Annie in this insightful episode of "Alex and Annie, The Real Women of Vacation Rentals," recorded live from Panama City Beach, as they welcome Michael, a seasoned vacation rental expert, to discuss his journey in the industry. From starting a business with a solid plan to exiting and now embarking on a new venture with a focus on accessibility, Michael shares his wealth of knowledge and experience. Michael's Journey: Michael recounts his move to the 30A area in 2004 and the lau...

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 the latest episode of "Alex and Annie, the Real Women of Vacation Rentals," we’re in for a treat to an insightful conversation with the dynamic duo of 30A Beach Girls, Hollie and Lisa. Nestled in a stunning vacation home with the aroma of a chef's creation wafting through the air, the podcast delved into the secrets behind the success of this female-led empire in the vacation rental industry. The Founding Story: Hollie unveils the fascinating journey of 30A Beach Girls, from a humble houseke...

In this special first-of-the-month episode of 'Alex and Annie, the Real Women of Vacation Rentals,' hosts Alex and Annie take a nostalgic journey through 2023 and unveil exciting plans for the upcoming year. Book Announcement: Get ready for their upcoming book, "Connecting the Dots," where Alex and Annie delve into the biggest aha moments from their interviews with industry experts. Discover the insightful themes and lessons that will be explored in this must-read for anyone in the vacation ren...

In this insightful episode, hosts Alex and Annie dive deep into the world of vacation rentals with a special guest, Sarah Bradford, co-host of Sarah and T Podcast, and former owner of two successful vacation rental companies in the picturesque landscapes of Colorado. Journey Through Experience: Sarah begins by unraveling her rich background in the vacation rental industry, providing listeners with an intimate look into her entrepreneurial journey. She candidly shares her experiences in sellin...

Join us for an exclusive throwback to our most viewed episode of the year with Ben Coleman - Founder of Rev & Research, Vanessa Humes - Director of Sales & Marketing at InterCoastal Net Designs and Lance Stitcher - Broker/Owner at Seaside Vacations and Sales. In this episode, Alex & Annie are joined by a panel of experts to help guide you on a pressing topic - How to Explain Changes in Revenue and Bookings to Your Homeowners. 2023 is not turning out to be as profitable as expected for vacation...

In this episode of Alex & Friends, Leslie Sonnier joins Alex for an in-person conversation set against the backdrop of Myrtle Beach. From a chance meeting three years ago in matching dresses at a conference, to reflecting on the emotional process of selling Rebl Rentals, a thriving vacation rental business in Scottsdale, Arizona, this episode is a rollercoaster of memories, lessons, and the excitement of new beginnings. Creating Memorable Experiences and Impact on Families: The conversation emp...

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 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...

🎙️ Today we're in for a treat as we chat with the fantastic Stacey St. John, a powerhouse in short-term rentals and a great friend of Alex and Annie. From crunching real estate numbers to running a buzzing property management firm, Stacey's got stories that'll make you nod in agreement and maybe chuckle a bit. Stacey's Journey into Short-Term Rentals: In this episode, Stacey shares her inspiring transition from long-term real estate to short-term rentals amidst the challenges of COVID-19. She u...

In this engaging episode of Alex and Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals we are joined once again by Ben Coleman, the visionary founder of Rev and Research, alongside the Chief Operating Officer, Rebecca Ballart. Rev and Research revolutionizes the vacation rental industry with their 100% done-for-you revenue management services. Beyond standard rate adjustments, the team, driven by a passion for data and numbers, conducts a comprehensive analysis of clients' businesses. From revenue disc...

In this engaging episode of Alex and Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals, we sit down with Valerie Gangas, a powerhouse in Transformational Life Coaching, an accomplished Author, and the visionary CEO behind Juniper Holiday & Home. As Valerie shares her fascinating journey, we explore how her roots in the restaurant and bar industry grew into a passion for hospitality, ultimately guiding her towards the dynamic world of vacation rentals. During the challenges of the COVID era, Valerie's e...

In this episode, Alex and Annie are joined by David Angotti, the Chief Evangelist at Guesty, an end-to-end property management software designed for short-term property managers who seek to save time, increase revenue, and grow their businesses. David's journey in the vacation rental industry began after he exited his first company, SpeedyPrep, in 2009. Retirement at the age of 29 quickly lost its allure, so he purchased a few rental properties. This quickly evolved into a property management bu...

Welcome to a special flashback episode of Alex & Annie! Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the podcast, and we couldn't be more grateful for the road so far, and excited for what's to come! To celebrate, we decided to back the episode where it all started. Fun fact - the first time we tried to record it we needed 3 takes to get it right, as technology was getting the best of us. Here are the original show notes - In this inaugural episode of Alex & Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals, w...

For this November 1st of the Month Bonus Episode, Alex & Annie welcome Lance and Elaine Stitcher - Owners of Seaside Vacations & Sales - a full-service, boutique Vacation Rental company that operates in Chincoteague Island, VA, Ocean City, MD, and Captains Cove, VA. During the VRMA 2023 International Conference in Orlando they became the recipients of the Vacation Rental Management Company of the Year Award and are joining us today to talk about their road to winning this prestigious award. Lan...

Join us today for a special FLASHBACK episode with Vanessa Humes as we explore the Top 5 Ways to Drive Direct Bookings! This episode originally aired in September 2022. Original shownotes from September of 2022: 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...

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 Veronica Romney, Founder of Rainmaker Residency™ and VeronicaRomney.com. Veronica is a coach of all things marketing and leadership with over 15 years of experience. She puts her marketing skills on display with the two long term rental properties and one short term rental property she owns, and her marketing efforts as a solo contributor have outperformed both agencies and management companies with her holis...

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...

For this October 1st of the Month Bonus Episode, we have our next edition in the “Spotlight on Exceptional Property Managers'' series, presented by Casago, welcoming Ginger & Hunter Harrelson - Owners of Beachball Properties - a family-owned vacation rental and property management company servicing the Alabama Gulf Coast that won the prestigious 2022 VRMA Property Manager of the Year award. As we head towards the 2023 VRMA International Conference, Hunter and Ginger are here to share their secre...

Hey listeners, it’s throwback time! Today we’re looking back at a very special episode from 2022 with Jennifer Hsieh, VP of Homes & Villas by Marriott. Here’s a fun fact: Annie had just completed her final interview for the position of Director of Business Development with Jenny just moments before we recorded this episode. A lot has changed since we first started this podcast, and it’s fun to reflect on past episodes to see how far we’ve come; individually, collectively, personally and profe...

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 Calvin Tilokee, CEO & Creative Director of Revpar Media - a social media management company that works with hotels and takes a strategic approach to growing your audience and turning them into customers. Calvin has always shined with his sense of humor and ability to create funny, interesting and relatable content. He started with a company Facebook group that was used for sharing memes, and there he was able to put his creativity on display. He moved on to Instagra...

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 ...