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

The Truth Of How Funding Works In The Vacation Rental SaaS Industry (With Pierre-Camille Hamana) 22.01.2025 47:30

In this episode, we're joined by Pierre-Camille Hamana of Hospitable to talk all things funding, growth, rounds, PE vs VC and a lot more! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Pierre-Camille Hamana Hospitable

Diving Into The Rapidly Changing Landscape Of Short Term Rentals And Vacation Rentals (With Richard Vaughton) 15.01.2025 59:04

In this episode, we're joined by Richard Vaughton of YES Consulting on his long career in short-term rentals (vacation rentals) and the changes on the horizon in 2025. Richard shares his current views on focusing (or not focusing) on direct bookings, OTA platforms, pro vs hobby hosts and a LOT more... ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Yes Consulting Richard Vaught...

A Display Of What Top-Notch Hospitality Looks Like (With Rose Tipka) 08.01.2025 53:32

In this episode, we're joined by Rose Tipka from Your Family's Place on guest, finding a unique market, building, "secret boxes" and more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Rose Tipka Your Family's Place

Finding The Functional Layer Of AI Tooling For Vacation Rental Growth (With Braeden Flaherty) 18.12.2024 53:41

In this episode, we're joined by Braeden Flaherty of Aidaptive (again!) to talk all things AI, tooling, what's functional today, growth with tools, conversion rates, "merchandising" and more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Aidaptive Braeden Flaherty

Looking For Growth In Unique Places (With Landon Schlabach) 11.12.2024 52:30

In this episode, we're joined by Landon Schlabach of BNB Breeze to chat growth, acquiring investors and inventory, taking care of guests, ops and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Landon Schlabach BNB Breeze

What Can We Learn From An "Ignored" Industry In Lodging? (With Nathan St Cyr) 04.12.2024 51:37

In this episode, we're joined by Nathan St Cyr of Howzit Hostels to chat all things hostels, travel, the cost of travel, hospitality and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Howzit Hostels Nathan St Cyr

How Does Marketing Build Success In The Top Vacation Rental Companies? (With Amber Carpenter) 27.11.2024 52:41

In this episode, we're joined by Amber Carpenter of VTrips to talk all things marketing, CXO, revenue, conversions, merchandising properties and a LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Amber Carpenter VTrips

Is It Possible To Build The Proper Loyalty Program For Unique Stay Hospitality Brands? (With Zach Busekrus) 20.11.2024 51:04

In this episode, we're joined by Zach Busekrus of Journey to discuss his recent joining of company & sale of StayWatch, loyalty, hospitality, unique stays, credit card points and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Zach Busekrus StayWatch Journey

Where Do We Go With Vacation Rental Industry Conferences? (With Madison Rifkin, Amy Hinote and Matt Landau) 13.11.2024 53:43

In this episode, we're joined by an all-star cast - Madison Rifkin, Amy Hinote and Matt Landau - to discuss the future of vacation rental industry events, DARM, looking for the right conference for you and a LOT more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Amy Hinote DARM Madison Rifkin Mount Matt Landau Here Goes Nothin

Why Stories About Our Destinations Matter & How They Can Build A Brand (With Tom Goodwin) 06.11.2024 48:27

In this episode, we're joined (again) by Tom Goodwin to share the launch of his podcast and upcoming media - For the Love of Gatlinburg Podcast! Tom shares a LOT more than just that however and goes into detail on building a brand, competing with the big guys, connecting with your local community and even more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell For the Lo...

Enhancing The Guest Experience By Listening In And Showing Up (With Annie Sloan) 30.10.2024 52:52

In this episode, we're joined by Annie Sloan of The Host Co. on all things guest experience, upsells, NRR (non rental-revenue), expansion, going from a host to a pro host and a lot more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Annie Sloan The Host Co.

Strong Vacation Rental Leadership: Big Vision, Great People, Get Out of the Way (With Clark Twiddy) 23.10.2024 59:26

In this episode, we're joined by Clark Twiddy from Twiddy & Company to share his thoughts on growth, leadership, balancing guest vs homeowner, being the 'best' in a market and a lot more. You do NOT want to miss this one. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Twiddy Clark Twiddy

How Much Progress Are We Making On Vacation Rental Safety? (With Justin Ford) 16.10.2024 52:44

In this episode, we're joined (again) by Justin Ford who is the Director of Short-Term Rental Safety & Certification Programs at Breezeway. Justin gives us an update on what's trending and happening in the world of safety in 2024 and where we need to do better. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Justin Ford Breezeway

How THIS Mindset Makes This Property Management Software Unlike Any Other... (With Paul Waldschmidt) 09.10.2024 56:57

In this episode, we're joined by Paul Waldschmidt, CEO of Ownerrez. We talk all about the origin of Ownerrez, an engineering mindset, updates, growth, funding in our space and LOT more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Paul Waldschmidt Ownerrez

Diving As Deep As We Can Into Vacation Rental Data (With Kenny Bedwell) 02.10.2024 57:46

In this episode, we're joined by Kenny Bedwell of STR Insights to talk all things data, marketing, ops, finding the right properties and a TON more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Kenny Bedwell STR Insights

What Does It Mean To Be A 'Professional' Vacation Rental Manager? 25.09.2024 48:11

In this episode, the trio takes on trying to better define what it means to be a truly "professional" property manager or vacation rental manager. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell

What Should Your Vacation Rental Business Do To Prevent Harmful Regulation? (With Scott Leggat) 18.09.2024 51:27

In this episode, we chat with Scott Leggat who is the Director Government Affairs & Advocacy at Inhabit IQ. We dive into regulations, how to build the right local relationships, marketing, Scott's background and more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Scott Leggat

How To Build The RIGHT Fundamentals In Your Vacation Rental Business 11.09.2024 46:03

In this episode, the trio takes on the fundamentals of vacation rental business building and how it applies to building a winning organization. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell The Webinar: Conrad / Adam

Diving Into The Data To Build The Ideal Approach To Getting More Bookings (With Jeff Brown) 04.09.2024 54:24

In this episode, we chat with Jeff Brown of IntelliHost on data, getting more traffic on Airbnb with testing, thumbnails, how to run tests and even more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Jeff Brown IntelliHost

Building A Large Vacation Rental Business The Smart Way (With Dustin Abney) 28.08.2024 55:41

In this episode, we chat with Dustin Abney of Portoro on his stunningly quick growth building his vacation rental mangement company to hundreds of units in just a few short years, trends, PMS platforms, building technology, what the future holds and a lot more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Portoro Dustin Abney

Welcoming All Travelers With Heart And Hospitality To Grow Your Vacation Rental Business (With Becky Large) 21.08.2024 56:49

In this episode, we chat with Becky Large of Autism Travel Club on her movement to accept all travelers, why focusing on families with Autism can be not just be more 'welcoming' but also a driver of growth for your business too. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Becky Large Autism Travel Club

Breaking Into The PMS Space With A Novel Approach (With Wes Smithe) 14.08.2024 54:03

In this episode, we interview Wes Smithe of Direct Software on what it's really like to build a PMS, his unique takes on where we're heading, how change is creating opportunity for Direct and a lot more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Direct Software Wes Smithe

Dealing With The Changing Landscape Of OTAs With Vrbo (With Tim Rosolio) 07.08.2024 49:38

In this episode, we interview Tim Rosolio of Vrbo / Expedia Group on all things Vrbo, technology, tech debt, building towards the future, merchadising vacation rentals and a lot more... Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Tim Rosolio One Key

Covering Everything That You Need To In Your Vacation Rental Property With The "Proper" Insurance (With Darren Pettyjohn) 31.07.2024 55:01

In this episode, we interview Darren Pettyjohn from Proper Insurance on why they're the world-class insurance product for vacation rental homeowners, guests and property managers. Darren shares his journey of what's it's like to 'swim away' from the crowd, being the most expensive offering and more. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Darren Pettyjohn Proper...

The Tools You Need To Build More Direct Bookings + Improve Hospitality (With Chris Walker) 24.07.2024 46:51

In this episode, we interview Chris Walker from Direct Booking Tools about his current approach to building tech that works and delivers the outcome that all PMs and VRMs are looking for. Chris also shares his background and history by getting into and building a vacation rental business in Hilton Head, SC. Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Adam Norko Scott Fasano Conrad O'Connell Chris Walker Di...