The Accommodation Show - Hospitality Success Series!

What if the smartest way to start in a crowded market isn't to start from scratch? In this episode of Building It, I sit down with Dennis Goedheid, the founder of Casiola, who took an unconventional path. He bypassed the initial grind by acquiring a 20-property business to get his start. We break down his playbook for buying a business, the brutal honesty of his first-year failure (with negati...

It's one of the biggest success stories in the Australian short-term rental industry: a founder builds a brand from the ground up and navigates it to a headline-making $50 million+ acquisition by a global giant. But how did he actually do it? In this episode of Building It, I sit down with Quirin Schwaighofer, the Co-Founder of MadeComfy, to get the full story behind one of Australia's mos...

You don’t get to 250+ properties by chance. You build it. Brick by brick. System by system. Mistake by mistake. That’s exactly what Lisa Peterson did. Last week in Part 1, we talked about profitability, the stuff that actually matters. We explored how Lisa built L’Abode Accommodation from scratch, kept her business lean, and stayed focused on profit. That episode struck a chord. So we kept the mic...

What if the real secret to success isn’t more properties, more tech, or a bigger team… but something far simpler? In this episode of Building It, I sit down with Lisa Peterson, founder of L’Abode Accommodation — a business she started from her bedroom, now managing over 250 properties across five states. She’s one of the most grounded, thoughtful operators I’ve ever met, and her story is packed wi...

This episode is all about the leap. The grit. And the reality of building a startup from scratch in the short-term rental world. If you've ever stared at a clunky check-in system or juggled five tools just to welcome a guest, this one's going to hit close to home. Our guest is Michael O’Connell, founder of Happy Guest; a smart, frictionless platform designed to simplify guest journeys from check-i...

Running an accommodation business doesn’t have to mean drowning in endless tasks and late-night guest messages. In this episode, I sit down with Lauren Heys and Dan White from Moxxi Property, Tasmania’s largest short-term rental management company, to uncover the systems and tech that allow you to scale without burning out. From automating with tools like n8n, to deploying AI agents, to building o...

👇 Ready to grow your short-term rental business without burning out? This episode is for you. In this episode of The Accommodation Show, we continue our Building It series with Tim Mortimer, founder of BNB Made Easy, one of the fastest growing short-term rental brands in regional Australia. What started in Tim’s garage with one listing has grown into a thriving operation with 200+ properties acro...

In this episode of The Accommodation Show, I sit down with Alexandra and Tom Ormerod, the powerhouse duo behind Luxico, Australia’s premier luxury villa rental brand and now stars of the brand-new global reality TV series, Billion Dollar Playground. 🎬 Billion Dollar Playground is now streaming on BINGE, Foxtel, BBC iPlayer, and airing in Canada, New Zealand, and more. We lift the lid on what it t...

If I asked you to name your top priority for 2025, what would it be? For most property managers and accommodation managers, it’s more bookings—without burning out or slashing rates. This season on The Accommodation Show, I’ve been asking industry leaders one simple but powerful question:“What’s your #1 tip for accommodation businesses in 2025?”Each guest has shared something different—strategies f...

This one is deeply personal, and I’m so glad I get to share it with you. In this episode, I sit down with Ronda Amende, founder of TimeOut, a charity that connects terminally ill people and their families with donated holiday homes across New Zealand. Her story is honest, moving, and an incredible reminder of the human side of what we do in accommodation. 💡 We often focus on occupancy rates, auto...

🧱 Building It: Becoming a CEO When No One Hands You the Title 👔This week we go beyond scaling businesses and get into what it takes to lead them. Shaun Shirazian is the CEO of Lodgify, one of the top tech platforms for short-term rental hosts around the world. But his story did not start in boardrooms. It started in Dallas, raised by immigrant parents, learning to hustle, build, and reflect. In...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Simon Sechusi, co-founder of SuiteOp. Simon’s journey from a 400-unit property management business to raising $3M for his new platform is filled with insights and real talk about what it takes to scale in the accommodation space. 🏠 We dive into: How he grew SoSuite from a single listing in Philly to 400+ units. Why master leases worked — and didn’t — in his mark...

We’re back with another instalment of Building It, where we dive in with founders who didn’t just dream big, they built big. This time, I’ve got Marcus Rader, co-founder and CEO of Hostaway, sharing how he turned a scrappy start-up into a global powerhouse PMS for the short-term rental world. If you’re curious about what it takes to go from zero to a near-unicorn (and do it without losing your min...

We’re continuing our brand new segment: ‘Building It’, where I sit down with trailblasing founders in the accommodation space to unpack exactly how they built their businesses from the ground up. It’s not about fluffy success stories. It’s about the grit, the strategy, the setbacks—and the steps that actually worked. This week’s episode takes us deep into Southeast Asia with Daniel Rouquette, co-f...

This week marks the launch of a brand new segment we are calling ‘Building It’, where we dive into how founders in the accommodation space built their businesses from the ground up. It’s about the work, the grit, the strategies, and the pivots that helped them scale and grow into the most successful companies nationally and accross the world. In these episodes, you’ll get insights that are rarely...

Every operator – whether you're running a small guest house or a large vacation rental portfolio or hotel  – relies on technology to some degree. But few of us step back to assess whether all those moving parts are actually working together. In this episode, Shahar Goldboim and I pull back the curtain on the chaos that often hides behind the scenes. You’ll walk away from this conversation with...

This week, I had the chance to sit down with someone who quite literally has their finger on the pulse of our industry. If you’ve ever wondered whether you're charging the right rates, when you should be adjusting pricing, or why bookings seem slow compared to your neighbour’s, this episode is for you. I’m talking to Jamie Lane from Airdna, and I genuinely think this could be one of our most p...

Sometimes, one small change can have a huge impact on your business. In the penultimate mini episode of The Accommodation Show, I sat down with Julie George, author of Million Dollar Host, to talk about one simple yet brilliant tip that can help you stand out in 2025. This isn’t about big budgets or major renovations—it’s about creating a memorable guest experience that drives better reviews, more...

What makes guests choose one property over another? Is it the price? The location? The number of bedrooms? While all of those factors matter, the reality is your property needs to stand out from the moment a guest lays eyes on it, whether that’s on an OTA, your website, or social media. This episode is part of my special mini-series where I sit down with top industry professionals and ask them: “W...

Regulation. A rule or directive made and maintained by an authorityThe act of controlling or maintaining something according to a system or standardRegulation often sparks fear in our industry, but what if it could also bring legitimacy, stability, and long-term success? This season on The Accommodation Show, I’ve been sitting down with industry leaders to ask one simple but powerful question: “Wh...

What separates businesses that thrive from those that merely survive? It’s often the ability to adapt, evolve, and make informed decisions based on insights, not guesswork. This week, I’m thrilled to feature Sally Henry, VP of Business Development at Key Data. With over two decades of experience in the vacation rental space, Sally has helped property managers navigate market changes and achieve su...

This season, I’ve been on a mission to bring you insights straight from the leaders shaping our industry. Not only do I want their thoughts, these are the people I want you to get to know. We are into next live mini-episode - The theme? “What’s your #1 tip for accommodation businesses in 2025?” It’s the question I’ve been asking each guest, to help you uncover strategies, fresh perspectives, and a...

Welcome back to The Accommodation Show! In this season of The Accommodation Show, I wanted to ask a simple but powerful question to the experts I meet when travelling to conferences around the world: What’s the #1 tip for accommodation businesses in 2025? Their answers might surprise you, challenge you, and most importantly, inspire you to take action and future-proof your business. Over the comin...

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe! Last year, I had the pleasure of once again attending VRMA, the world's largest STR conference. This event is attended by hundreds of people, from tech vendors to property managers, to homeowners and everything in between. This is a place where you get inspired about your own business, where you learn from the best, but most importantly you get to meet the peo...

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe! In today’s episode, I’m excited to welcome back Peter Syme, a true thought leader who has kept his finger on the pulse of AI’s evolution. Together, we’ll dive into what lies ahead, exploring the strategies and insights that can help you harness this technology not just now, but for the long term. We cover why AI is more than just a buzzword; it’s a practical tool that...