Host Planet: Expert Insights for Short-Term Rentals

Send us a text Fiona Campbell, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, is the special guest on today’s show. Fiona is playing a key role in lobbying the Scottish government after the introduction of a controversial licensing scheme – which data suggests is having a disastrous effect on the short-term rentals industry and the wider tourism sector. During this episode, learn: • The impac...

Send us a text Vered Raviv Schwarz, President and COO of Guesty, is the special guest on today’s show. Guesty is one of the leading property management solutions in the short-term rentals industry – whether you run one property or hundreds. During this episode, learn: • Why companies need to think big from day one • Why Guesty stands out from the crowd • Guesty’s growth plans • STR trends • Tips f...

Send us a text Henrik Kjellberg, CEO of Awaze, is the special guest on today’s show. Awaze is home to a host of well-known brands in the holiday rentals industry, including Hoseasons, NOVASOL, and Cottages.com, who between them manage more than 100,000 properties across Europe. During this episode, learn: • How to keep owners and guests happy • The top three amenities for short-term rentals  • Key...

Send us a text Mark Shepherd, Founder and Managing Director of Apollo 3D, is the special guest on this week’s podcast. Apollo 3D works with a large number of short-term rental owners, helping them develop 3D virtual tours, drone videos, and direct booking websites. During this episode, learn: • How Apollo 3D content can be utilised across numerous different channels • How you can create a video ve...

Send us a text Dale Smith, CEO and Founder of Host & Stay, is the special guest on today’s Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast.   Dale discussed Host & Stay’s rapid growth, the importance of marketing, hosting tips, key amenities for short-term rentals, industry trends, and more.   During this episode, learn:   ·       Why Host & Stay stands out in the property management space ·       Wh...

Send us a text Margot Schmorak, the CEO and Co-Founder of Hostfully, is the special guest on today’s Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast.   Margot discussed her varied career, the story of Hostfully, and shared hosting tips and trends.   During this episode, learn:   ·       The story of Hostfully and why it stands out in the property management software space ·       Why Guesty’s acquisition of Rent...

Send us a text Dami Okedara from Search and Stay is the special guest on today’s Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast.   Dami shares the story of Search and Stay – a commission-free (for hosts) online travel agency based in Australia.   During this episode, learn: ·       Why hosts should list on Search and Stay ·       How to use SEO to boost your listings ·       Why you need to utilise data and set...

Send us a text Vanessa de Souza Lage, CEO and Co-Founder of Sustonica, is the special guest on today’s Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast.   From property management in Rome to setting up Rentals United and eventually founding Sustonica, Vanessa is a trailblazer in the short-term rentals space.   During this episode, learn:   ·       Why Sustonica is making a difference in the STR space ·       How...

Send us a text Matt Landau, Founder of www. VRMB.com , is the special guest on today’s Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast.   The episode traverses the joy of travel, breaking up gang violence in Panama(!), hosting tips, guest emotions, eco-friendly rentals, AI, direct bookings, regulation, and much more.   Matt picked Inhabit for his favourite brand and gave Valerie Gangas from Juniper Holiday + Hom...

Send us a text Alex Caravitis, CEO and Co-Founder of Hosthub, is the special guest on today’s show.   Find out more about one of the top-rated property management solutions on the market, plus discover 2024 trends and various hosting tips.   Listen in to learn:   ·       Why professionalisation is the leading trend ·       How AI can supercharge your guest communication ·       The benefits of hav...

Send us a text Alistair Handyside, Executive Chair of the Professional Association of Self Caterers (PASC UK), is the special guest on today’s show. Alistair discusses his story in the industry – from software development all the way through to launching PASC UK, via holiday rentals near Silverstone, setting up in Devon, and playing a key role in the growth of Premier Cottages. Listen in to learn:...

Send us a text Tyann Marcink Hammond – Touch Stay’s Queen of Guest Experience – is the special guest on today’s show.   Learn:   How to deal with guest expectations How often you should communicate with guests  How great communications can help you get better reviews and more direct bookings  How to ask for a great review The trends hosts and property managers need to be aware of Offering the righ...

Send us a text Louis Andrews, President and Director, OVO Network France, is the special guest on today’s show – and he has plenty of tips and advice to share with our audience. Learn:   ·       How to keep guests and owners happy. ·       Why it’s important to concentrate on your niche and master it. ·       How to secure more direct bookings. ·       How to achieve great reviews. ·       Key tre...

Send us a text Carlos Perez-Lanzac, the Founder of Vitur Summit and Caleta Homes, is the special guest on today's show. Carlos talks about the upcoming Vitur Summit, which will be held in Malaga, Spain, on 8-9 May. He also discusses his career in the short-term rentals space, including scaling Caleta Homes. As well as sharing a number of tips for hosts and property managers, Carlos gives spec...

Send us a text Hostaway Founder and CEO Marcus Rader is the special guest on today’s show, and he has plenty to say about the STR industry, particularly the property management software (PMS) space. Learn about his journey – from frustrated employee to CEO of one of the biggest tech solutions in the business. Marcus outlines his key predictions for 2024 and shares a bunch of tips for hosts and pro...

Send us a text We are learning from the luxury vacation rentals industry during this episode featuring Doron Meyassed, Founder and CEO of Plum Guide.   Learn why Plum Guide is home to one of the most meticulous vetting processes in the industry – which leads to 97% of properties being rejected by the platform.   Doron outlines why Plum Guide is brutally honest about every rental and what every hos...

Send us a text This week’s episode is a Spring Budget Special featuring Steve Taggert, the Founder and Managing Director of My Getaways.   Steve was in parliament to hear UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announce the abolishment of the furnished holiday lettings tax regime, and he spoke to Holiday Cottage Handbook Founder, James Varley, about the potential implications of the proposal.   3:52 Steve’s sto...

Send us a text This week’s special guest is Bob Garner, the Founder and CEO of EnviroRental – a free resource that is helping short-term rental managers make their properties more sustainable.   Bob talks to Holiday Cottage Handbook Founder James Varley about the upcoming SCALE Green event and shares five simple things that every host and property manager can do to make their rentals more sustaina...

Send us a text This week’s special guest is Sally Henry, Vice President of Business Development at Key Data, the global leader in market intelligence in the short-term rentals industry.   Sally talks to HCH Founder, James Varley, about 2024 trends – shining a light on supply, occupancy, and rates. She also discusses Airbnb losing market share to Booking.com in Europe and the UK, how to get your pr...

Send us a text This week’s special guest is Howard Reuben, from HCH Financial Services – the new home of holiday let mortgages.   Howard discusses his career as a mortgage broker and financial advisor, founding HCH Financial Services (in collaboration with Holiday Cottage Handbook), and how the growth of short-term rentals has boomed since the pandemic.    Howard picked the Principality Building S...

Send us a text Beyond is the global revenue management system for the vacation rental industry and prides itself on helping customers increase their annual revenue by a whopping 40%.   During this week’s episode we hear from Beyond CEO Julie Brinkman about her career, the dynamism and innovation of the short-term rentals industry, and future trends we should all be looking out for.   Julie also of...

Send us a text This week’s special guest is industry expert Mark Simpson – the direct booking king, Founder of Boostly, and the man Airbnb don’t want you to know about.    Mark spoke to James Varley about being born into the vacation rentals industry, founding Boostly, his top direct booking tips, marketing tactics, and what he really thinks about Airbnb.   Mark’s favourite brand shout-out went to...

Send us a text This week’s episode is dedicated to Holiday Cottage Handbook LIVE, which will be held in collaboration with the Property Investor Show on 19-20 April at ExCel London.    Property Tribes Co-Founder Vanessa Warwick – an ambassador for Property Investor Show – is the special guest and she explains why this is a must-attend event in our industry.   Tickets for Holiday Cottage Handbook L...

Send us a text This week’s special guest is Robert Kennedy, the Co-Founder and Product Director of SuperControl – a long-established property management solution based in the UK.   Robert charts his journey from hosting in Scotland to developing a simple booking channel and eventually creating a PMS which takes £50 worth of bookings every second.   Robert’s favourite brand shout-out went to Premie...

Send us a text This week’s special guest is Philip Pickard, the CEO and Co-Founder of Speedy Wi-Fi. Philip talks to James Varley about how short-term rental hosts and property managers can advertise and leverage high-speed Wi-Fi in order to attract more bookings and boost revenue.  Philip’s favourite brand shout-out went to Plum Guide, while his individual shout-outs went to Boostly’s Mark Simpson...