Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast

This episode features Ben Wolff, the Co-Founder and Creator of Onera, a unique stay brand based in Texas. The conversation dives into the operations of a REIT and an operation company, exploring Wolff's journey from running a successful property management company to pioneering unique stay experiences in the hospitality industry. Wolff shares about his passion for creating unparalleled guest exper...

In this Operators Roundtable discussion, industry leaders provide expert advice on scaling challenges, growth possibilities in short-term rentals, and balancing expenses in property management. Strategies for managing inventory, quality control, and financial responsibilities are shared, with a focus on tech integration and streamlining tasks for better efficiency. The role of maintaining exceptio...

Hey Slick Talk Listeners! Do you remember back in September of 2023 when we had an episode with Meaghan Moylan? Well, since we're part of the Hospitality. FM Podcast Network, we're excited to share that Meaghan is now hosting Hospitality. FM's newest Original, Workflows & Espressos! Enjoy this quick trailer and give the podcast some love wherever you listen to your podcasts! About Workflows & Espr...

In this first 2024 episode of the Slick Talk podcast, we dive deep into important topics shaping the hospitality industry. From examining the role of partnerships and collaborations to unpacking the challenges of scaling businesses globally, we've got it all covered in this Q&A session. We also explore significant business model trends, the importance of brand differentiation in crowded markets, v...

In this episode of the podcast, Jeremy Wells, Co-Founder of Longitude and owner of the Ozarker, discusses his entrepreneurial journey in the hospitality industry. He dove into understanding how the brand experience impacts the guest journey and how local partnerships can enhance this. Wells also highlighted the role of technology in streamlining the hotel experience and the importance of empathy a...

We want to wish all of our listeners a happy holiday season, and we're so thankful for you this year! Many of you have become friends, guests, and colleagues, and we think that's pretty special. Thank you for all you do to support the show, and we are excited to see more of you in the New Year! In our Monthly Slick Talk Highlight Episodes, you will hear my producer, Kelsey Tran, and I share our fa...

Seth Bolt, Co-Founder of Bolt Farm Treehouse and a member of the band Need to Breathe, sits down to discuss his hospitality journey. Seth shares the origins of Bolt Farm Treehouse, the vision for the brand, the impact of their work on guests, and the importance of purpose and hard work in hospitality. He shares the thrilling experiences of battling a wildfire threatening their property and how it...

Listen to the latest episode as Brooke Pfautz, CEO of Vintory & Comparant, talks about how vital inventory acquisition is in the vacation rental industry. Brooke shares how they compiled data from various platforms and created Comparant, a marketplace that guides homeowners in selecting a suitable property manager. He also discusses the potential of AI in business operations and how Comparant brin...

In this confluence episode featuring hosts from four different podcasts, the discussants explore the state of the vacation rental, short-term rental, and "Airbnb" industry. The panelists, Heather Bayer, Conrad O'Connell, Adam Norko, and Scott Fasanos, explore aspects of scale, hospitality, and market trends, including how brands can best meet guest expectations. The debate touches on defining the...

You have so many podcasts and episodes to choose from every week, so we want to make it easy for you to enjoy Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast. In our Monthly Slick Talk Highlight Episodes, you will hear my producer, Kelsey Tran, and I share our favorite moments from the month's weekly episodes and hear those moments all in this one episode. If you enjoy what you hear, let us know, and we will...

In this episode, Eric Moeller, a hospitality entrepreneur, delves into the topic of 'Unreasonable Hospitality' and its crucial role in shaping the future of the short-term rental industry. In his third appearance on the show, he talks about his journey from running a conventional hospitality business to creating FreeWyld. This exceptional boutique hospitality brand prioritizes providing guests wit...

In this episode of Slick Talk, we invited Richard Valtr of Mews, a cloud-based property management software company, for another enlightening conversation. The discussion centers around several key points, including the evolution of Mews since our last conversation in July 2020, the immense potential of AI in the hospitality sector, and how a shift in perspective from viewing hospitality as merely...

Arthur Colker, the founder of StayFi, shares his thoughts on the venture capital (VC) model and why he decided to bootstrap the company. He discusses the need for startups to consider their ideal business outcomes before pursuing VC funding, citing the pressure to generate returns and the need to justify large-scale growth as potential downsides. Instead, Arthur reveals the benefits of alternative...

The episode explores the concept of customizable hospitality spaces with Chris Osaka, the CEO of Tomu. Chris shares how he transitioned from his experience in retail, fashion, and working with brands like Nike into the world of hospitality. He also elaborates on Tomu's core purpose, which is focused on easing the entry into hotel ownership and enabling uniqueness in hotel construction. Chris expla...

Mike Stone is the Owner and General Counsel of AllSTR Hospitality and in this episode, Mike shares his story and experience as a lawyer who hated his job and wanted out but didn't know how until he discovered short-term rentals through mentorship and industry related masterminds. Many masterminds or industry leaders mentioned in this episode have either been on Slick Talk or work within the Hospit...

You have so many podcasts and episodes to choose from every week and so we want to make it easy for you to enjoy Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast. In our Monthly Slick Talk Highlight Episodes, you will hear my producer, Kelsey Tran, and myself share our favorite moments from the months weekly episodes and hear those moments all in this one episode. If you enjoy what you hear, let us know and we...

An industry leader with 8+ years of experience in the vacation rental space, Meaghan Moylan leads a team of passionate and entrepreneurial-minded professionals at The Outpost Group, a fast-growing private investment office based in Jackson, Wyoming. The company’s portfolio includes Outpost, Snake River Roasting Company, Terrain Landscaping and Snow Removal, Provisions Catering, and O2 Cleaning.  I...

During my time here at the Operto office, I was able to sit down with Steve Davis (more than once and with other Operto team members) to talk about the difference between scaling successfully and failing at scale #scalefail and let's just say this was one of my favorite talks as we're all packing up to head to Orlando for VRMA tomorrow. If you have 30 minutes to dive in and hear how much depth we...

In this weeks episode of Slick Talk, I was able to really dive into the life of Alex Alioto who went from New York actor to STR Tech Co-Founder. His journey is pretty incredible and from his perspective, we're just getting started in this industry we all know and love.  Connect with Alex & Whimstay: https://www.whimstay.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alioto-819a9445/ https://www.facebook.co...

Hello Slick Talkers! We wanted to make sure this episode got it's spotlight on Good Morning Hospitality and so after about a month of letting it do it's thing, we wanted to now let you hear this one for yourselves as my co-hosts on GMH were thrilled to have had Sam Shank, Co-Founder and CEO of HotelTonight, on the show. In this episode Sam shared what it was like to build the platform in 10 weeks,...

Jon is the CEO of Topkey, the financial operating system for hospitality management companies. They're a Y Combinator Winter 2021 company. They've raised a $5.2M seed round led by Felicis Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Y Combinator. There are several other great investors participated in that round, including Assurant Ventures, Derive Ventures, and yours truly, Wil Slickers.  In this epi...

Niko Karstikko joins us on the podcast to share the story & meaning of Bob W. and how their approach & ethos is all about autonomous hospitality as a tech and hospitality brand within European markets. This episode is brought to you by our sponsors at: Minut – Minut has more than just security features! They monitor noise, movement, and occupancy all within one device and all Slick Talk listeners...

Brooke Pfautz, CEO & Co-Founder of Vintory, has been a guest on the show more times than most but with good reason. The guy is a gem of knowledge and on this episode, he joins us to share some of the top secrets of our industry from the top vacation rental experts in his new book, Vacation Rental Secrets. Listen to Brookes' recent episode from earlier last year in 2022 - Listen here This episode i...

Lauren Madewell, a personality and human being you can't ignore for all the right reasons. She is what I would consider to be the perfect balance of serious and funny but most importantly, she's just 100% authentically herself. In this episode, we discussed a wide range of topics from her personal story and how she got exposed to hospitality and short-term rentals with more topics like how the con...

Kevin did what any corporate lawyer would do after getting their career started... he quit! Now, Kevin has the amazing Shorehouse Hotel and has gone through an inspiring journey as a independent hotelier & hospitality entrepreneur. Kevin and I met during the clubhouse days and unpack his journey in this episode so that you con find some inspiration in his story. This episode is brought to you by o...