The Vacation Rental Manager's Podcast with Sarah and T

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T give you 7 steps that will help you easily lose owners.   NOT!   Seriously there is one aspect of the vacation rental business that can really undo all of your good work, and in today's episode our hosts take it on!   There is also a wrap of of the recent DARM Conference in Nashville, TN given in this episode.  Find all of Sarah and T's content at...

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T bring one of the stars of the DARM Conference to you as the conference begins in Nashville.  Jason Sprenkle of Key Data Dashboard is here to bring us up to date on trends in the Vacation Rental Business.   What areas are still red hot, what areas are not as hot as they once were, and what are the key things you should be watching.   Here's a hint - its...

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T tackle a subject that may have never been addressed before.   Raising your children to be "normal" in this crazy business.  What can you do to ensure you have a balance of family and business in your life?   Well one thing is for sure these two don't know, but they give a good try in this episode of how it could happen. In the Not So Hot Off T...

Send a text Greg Lindsay is this week's guest on Sarah and T.   He is an author, speaker, and an expert on the future of cities, mobility and technology.   He brings a perspective to vacation rentals that should make our listeners take note.    Pay attention to his take on what is important to travelers and why rental managers and property owners should care.    A well spoken and thoughtful s...

Send a text In this week's episode Sarah and T talk to one of the most positive and helpful person in the Vacation Rental Industry.  John Suzuki has spent the last 17 years working for what is now Expedia brands.   He recently announced his retirement, and in this episode he reflects on the industry he loves, his life philosophy, and his varied music preferences.   It is a fun and fast paced...

Send a text In this week's episode Sarah and T cover the 2022 Expedia Explore Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.   Explore 22 brought together representatives from Airlines, Cruise lines, Rental Car companies, Hotels, and for the first time ever - Vacation Rentals!   Tim went to the event as a member of the press and brought back lots of great information for you to consider as you position you...

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T talk about the unexpected.  Sarah and her husband sold their companies.    Hear about the ups and downs of the process, what she is going to do next, and who purchased Steamboat Lodging Company and Winter Park Lodging Company.   An episode worthy of taking notes about how to sell your company. Find all of Sarah and T's content at www.sarahandt.com You c...

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T tackle a timely subject.   Adding property owners to your rental program.   Everyone wants to do it, but does everyone know how to do it properly?   In this episode Sarah and T start with 12 tips (but end up giving about 16 tips) about how to make sure you get the right fit with your property owner and your rental program. Find all of Sarah and T's cont...

Send a text Sarah and T meet Sibylle Kim in this episode.   Sibylle has a house in Vermont that she self manages, and she is a consummate professional in how she delivers her property to guests.   Take a listen to the passion she has for the vacation rental industry and how important she thinks advocacy is for all vacation rental managers.    Find all of Sarah and T's content at www.sarahandt...

Send a text This week our two hosts split the country in two and each attended a spring education conference.  Sarah took the west part of the country and attended a conference in Oregon, and Tim took the east part of the country and attended a conference in Chicago. Listen to the takeaways from both conferences in this edition of Sarah and T.   Fun times, a queen's tray, and a tray of bacon...

Send a text In this episode of Sarah and T our two hosts revisit a very popular topic.   Pet peeves about vacation rental websites.   Last year at this time Sarah and T reviewed some of the most frustrating things about vacation rental websites, and now one year later there are even more things that are peevish about websites they want to share with you today.   Find out those things that we do wh...

Send a text In one of the most eye opening episodes Sarah and T have ever done, you will meet an amazing lady who is working to change the vacation rental industry.   Have you ever thought about staying in a vacation rental from the perspective of someone with accessibility challenges?    Listen to the story of Becomingrentable.com founder Lorraine Woodward who has muscular dystrophy and who is wo...

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T share some real nuggets about how to have an effective off site company retreat.   In this episode we discover there are three different kinds of retreats, and there are different strategies about how to set the event up.   Listen to tons of real life experience from our Hosts about how to do a retreat, and how NOT to do a retreat. Find all of Sarah and T&ap...

Send a text We are calling this the 6 T episode.    Top ten time tested tactics today to keep your employees.   Sarah and T put an opposite spin on their last podcast where they talked about what to do to lose employees.  Today they speak of what to do to keep those treasured staff members that make your company cook with gas!   Lots of great ideas, stories and takeaways in this episode. Find all...

Send a text In this week's episode our two hosts discuss what we don't want to think about - how we drive away staff from our companies.   Do you micromanage your people?   Do you have a terrible onboarding process?   Do you have stupid rules in place?   The likely answer to at least one of these questions is yes, and this week Sarah and T talk about how to stop doing dumb things that dr...

Send a text In this episode of Sarah and T the hosts welcome, for the 3rd consecutive year, Jeff Hurst, the COO of Expedia Brands.   This podcast is an interview with one of the top people in hospitality and covers a wide variety of topics that are relevant to the vacation rental industry.  Find out what Jeff thinks about Google, private equity funding that is fueling company purchases, and what s...

Send a text In the first episode of 2022 Sarah and T hold up the mirror and bear their dirty secrets about large and small fails they've had in rolling out new ideas in their businesses.   When you have a new idea and want to implement it make sure you have a process you follow.   Our two hosts have had plenty of experience on good implementations and not so good ones.   Take a listen to this...

Send a text In one of the most anticipated episodes of the year, Sarah and Tim review their predictions from last year, make their predictions for next year, and review the top 10 episodes of their podcast for 2021. These two are always fun to listen to, but in this episode they are at their best.   Listen to what they got right for 2021, what they think will happen in 2022, and what episodes you...

Send a text This week's episode of Sarah and T takes you to the main stage of the recent VRM Intel Women's Summit in New Orleans.   The keynote speaker for the event was Amber Hurdle, and her message is important for all of us to hear.   Find out what bold, unwavering and confident women in business are thinking, how personal and professional branding are important to all, and find out w...

Send a text Do you have a company mission statement?  Do you know what it is?   Does your staff know what it is?   Most importantly is your front line staff delivering on the mission that you want as they deal with guests, property owners, vendors and each other?   In this super take away filled episode Sarah and T explore how to get your folks on the same page with you and ensure everyone knows t...

Send a text In this episode Sarah and T do a review on a subject they tackled in 2018.   What are the top amenities requested by guests in a vacation rental.   Some are the same, some are similar, and some are brand new.   Listen to their list, and see if you agree.   In the Not So Hot Off the Press but definitely happening find our what Southwest Airlines knows that Air BnB will never figure out....

Send a text In this week's episode Sarah and T speak to Tiffany Edwards.  Tiffany is on to talk to us about growing up in the business, what is the best way to handle a response to issues when they arise, and the importance of being nice.  Tiffany was the most recent award winner of VRMA's President's Award.   Listen to this genuine person speak of one of the biggest challenges in t...

Send a text In this much anticipated episode Sarah and T have asked some of their friends to fill us all in on the best takeaways from the VRMA International Conference in San Antonio, Texas.   In a fast paced episode we give you more than 100 ideas, ah ha moments, and things to think about from the recent conference.  Special thanks to all of our participants (Robin Cragen, Paul Becker, Amy Gaste...

Send a text This week is the week of the VRMA International Conference in San Antonio, Texas.  Unfortunately Sarah and T will not be in attendance, but in the spirit of being at the conference this week's episode gives you an idea of what to do if you are there.   Ask other people questions about how their year went, and the best ideas others are implementing.  Sarah and T act as if they are...

Send a text In this episode, Sarah and T tackle the topic of governmental regulations on short term rentals head on.   Has this been a problem in your area?   If not you are either not paying attention or you have been extremely lucky so far.   The best defense is a good offense, and in this episode Sarah and Tim go over 8 proactive strategies you can use when your local government starts to think...