After decades with major hotel brands like Four Seasons and Kimpton, Tom Waithe thought transitioning into vacation rental management would be fairly straightforward. But he quickly discovered a whole new set of operational challenges. In our latest episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Tom, SVP of Operations at Aqua-Aston…
In the hotel world, replacing a dead plant in the lobby is a simple fix. In vacation rental management, that same task can involve multiple stakeholders, HOA approvals, and days of coordination. For Tom Waithe, Senior Vice President of Operations at Aqua-Aston Hospitality, this was one of many surprises after…
As more travelers turn to AI to research their next vacation, how well is your direct booking website positioned to capture that demand? For vacation rental operators, this creates an opportunity to rethink how travelers discover and book their properties. In this clip from Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond,…
If your vacation rental portfolio outperformed last year, that's encouraging. But how did comparable properties in your market perform? That comparison can reveal opportunities that year-over-year growth alone won't show. Perhaps rates were set too low when demand was building, or the team reacted too late to changes in booking…
What's everyone talking about in the vacation rental industry? We went straight to the source at VRMA 2026! 🎤 From major OTA changes and AI developments to industry consolidation and predictions for 2027, this year's conference sparked some fascinating conversations about the future of vacation rentals. And of course, Alex…
Nashville was buzzing, and VRMA 2026 brought some of the industry's biggest conversations to the forefront! From major OTA changes and AI developments to industry consolidation and predictions for 2027, this year's conference sparked some fascinating discussions about the future of vacation rentals. And of course, Alex & Annie were…
⭐ Get to know dormakaba, featured on the Alex & Annie Podcast! dormakaba provides secure, reliable access solutions for vacation rentals, helping property managers simplify guest check-ins, manage property access, and streamline access control. In this Signature Story, Matt Seyed of Secure Lodging Systems shares his perspective on the importance…
Before you carry your 2026 revenue strategy into 2027, do you know what's actually driving your results? A strong year on paper can still leave missed opportunities, especially when performance varies across properties, markets, and booking periods. In the latest episode of Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond, Julie Brinkman…
Vacation rental revenue management for 2027 starts with understanding your 2026 results. Julie Brinkman of Beyond shares how to improve your short term rental pricing strategy and identify missed revenue opportunities. In this episode of Revenue Reality Check, presented by Beyond, Alex & Annie welcome back Julie Brinkman, CEO of…
Growing a vacation rental portfolio too quickly can come at a cost, especially when operations struggle to keep up. In this clip, Brandon Hall, Founder and CEO of Hallson Hospitality, shares why rapid expansion can put maintenance, quality assurance, and guest reviews at risk. For Brandon, responsible growth means choosing…
Not all bookable nights have the same revenue potential. A home available during peak season can tell a very different revenue story than one with those dates blocked for owner use. Yet these details can easily get lost when homeowners are presented with a single revenue projection. In this clip…
Growing a vacation rental portfolio brings new opportunities, but maintaining quality and consistency becomes more challenging as operations expand. In our latest episode, Alex & Annie catch up with Brandon Hall, Founder and CEO of Hallson Hospitality, in Nashville to discuss the company's next chapter of growth. We discuss: ✅…
Growing a vacation rental business brings new opportunities, but maintaining the quality and consistency that made it successful becomes increasingly challenging as operations expand. In this episode, Alex & Annie catch up with Brandon Hall, Founder and CEO of Hallson Hospitality, for an on-location conversation in Nashville about the company's…
When an OTA changes its rules, how much does it affect your vacation rental business? As booking platforms continue to evolve, having multiple ways to reach travelers gives property managers greater flexibility and control over their business. In this clip, Michelle Gilliland, VP of Sales at Savvy, shares a valuable…
A polished AI report can look convincing, even when the numbers behind it don't add up. 🤔 The systems running your vacation rental business don't always interpret data the same way. When AI pulls information from these platforms, those inconsistencies can lead to misleading reports and insights. In this clip,…
In this episode, Stuart Butler explains why short-term rentals often aren’t part of DMO conversations by default. Not because they don’t matter, but because the system tends to respond to organized stakeholders. When STRs are fragmented, it’s hard to know who represents them, what they’re asking for, and how they…
Many DMOs still treat short-term rentals like a separate lane. For a lot of travelers, especially families, they’re the option that makes the trip work. And even when STR guests don’t book hotels, they still drive the outcomes destinations care about: ✨ Longer stays and bigger groups ✨ Local spend…
AI is changing the way travelers search, compare, and book vacation rentals. But what does that mean for direct bookings, local brands, and the websites operators have spent years building? In this episode, we are joined by Richard Vaughton of Yes Consulting and Mark Simpson of Boostly for The Great…
In this episode, we’re joined by Nir Maimon, President of The Maimon Group, to talk about what luxury should really mean in vacation rentals, and why the industry starts losing trust when the label is used without real standards. We cover: 1️⃣ Why the word “luxury” gets misused across the…
In this episode, Alex & Annie sit down with Krista Goodrich and Kymberlee Nguyen, the duo behind Salty Dog Vacations, to talk about what it really takes to build a vacation rental company that guests remember and a team that is proud to be part of it. They share how…
Vacation brain is real. 🌴🧠 And sometimes, guests find very creative ways to use amenities for things they were absolutely not meant for. In this clip from Pour Decisions: When Stays Go Sideways, Amanda Martins of Safely shares one of those stories that starts funny, gets confusing, and quickly turns…
Revenue strategy does not happen on autopilot. Markets shift, booking windows move, owners ask harder questions, and guests become more price sensitive. For vacation rental managers, that means the strategy that worked last month may need a second look today. That’s exactly what we dig into in Revenue Reality Check,…
When an owner asks, “Can you send me more details?” they may be asking for more than information. They may be asking: Do you have this under control? In Episode 3 of Pour Decisions: When Stays Go Sideways, presented by Safely, we are joined by Amanda Martins and Rachel Alday…
What can hospitality teach us about becoming better leaders? After nearly two decades in luxury vacation rentals, Rachel Alday, Co-Founder of Abode Luxury Rentals, is bringing the lessons she's learned into her new book, Please Do Disturb: How True Leaders Show Up When It Matters Most, co-authored with Linny Jones…