STR Investing, The Podcast

We’re bringing back one of our most actionable episodes on using Instagram to drive real bookings. In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, co-host Taylor Jones sits down with Ben Wolff, founder of Onera and a pioneer in the unique stays space. Ben shares how he built standout hospitality experiences that naturally attract attention online and convert that attention into direct bookings. From...

Mark Lumpkin breaks down the amenity data for Blue Ridge, one of the most popular cabin markets in the Southeast. Using insights from STR Search, this episode dives into which amenities top-performing properties are using to dominate the market—and how much additional revenue those features are generating annually. Here’s what the data shows in Blue Ridge: • Hot Tubs (91%) → +$20,000+/year  • Game...

In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, co-host Mark Lumpkin sits down with  Tyann Marcink - Hammond, owner of Tyann Hospitality and one of the newest VRMA board members, to talk about what actually drives five star stays: hospitality. Tyann shares why communication is the foundation of every great guest experience, how small moments can shape an entire stay, and why hosts who ignore hospita...

In this week’s Monday Market Data Report, Mark Lumpkin breaks down the short-term rental amenity data for Bend, a popular mountain destination known for skiing, outdoor recreation, breweries, and year-round tourism. Using data from STR Search, this episode looks at which amenities top-performing properties are using to outperform their competition—and how much additional revenue those features can...

In this episode, co-host Mark Lumpkin sits down with Hunter Harrelson of Beachball Properties — one of the most recognizable vacation rental management brands on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Hunter breaks down how he and his wife Ginger bootstrapped from 20 properties to 350+ under management, why brand + local marketing mattered more than trying to market “to the masses,” and how one decision during Cov...

In this Monday Morning Market Data Report on the STR Investing Podcast, co-host Mark Lumpkin breaks down the latest amenity data for Sedona, Arizona using insights from STR Search. If you’re investing in Sedona—or considering it—this episode shows exactly which amenities are driving serious revenue and how much they’re worth annually. Here’s what the data says about top performers in Sedona: Hot T...

In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, co-host Mark Lumpkin sits down with Jack Roberts from STR Cribs to talk sales, design, and what it really takes to build high-performing short-term rentals today. Jack breaks down why “being real” wins in sales, how to build trust fast, and why the best salespeople don’t hide behind scripts or corporate talk. From there, we get into STR design strategy...

In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, co-host Mark Lumpkin sits down with Lance Morgan, founder of College Funding Secrets, to break down a different way to think about short-term rentals—using them to help pay for college and reduce taxes. Lance explains how high-income families can reposition college savings, lower “financial aid income” on paper, and use STR tax benefits (bonus deprecia...

In this week’s Monday Market Data Report, we continue our amenity-focused series — breaking down which upgrades actually drive revenue — and this time we’re diving into Flagstaff. Flagstaff isn’t overly saturated like some major Arizona markets, which makes strategic amenities even more powerful. In this episode, Mark breaks down: How much fire pits increase annual revenue Why hot tubs are one of...

⭐ This is a featured encore of one of our most downloaded STR Investing episodes. Originally released on June 6th 2024, this episode continues to inspire investors to think bigger and execute smarter. In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, co-host Taylor Jones welcomes Tyann Marcink, the "Queen of Guest Experience," to share how she transformed a $55,000 drug house into a $1.5 mi...

In this Monday Market Data Report, co-host Mark Lumpkin kicks off a brand-new series focused on amenity-driven revenue — and we’re starting in Austin. Instead of just bedroom count, this episode breaks down which amenities actually move the revenue needle in Austin, how rare they are among top performers, and what kind of annual income boost they deliver. Inside the data, you’ll learn: Why pickleb...

AI is reshaping short-term rentals fast.  In this episode, Mark sits down with Shahar, founder of Boom, to break down how operators can use AI + automation to scale without adding chaos. Shahar shares how he went from broker/investor to building a tech-enabled property management company (managing roughly $150M of property)—then spinning the technology out into Boom as a standalone platform built...

In this Monday Market Data Report, co-host Mark Lumpkin breaks down the short-term rental numbers for Blue Ridge, one of the most popular mountain cabin destinations in the Southeast. This episode highlights just how wide the performance gap is in Blue Ridge — where top-performing properties can earn more than double what average listings make in the same bedroom category. Inside the data, you’ll...

Short-term rental guest expectations are rising fast — and “manual everything” breaks the moment you try to scale. This week, Mark is joined by Frank from Hostfully to talk systems, PMS strategy, and what it really takes to run a professional operation as you grow from 1–2 properties to 10+. Frank shares how his luxury hotel background (Ritz, W, Westin) shaped his view of STR operations — and why...

In this Monday Market Data Report, co-host Mark Lumpkin breaks down the short-term rental numbers for Park City, one of the most in-demand ski towns in the country. This episode reveals some of the largest performance gaps we’ve seen in any market — where top-performing properties earn more than double what average listings make in the same bedroom category. Inside the data, you’ll learn: What 3-b...

The short-term rental market has changed fast. The old “furnish it cheap and it still books” playbook is fading—and Merritt Harris breaks down what actually wins now. Merritt shares how he went from long-term rentals in New York to building a property management company during the COVID peak, then adapting as competition intensified and guest expectations rose. In this episode, we cover: Why “corp...

In this Monday Market Data Report, Mark Lumpkin breaks down Gatlinburg, Tennessee, one of the most talked-about short-term rental markets in the country. Using real performance data, Mark walks through how revenue, occupancy, and nightly rates change as you move from three-bedroom cabins to six-plus bedroom luxury properties. In this episode, you’ll learn: How three-bedroom STRs in Gatlinburg earn...

Cody Cramer went from hotel revenue management to building a multi-market short-term rental co-hosting business, all while operating remotely. In this episode, Mark sits down with Cody to break down how he scaled across the Smokies and Florida markets, why systems matter more than location, and what actually drives guest satisfaction. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Cody transitioned from hotel...

In this Monday Market Data Report, co-host Mark Lumpkin breaks down the short-term rental numbers for Gulf Shores, a popular Gulf Coast vacation market with far more upside than many investors realize. This episode walks through how revenue, nightly rates, and occupancy change as you move from 3-bedroom homes to 6+ bedroom properties, and why larger, well-executed homes dominate this market. Insid...

AI is changing short-term rental marketing—but not always for the better. In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, Taylor sits down with Conrad, founder of BuildUp Bookings, to break down what actually drives bookings in today’s crowded STR market. They discuss how overused AI messaging can turn guests away, where automation still adds real value, and why authentic communication is becoming a...

In this Monday Market Data Report, co-host Mark Lumpkin breaks down the short-term rental numbers for Austin, one of the most talked-about STR markets in the country. This episode dives deep into how revenue, occupancy, and nightly rates scale as bedroom count increases, and why Austin strongly rewards larger, high-performing properties. You’ll learn: What 3-bedroom properties earn at average vs....

Cleaning issues, last-minute cancellations, and unreliable contractors are some of the biggest threats to STR performance.  Chris Rule, VP of Customer Experience at Turno, joins the show to explain how top operators are solving these problems—and what’s coming next for the industry. Chris shares how Turno is helping hosts and property managers eliminate turnover chaos by connecting guest cleanline...

In this episode, co-host Mark Lumpkin breaks down the short-term rental numbers for Big Bear Lake, one of Southern California’s most well-known mountain vacation markets. This episode takes a data-driven look at how revenue, occupancy, and nightly rates shift dramatically by bedroom count — and why Big Bear Lake behaves very differently from many STR markets across the country. You’ll hear insight...

In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, Taylor sits down with Nate Klatt — CPA, former startup operator, and co-founder of HomeHop — to break down how he went from flipping houses with thin margins to building a short-term rental portfolio, launching a property management company, and raising STR investment funds. Nate shares the real behind-the-scenes of scaling: why conservative underwriti...

It’s time for another Monday Morning Market Data Report — and this week we’re breaking down Flagstaff, Arizona. Mark walks through what the numbers actually say across 3-bed, 4-bed, 5-bed, and 6+ bedroom STRs, including how revenue, ADR, and occupancy shift as you scale up in size. And what makes this one interesting: Flagstaff looks like a “middle-of-the-country” baseline market… until you hit th...