STR Data Lab™ by AirDNA

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane welcomes Michael O’Connell, founder of Happy Guest. Michael shares insights into the purpose and functionality of Happy Guest, a guest management system designed to streamline the check-in process for short-term rental properties while enhancing the overall guest experience.  Happy Guest provides an all-in-one, web-based check-in solution that integr...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane welcomes Alex Alioto, Head of Growth at Whimstay. They discuss the inception and growth of Whimstay, an OTA specializing in last-minute bookings for short-term rentals. Alex shares insights on how they fill unsold gap nights and create a win-win situation for both hosts and spontaneous travelers.  The conversation delves into the challenges and strat...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Jodi Odlin, founder of Hospitable Hosts, a book series celebrating stories from the short-term rental industry. Jodi recently won the Rentalpreneur Award at the Shorty's and shares her journey from a hospitality background to becoming a successful short-term rental host. Hospitable Hosts is a trilogy featuring 40 authors in each book....

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane and Scott Sage discuss travel trends and the latest insights from the Airbnb summer release. Jamie shares his exciting Memorial Day plans, heading to North Carolina for his grandfather's 95th birthday and then to Litchfield Beach in South Carolina for a large family reunion. They discuss Memorial Day travel data, noting that occupancy rates are almos...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Justin Ford, Director of Short-Term Rental Safety and Certifications Program at Breezeway. Justin shares insights into his role and the importance of safety in short-term rentals. Breezeway, a property care and operations platform, supports professionalism and safety in the industry. Ford explains the primary...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, speaks with Julie Marks, founder and executive director of the Vermont Short-Term Rental Alliance (VTSTRA). They delve into the significance of short-term rental regulations and advocacy. Julie shares her journey into short-term rental management and advocacy, which began when her local government considered shutting down...

Join  Jamie Lane , Chief Economist of  AirDNA , and  Ellie Mertz , CFO of Airbnb, as they discuss the latest announcements from the Airbnb 2025 Summer Release. This episode introduces new Airbnb services and experiences, a redesigned app, and future growth opportunities for hosts. Learn how Airbnb aims to increase travel wallet share and enhance user engagement through improved affordability, qual...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Kerri Gibson, the CEO and co-founder of Chalets Hygge. Carrie shares the story behind the unique name of her company, which is inspired by the Danish concept of 'hygge,' emphasizing joy and contentment in life's simple moments.  Kerri discusses the accidental start of her short-term rental business in 2017 and...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Rebecca Lombardo, a fractional CMO and marketing strategist. Jamie and Rebecca discuss the meaning of a fractional CMO and its role in the vacation rental industry. Rebecca shares her journey into the vacation rental space, starting as a CMO at True Place, a company specializing in photography and virtual tour...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Bram Gallagher, Director of Forecasting at AirDNA. The duo discusses several pressing topics within the short-term rental industry and broader economic indicators. They begin by reviewing March performance and early April trends, noting a mixed story influenced heavily by recent tariff announcements. Despite a...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane is joined by John An, founder of TechTape. The two share insights into navigating today’s volatile travel market. Jamie highlighted that 2024 is shaping up to be a more challenging year, with signs of softening demand in several U.S. markets. He pointed to Washington, D.C. as a key example, where government-related travel is slowing due to federal bu...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, chats with Bill Faeth, founder of Build Short-Term Rental Wealth and a 30-year real estate investor. Bill shares his journey into short-term rentals, which began in 2015 after a convincing conversation with an electrician friend. He describes transition from traditional real estate to short-term rentals by purchasing his f...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, the Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Andrew Keller, a short-term rental photographer and founder of ISOneedphotos. Andrew shares the importance of professional photography for short-term rentals, emphasizing how it can significantly improve booking rates. He outlines his journey into photography, starting from a young age and transitioning in...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, the Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Bram Gallagher, Director of Economic and Forecasting at AirDNA, to discuss current economic uncertainties and their potential impact on the lodging industry. They delve into the new presidential administration and recent fluctuations in the stock market, which have introduced significant uncertainty.  Desp...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, the Chief Economist at AirDNA, welcomes Assaf Karmon, CEO and co-founder of Turno. The discussion dives into Turno's platform, which helps short-term rental owners find reliable cleaners, automate scheduling, and essentially autopilot their business. Assaf describes his initial venture into short-term rentals, emphasizing the challenges he faced, le...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, the Chief Economist at AirDNA, and Eric Goldreyer, the CEO and Founder of Savvy. Eric shares his rich history in the vacation rental industry, dating back to 1995 when he and his wife founded bedandbreakfast.com. The website became the leading platform for bed and breakfast listings and property management software. Eric recalls his journey, from cr...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, the Chief Economist at AirDNA, and Scott Sage, SVP of Marketing, discuss the performance of the Short-Term Rental (STR) market in January. The episode highlights data from Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO's Q4 reports, revealing a 12-19% increase in nights booked across platforms. Jamie emphasizes the importance of being multi-channel listed to maximiz...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA, sits down with Jonah Hanig, CEO of Rove Travel. Jonah shares his journey from Chicago suburbs to New York City, his stint as an investor, and the experiences that inspired the founding of Rove Travel. He recounts how living in various Airbnbs during the pandemic was a mixed bag and spurred him to create a consistent luxury...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA, sits down with Catherine Rathcliffe to discuss recent developments affecting short-term rentals, especially in Canada. The conversation shifts from past topics like insurance and HR to focus on the significant news in Canadian short-term rentals. With the Trump's administration's proposed tariffs and heightened political t...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, interviews Brandy Canaley, COO of Roami and fellow GMH podcast host. They delve into the complexities and strategies of managing short-term rentals during major events such as the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, and Taylor Swift concerts. Brandy shares her expertise on operations, pricing, and staffing challenges that arise when m...

In this episode, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Dave Meyer, Head of Real Estate Investing at BiggerPockets, to delve into the intricacies of the housing market. The discussion touches on the dynamics of short-term rental investments and the broader housing market, highlighting why understanding these trends is crucial for investors. Dave reflects on the volatility of affordabi...

In this episode of STR Data Lab, Jamie and Scott discuss the 2025 edition of the Best Places to Invest (BPTI) report. Jamie shares insights into booking trends and the significant importance of January and February for the year's performance. The BPTI report aims to identify the top markets for investment based on a decade's worth of data. It's built on a robust methodology, focusing on investabil...

In this episode of STR Data Lab, Jamie sits down with Lydia Patel, a full-time pharmacist and short-term rental investor. Lydia shares how she started in the short-term rental market in 2020, initially learning about long-term rentals before transitioning. She talks about how she turned a tiny house in her backyard into a successful Airbnb listing. Covering her experience, Lydia mentions how analy...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Nikkei Rosenberg, a real estate agent from Savvy Realty, discussing the importance of finding the right real estate agent for short-term rental investments. Nikkei shares her extensive background in vacation rental management, starting from a young age in St. Augustine, Florida. She highlights her journey, including her roles at Vacasa...

In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, discusses with Skift CEO Rafat Ali the future trajectory of Airbnb. The conversation delves into potential new business lines for Airbnb as it aims to launch billion-dollar ventures by 2025 and 2026. Lane talks about the need for Airbnb to expand beyond its core accommodations to maintain growth, especially as the short-te...