The full replay of our 3rd Real Talk Roundtable is now available on our YouTube channel. 💡 In this edition, Chris Walker of Direct Booking Tools, Vanessa Humes of ICND, and Tim Johnson of Seaside Vacations and Sales joined us to talk about what really drives direct bookings. The conversation…
In the third edition of the Alex & Annie Real Talk Roundtable, Alex & Annie are joined by Chris Walker of Direct Booking Tools, Vanessa Humes of ICND, and Tim Johnson of Seaside Vacations and Sales for a candid conversation about what really gives travelers a reason to book direct.…
In this clip, Josh Parry, Managing Partner & CPO of Ciirus explains why there is a limit to how much vacation rental businesses can automate. Every operator works with different owners, properties, and operational realities. That complexity is crucial when deciding where technology fits and how much responsibility should be…
How well do you really know your guests? In this clip, Orlie Benjamin, Founder & CEO of Lasoh, shares one of the core direct-to-consumer principles that has shaped the way she thinks about vacation rental marketing: Know your customer. Build the relationship. Give them a reason to come back. As…
Nearly two decades into building vacation rental technology, Ciirus is still focused on a simple priority: helping its customers build stronger businesses for the long term. In our latest episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Vinny Dicarlo and Josh Parry of Ciirus to talk about how independent ownership has…
In this episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Vinny Dicarlo, CEO of Ciirus, and Josh Parry, Chief Product Officer, for a conversation about the philosophy that has shaped the company over nearly two decades. Founded as a family business, Ciirus has taken a deliberately measured approach to growth. Rather…
Real Talk Roundtable: Are Direct Bookings a Channel or a Brand Outcome?
A new look for 30A Escapes Vacation Rentals, and a big moment for the team behind it. ✨ Alex & Annie went on site for the company’s brand reveal party and spent the day talking with the people who helped bring this next chapter to life. From the thinking behind…
In this clip from our latest episode, Neely Khan reflects on what made the first Women in Vacation Rental European Conference (WVREC) feel so different. She shares why the environment created by Cristiana Carpini and her team gave her the confidence to tell a deeply personal story publicly for the…
AI is becoming part of the operating model for almost every vacation rental company. So what happens when everyone is using it? In this clip from our 300th episode, Terry Whyte makes a prediction about where the real competitive advantage may come from next. His view is that getting good…
In this week's episode, Annie is joined by Jinnie Randolph for a conversation with Cristiana Carpini, founder of the Women in Vacation Rental European Conference (WVREC), and Neely Khan, founder of Kahani. Together, they explore the value of creating spaces where women can build trust, share openly, and form meaningful…
In this episode, Annie is joined by Jinnie Randolph for a conversation with Cristiana Carpini, founder of the Women in Vacation Rental European Conference (WVREC), and Neely Khan, founder of Kahani. Together, they explore the value of creating spaces where women can build trust, share openly, and form meaningful relationships…
The vacation rental industry is changing fast, and VRMA is evolving with it. In our latest YouTube-exclusive episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Anne Gardner, Executive Director of VRMA, to talk about what the association’s next chapter looks like and how it is responding to the needs of a…
The vacation rental industry is evolving quickly, and VRMA is evolving with it. In this YouTube-exclusive episode, Alex & Annie welcome back Anne Gardner, Executive Director of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA), for a conversation about the association’s next chapter and the role it hopes to play in a…
Dor count can create a false sense of momentum. A company may be adding properties every month while much of that growth is simply replacing owners it already lost, spending more just to stay in the same place. In this clip from Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond, Julie Brinkman…
More than 150 session submissions. About 35 spots. So what actually makes the cut at VRMA? VRMA 26 Nashville is coming up, and in our latest YouTube-exclusive episode, we’re taking you behind the scenes of how the organization is putting together this year’s education program. We’re joined by Michelle Marquis,…
Alex & Annie are taking the show on the road. Coming up, they head to Montego Bay for a special onsite episode with Call Center Solutions, spending time with the team and stepping inside the operation. From the CCS office to conversations by the beach, we’re bringing you along for…
Episode 300 is officially live! 🎉🥂 For this milestone episode, we wanted to bring back someone who has been part of the Alex & Annie journey since the early days. Longtime friend of the show Terry White joins us again to take stock of how much the vacation rental industry…
Welcome to Episode 300 of the Alex & Annie Podcast! 🎉 Three hundred conversations, countless aha moments, plenty of industry debates, and a front-row seat to some of the biggest shifts vacation rentals have seen over the last several years. This is such a huge milestone for us ⭐ To…
A vacation rental business can keep adding doors and still have a serious growth problem. If owners are leaving almost as quickly as new ones are coming in, the headline property count only tells part of the story. In Episode 3 of Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond, Alex &…
In this episode of Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond, Alex & Annie are joined again by Julie Brinkman, CEO of Beyond, to talk about why owner retention deserves the same level of attention as pricing, pacing, and acquisition. Julie breaks down the metrics property managers should be watching, how…
In this YouTube-exclusive episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Michelle Marquis, founder of The Marquis Effect and Chair of VRMA’s Content Committee, for a behind-the-scenes look at how this year’s education program came together and what is changing in Nashville. Michelle shares how the committee approached a record number…
A portfolio can look healthy overall while certain properties are silently falling behind. That is why Julie Brinkman cautions against making broad pricing changes based on portfolio-wide performance. In this clip from Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond, Julie explains why operators need to look more closely at how demand…
What can nearly 100 million completed tasks teach you about running better vacation rental operations? For Breezeway, that history is becoming a source of operational intelligence. In this clip, Founder and CEO Jeremy Gall shares how the team is using years of operational data to better understand patterns, anticipate what…