The Art Of Hospitality Podcast

The Art Of Hospitality

Business EN ↓ 116 episodes

The Art of Hospitality is the podcast for vacation rental professionals who want to think differently about what they're building. Each week, Conrad O'Connell and Adam Norko dig into the ideas, strategies, and conversations shaping the vacation rental industry — from AI and operations to guest experience and growth. Less fluff. More depth. Always practical.

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The Art Of Hospitality Podcast

Episodes

We've Got A Lot To Learn From The Top Euro Operators (With Cristiana Carpini) 08.07.2026 56:17

In this episode, we interview Cristiana Carpini from her Italian home to talk all things Europe, regulations, where we're headed, a long-term view, AI disruption and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Cristiana Carpini Tara Home Consulting

The Root Problems With Scaling Vacation Rental Brands (With Ashley Ching) 01.07.2026 49:55

In this episode, we interview Ashley Ching (again!) with Inhaven to talk all things scale, AI, human vs AI, brand standards, why Vacation Rental brands keep failing to grow and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Ashley Ching Inhaven

The Best Vacation Rental Marketing Data Might Be Here (With Jamey King) 24.06.2026 45:37

We're joined this week by Jamey King, industry veteran to talk all things data, finding new sources of data and research to improve your marketing, ROAS improvements, vendors shifting sands in 2026 and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Jamey King Wiland

He's On The Bleeding Edge Of AI Adoption In The Vacation Rental Industry... (With Ivan Nikolov) 17.06.2026 50:08

We're joined this week by Ivan Nikolov of Repull & FantasticStay to talk all things AI, building with agents, workflows, "levels" to AI in the vacation rental industry, pitfalls of current AI tooling and a LOT more... you do not want to miss this one. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Repull Ivan Nikolov

Where Do PMS Platforms Go From Here In The New AI Era? (With Frank Bosi) 10.06.2026 49:14

We're joined this week by Frank Bosi from Hostfully to talk all things AI, PMS platforms, building tech today vs several years ago, growth, winning with software and ops and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Frank Bosi Save $500 On Onboarding By Signing Up Via This Link

Are Vacation Rental SaaS Vendors Going Away? (With Richard Vaughton and Luca De Giglio) 03.06.2026 59:07

We're joined this week by Luca De Giglio and Richard Vaughton to talk all things SaaS, the growth of agents, building your own PMS platform, coding platforms growth, how Vacation Rental managers should use AI and a lot more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell LinkedIn Post Luca De Giglio Richard Vaughton

The Story Of AI Agents Running A 150 Unit Company With 1 Full Time Employee (With Jan Sahagun) 27.05.2026 50:57

We're joined this week by Jan Sahagun of Trellis (backed by YC) to talk all things agents, the future of STR/Vacation Rentals tech, running with lean teams, 150 properties with 1 person and a lot more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Jan Sahagun Trellis

If We Were Going To Build A Vacation Rental Business, How Would We Do It? (With Adam Norko & Conrad O'Connell) 20.05.2026 39:29

We're solo this week to explore a fun thought experiment: what if we had to open our own vacation rental company? How would we operate it? Fund it? Grow it? What types of inventory are we targeting and why? Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell

Operator Series: These Vacation Rental Managers Are THE AI Pioneers (With JJ King, Jack Zoppa, Jacob Mueller) 13.05.2026 1:00:27

We're joined by an all-star cast from all over the US to talk AI, practical use-cases and growth in tooling that is going to move the needle. JJ King, Jack Zoppa and Jacob Mueller join us to each give one example of how they're using AI in their business spanning hiring, reviews, brand rep and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell JJ King Beachside Vacation R...

The Vacation Rental Data God Is Back With An Update (With Jamie Lane) 06.05.2026 47:21

We're joined by a favorite guest, Jamie Lane of Airdna to talk all things q1 2026 wrap up, World Cup demand, reading data the right way, how AI is impacting the AirDNA product, future-looking tips for vacation rental managers and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Jamie Lane AirDNA

Operator Series: Winning In The Midwest With The Right Team (With Michael Friedman) 29.04.2026 56:55

We're pumped to welcome Michael Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of Simple Life Rentals onto the show to talk all things AI, growth, team, profitability, smart homeowner marketing that works, where we're headed into 2026 and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Michael Friedman Simple Life Rentals

The Art Of Hospitality Meets The Art Of Storytelling (With Neely Khan and Rachel Alday) 22.04.2026 57:39

We're thrilled to be joined today by Neely Khan and Rachel Alday to talk all things storytelling, marketing to luxury, being chosen vs being found, AI / LLM discoverability, and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Neely Khan Rachel Alday kahani Abode Luxury Rentals

Everything Is Changing And It Brought This Exec Out Of Retirement (With John Suzuki) 15.04.2026 42:41

We're thrilled to welcome John Suzuki - industry LEGEND - to the podcast to talk all things AI, the future, retirement (and then un-retirement), platforms, young professionals interacting with AI and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell John Suzuki Finding Better Podcast American Grit Book Staylist

Operator Series: So, What's Up With Fairly? (With CJ Johnson) 08.04.2026 55:37

Welcome to the AoH Operator Series! We're excited to peel back the layers on the smartest minds in short term rentals / vacation rentals who are in the weeds leading teams, building businesses and driving amazing results. We're thrilled to welcome CJ Johnson, Regional Director at Fairly to talk all things about Fairly! We learn how many properties they have (hint: it's already over 1,000 in just...

The Future Of What Vacation Rental Management Leadership Looks Like Is Here (With Jack Zoppa) 01.04.2026 54:26

We're joined by wunderkid Jack Zoppa to talk all things growth, AI, agents as tools to help your team, scaling to hundreds of units in his 20s, the future and a LOT more... you don't want to miss this one. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Jack Zoppa Haven Vacation Rentals

Operator Series: Learning Business Models And Growth The Right Way (With Doug Truitt) 25.03.2026 51:08

Welcome to the AoH Operator Series! We're excited to peel back the layers on the smartest minds in short term rentals / vacation rentals who are in the weeds leading teams, building businesses and driving amazing results. We are super lucky to have Doug Truitt, Senior Director of Channel Optimization at VTrips, join us for the first episode where we dive into his deep expertise and knowledge span...

Learning How To Actually Operate Better With AI (With Heather Bayer) 18.03.2026 48:25

We're thrilled to bring back Heather Bayer again to the podcast to talk all things learning, AI, changes in 2026, "pacing", where we're headed and more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Heather Bayer Vacation Rental Success Vacation Rental Formula

What Vacation Rental Managers Can Learn From High-End Dining (With Chef Franck) 11.03.2026 52:27

We welcome Chef Franck (Franck Desplechin) to hear a brand-new perspective on fine dining and how we can apply those foundational elements to the service in the short term vacation rental industry. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Franck Desplechin Chef Franck

What Building A PMS Looks Like In 2026 (With Jim DeVos) 04.03.2026 40:19

We welcome Jim Devos to the podcast to talk all things building a PMS in 2026, service, where AI fials, live customer feedback and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Jim DeVos VRWorks

What Almost All Vacation Rentals & Short Term Rentals Are Getting WRONG (With Scott Eddy) 25.02.2026 52:15

We welcome Scott Eddy to the show to talk storytelling, hospitality, what hotels get right and Vacation Rentals get WRONG, Instagram, thinking about growth in 2026 and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Scott Eddy (IG) Scott Eddy (LinkedIn) Scott Eddy Website

The Future Of Franchising Is Operations, Brand And Excellence (With Dennis Goedheid & Russ Kraft) 18.02.2026 52:44

We welcome back Dennis Goedheid from Casiola alongside Russ Kraft to break down the future of why Casiola is expanding, brand, direct vs OTA bookings, results of operational excellence and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Dennis Goedheid Russ Kraft Casiola Casiola Franchising

The Story Of Exploding Business Growth With A National Property Mangement Brand (With Elliott Caldwell) 11.02.2026 49:22

In this episode, we chat with Elliott Caldwell, CEO of Rise Collective, one of the fastest-growing vacation rental and real estate brands in the entire US about his opinions on local property management, signing up customers to scale, growth, profitability, tax benefits of short-term rentals and a LOT more. One of most unique interviews ever! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'...

Breaking Down The Current Status Of Regulations In Our Industry (With Dana Lubner) 28.01.2026 53:07

In this episode, we check-in with Dana Lubner at Rent Responsibly. She's the Director of Community Development and has 8+ years of experience in the STR/Vacation Rental industry at both property management and in her current focus on regulation, community engagement, impact research and a LOT more. We cover a wide range of topics including local vs state groups (which one is better and why), the c...

Connecting Local Hosts, Property Managers And The World Is Marketing (With Mark Simpson) 21.01.2026 55:37

In this episode, we get Mark Simpson himself to join to talk all things Boostly Connect, marketing, 2026 changes, why he says "Soccer" and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Mark Simpson Boostly

Building An OTA That Guests AND Property Managers Will Love (With Alex Alioto) 14.01.2026 54:29

In this episode, we get Alex Alioto of Whimstay back for a proper full-length recording! We talk building an OTA, algo updates on platforms, trust, guest demand for last-minute stays and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Conrad O'Connell Alex Alioto Whimstay Whimstay - List Your Properties