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Today’s expert guest is Sara Sokol. Sarah is the creator of the Dogs Welcome Facebook group and vacation rental listing website as well as owner/operator of her own very pet-friendly, and award winning, vacation rental on the coast of Maine. She created the Dogs Welcome community as a place to connect dog friendly STR hosts with humans who travel with their dogs as a place to advertise her own pro...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Jennifer asks: I run Pepin Forest Treehouse in Wisconsin. How does growth become exponential and how do people tend to do it so quickly? What does that look like with debt-to-income ratios? How are people growing their businesses on su...

Today’s expert guest is Tara Zirker. Tara is the owner and founder of Successful Ads Club, a high-touch support training platform where she teaches thousands of business owners how to rapidly scale their small businesses through the power of Facebook and Instagram Ads with tiny budgets (and has received over 1,000 positive student reviews!). She’s worked on ad campaigns with people like Marianne W...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Caitlyn asks: Midterm rentals are a really great option for a lot of us hosts. What do we need to be looking out for when looking for great tenants? (00:01:47) Guests vs. Tenants: 28 Days Later (00:05:13) Building Rental Processes in Z...

Today’s expert guest is Kenny Bedwell, in a session recorded at TFVCON2023 in Columbus, Ohio. Kenny founded STR Insights in 2021 as a tool to help investors find the most advantageous STR markets for their unique circumstances using advanced data analytics. We pulled Kenny aside to have a side chat – between his immensely popular educational sessions at the conference – to dig in a little deeper o...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Claire asks: My name is Claire and I have started managing a number of other Airbnbs on the island that I live on. I made the mistake of having the listings under my Airbnb account. I really need support on how to run this (co-hosting)...

Today’s expert guest is Catherine Ratcliffe. A vacation rental owner and host since 2018, she’s pivoted from a successful HR career to run a consulting business where she takes on tough subjects for employers and hosts – including today’s heavy topic, the global human trafficking crisis. Catherine shares subtle details to look out for and security protocols to implement in your business to combat...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Samantha asks: We are super slow right now. With the exception of trying to figure out how to fill my units, is there anything else you recommend that I can do to better prepare my space for when we are busy? Do you have suggested prev...

Today’s expert guest is Bill Allen in an interview conducted during TFVCON2023. Bill’s informative presentation inspired and empowered attendees to seek out creative financing outside of the typical bank structure. It may sound scary, but the logic behind this shift will surprise you! Amid the buzz and bustle of the conference atmosphere, Bill gets tactical with tools to shift your mindset from le...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Daisy asks: I'm looking to refresh my property and I want to stay on a budget. I also want to add some personality and interest to my rental. I'm thinking of an accent wall, maybe a mural or wallpaper. How do I add some unique decor, w...

Today’s expert guests, James and Laureta, are Superhosts with nine years of multimarket hosting experience. They started their short-term rental journey by renting out a bedroom in the apartment Laureta was living at the time – in Brooklyn – and together, they soon discovered their love of restoring historic buildings and dynamic properties. Of course, we ask Laureta about that first risky listing...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Sandrine asks: My partners and I are finally set to launch our first STR next month. We will certainly diversify our OTAs, but I would love to know any hot tips that you may have for newbies like us. As we do set up our Airbnb listing,...

Today’s expert guest is Sarah Weaver, co-author of the new MTR management book, 30 Day Stay. She joins the show to detail her amazing journey – around the world and back again – to Omaha, where she's now grown roots as a trusted MTR hosting mentor, real estate investor, business coach, speaker, and global workshop leader. Sarah is financially free and has leveraged mid-term rentals to design a lif...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Danielle asks: I've heard you guys talk about to-go coffee cups. Are they disposable cups? I think it's a great idea, but I'm not sure what you mean. I'd love your advice. Thank you. (01:28) Danielle Asks About Recommended To-Go Coffee...

Today’s expert guest is Monique DeLorenzo, a host who was eager to dive deeper into the financials of our great industry. In addition to hosting her cute Vermont a-frame property, she’s also a solutions consultant with PriceLabs , a revenue management tool for hosts and property managers that provides users with dynamic pricing and market insights. We use PriceLabs and were inspired to email Moniq...

Welcome back to Success Unlocked, where our hosting business master membership coaches discuss operations, social media, unique builds, co-hosting strategies, and so much more. This week’s episode is Co-Hosting Confidential, hosted by Amy Corbett. Amy speaks with Lori Lusk – an experienced co-host living in Washington but operating rentals in Georgia, Arkansas, and Seattle – about what it takes to...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Ryan asks: I converted an LTR to an STR last year with stellar results. I just went live with my second listing, an executive lake home minutes from downtown Minneapolis with epic views over the water and downtown skyline. It has a gam...

Sarah and Annette celebrate ten of the most impactful, educational, and memorable episodes of the year. Seven fantastic (female-led) guest episodes, three editions of Hosting Hotline, and one bonus release make the cut in this recap of 2023, before we look ahead at 2024 and beyond. Direct booking, legislation and regulation, and making the decision to buy/sell are just a few trending STR topics go...

Welcome back to Success Unlocked, where our hosting business master membership coaches discuss operations, social media, unique builds, co-hosting strategies, and much more. This week’s episode is Systems Shakedown, hosted by Wendy Doris. Wendy is joined by co-hosting champions, Colleen Prochaska and Amy Corbett, of Stay Awhile Hosting Co. and All Belong Co., respectively. Both women bring a wealt...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Katrina asks: What’s your opinion on giving out the address of the house to guests? Recently, I've been having guests contact me through VRBO, asking for the address in advance of their stay. Some of these guests are asking for that in...

Sarah and Annette drop in for a holiday season solo to reinforce the importance of establishing a well-organized structure to run your short-term rental business, from branding, SEO, and social/print/email marketing to bookings, guest management, maintenance, housekeeping, inspections, and so much more. Get a pro rundown on what roles and responsibilities to prioritize in three main areas of your...

Welcome back to Success Unlocked, where our hosting business master membership coaches discuss operations, social media, unique builds, co-hosting strategies, and so much more. This week’s episode is Vacation Ventures, hosted by Michael Hicks. In this episode, Mike helps Annette work through her recent experience scouting two 100+ acre properties for potential STR development. From septic to signi...

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Zach asks: I was wondering how you guys are collecting data, specifically emails from your guests that are staying in your Airbnbs?  And then, what kinds of things are you doing to follow up with them to invite them back? (00:01:5...

Today’s expert guest, Mark Simpson, helps hosts get the tools, tactics, training – and most importantly – the confidence to boost their direct bookings. After working in hospitality for many years, he founded Boostly in 2016 in the UK and his mission there is to empower people to own their own bookings. Mark’s the poster child for direct booking, so in today's episode, we talk all about diversifyi...

Welcome back to Success Unlocked, where our hosting business master membership coaches discuss operations, social media, unique builds, co-hosting strategies, and so much more. This week’s episode is Co-Hosting Confidential, hosted by Amy Corbett. Amy is joined by Jamie Stark Inlow, owner and operator of Be Still Getaways, a boutique management and design company located in the Shenandoah Valley i...