Unlocked by Matt Landau

It's the the season premiere of Unlocked Magic Zones!  In this episode,  Steph Farr of Maya Luxe walks us through every aspect of her vacation rental business.  From owner relations, giving back to the community and thriving during a global pandemic, Steph is one of the most limited edition vacation rental managers we've ever seen.   This episode is brought to you by Point Central , the leaders in...

VRMB is thrilled to announce Season 6 of Unlocked by Matt Landau, a podcast that invites you to be a fly-on-the-wall with some of the most creative vacation rental professionals in the world.   The first episode premieres Wednesday February 17th, 2021.  

In this special episode, Terry and Matt announce the winners of the 2021 VRMB Keystone Awards!  The theme of this year's awards is agility and they cover property management software for any size vacation rental business as well as several categories of third party software.   Thank you to Vintory for bringing us this year's Keystone Awards. Vintory is the only sales and marketing agency in the va...

As we prepare to launch a new season of Unlocked, Matt sits down with Eric Thibodeaux of Current Tides and Safer VR's for a very detailed discussion of growing and running a vacation rental business, the technology used for operations, incorporating long-term rentals into your portfolio and the upcoming Vacation Rental Business in Today's World virtual summit, which kicks off of February 1st. Reso...

In this special edition of Unlocked , we're airing the first episode of the How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business podcast and kicking it off with an exclusive intro from Matt and Dana.  This new podcast is produced by VRMB Communities, hosted by Dana and something Matt's been passionate about for sometime, now. Vacation rental professionals can no longer afford to ignore community based advoca...

Dr. Louis Rosenberg founded Unanimous AI to pursue a crazy idea – that we can amplify the intelligence of human groups by developing a new form of AI based on the biological principles of Swarm Intelligence .  The idea panned out, resulting in Swarm AI technology, a powerful method amplifying group intelligence.   Community thinking is essential to the survival of the vacation rental industry and...

There was no thought of a pandemic when Matt sat down with Brian Olson of Beachcomber Vacation Homes at last year's LiveRez conference.  The industry was already in turmoil, however, and Brian's 'everything's gonna be alright' philosophy came as a real comfort.   More importantly, his years of experience and deliberate approach to growing and maintaining a highly professional vacation rental busin...

Before all of this pandemic madness started, Matt went to visit Karen and John Bobe on Alabama's Gulf Coast to soak up the sun, drink bourbon and talk vacation rentals.  Karen and John have 18 years of experience running an extremely professional family vacation rental business.  This episode is chock full of actionable advice that is more relevant than ever, now.  It is also a lot of fun! Please...

Harsha L'Acqua runs Saira Hospitality, a non-profit transforming the way hotels connect with local communities through education. Her insights into hospitality, staffing and motivation provide a wealth of unique takeaways and actionable ideas for your vacation rental business.  Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: Vintory is the only sales and marketing agency in the vacati...

Pierre Becerril is CEO of Transparent, a data intelligence provider for the short-term rental industry. Their analytics and dashboards help compare rates, improve pricing, analyse demand, supply and upcoming events and they recently released a free version you can try.  Pierre and Matt sat down in person at last year's VRMA and dove deep into travel, hospitality and the vacation rental industry.  ...

Robin has spent a lifetime in adventurous areas of hospitality and now runs a luxury, mountain oriented vacation rental business with his family.  In this episode, Robin talks to Matt about finding balance on the journey, company culture and the challenges and hopes for high-touch hospitality in the new Covid era. Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: Vintory is the only sal...

Nathan Schneider is the director of the Media Enterprise Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder.  He is also a journalist and author who is currently exploring models for democratic ownership and governance for online platforms and protocols. Nathan has a deep knowledge of cooperative business models, an age old, but oft overlooked concept that continues with great relevance in the moder...

In this episode, Sarah Franzen of Natural Retreats gives us deep insight into the world of revenue management.  This is a practice that includes much more than just dynamic pricing and it should be part of every successful vacation rental business. Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: PointCentral, the leader in business grade smart property solutions designed for rental pr...

Margot is CEO and Co-Founder of Hostfully which services more than 17,000 vacation rental properties worldwide.  She is also an Apple veteran and her focus on community-driven products brings a unique perspective to the vacation rental industry.  In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she covers everything from finding focus in difficult times to automation in the vacation rental experience. Please v...

Jeremiah Gall is the founder and CEO of Breezeway and a true vacation rental industry veteran.  In this interview, he and Matt explore how the current challenges facing the vacation rental industry may help it forge a stronger, safer, and more professional future. Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: PointCentral, the leader in business grade smart property solutions design...

Casey Halloran has built a travel empire selling custom, upscale trips across Central and South America and operating a boutique hotel in Costa Rica.  He is also an early mentor to Matt and the reason Matt first came to Latin America and got into vacation rentals.  In this episode we explore the evolution of Namu Travel Group from its humble beginnings to its pre-covid status and dive into the dif...

Christina Thoreson is an entrepreneur and self-described numbers person who runs Chattanooga Vacation Rentals with her husband Thor.  In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she explores what makes a vacation rental business sustainable and looks at the future of drive-to destinations in the post covid world. Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: PointCentral, the leader in busi...

Shaun Stewart is a visionary and seasoned tech leader with a hospitality background from companies like Airbnb and Jetsetter.  He is now CEO of Newlab, which applies transformative technologies to things that matter.  In this episode he joins Matt to talk about innovation in times of crisis, evolving attitudes about tech, and give unique perspective on the vacation rental industry. Please visit ou...

An African tent safari led Lynn to find the epitome of a limited edition vacation rental business and incredible glamping experience in Texas Hill Country. In this episode she talks to Matt about the experience she continues to perfect, reconnecting with her property during crisis, and why one is enough.   Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: Breezeway's operations platform...

In this episode of Unlocked, Matt and Michelle Williams of Atlantic Vacation Homes and the VRMA Board of Directors change up the format and tackle a host of pressing vacation rental industry problems round-robin style. Dependence on listing sites, poor diversity, bad actors and bad regulation, tech madness and a whole lot more.  Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: Breezewa...

Matthew and his wife Angela came to vacation rentals accidentally in the wake of the financial crisis and have since built a powerhouse business from Central Oregon to Southern Utah.  In this virtual sit-down, Matthew gives a masterclass on the workings of a true lifestyle business where family is everything, employees are like family, and guests keep coming back.  The two Matts also delve into Li...

Viktoria Ujj spent 16 years in leadership roles at luxury hotels around the world before settling in Maui and developing Sunny Maui Vacations.  In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she talks about the tough realities facing the Hawaiian vacation rental market and how she is using all of her hospitality knowledge to keep her business and her 'Ohana' strong for a brighter future.    Please visit our...

Rafat Ali created Skift, the travel industry insider source for news, insight and trends. In this episode of Unlocked, Rafat and Matt explore a post-covid world and what it means for vacation rentals, travel, and business survival. Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: Breezeway's operations platform makes it easy to ensure quality, safety, and cleanliness across your proper...

Heleena Sideris brings the best elements of her non-profit background to her family vacation rental business in Park City.  In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she explores the bright post-covid future of outdoor destinations like Park City and talks about finding meaning and creating community with vacation rentals.   Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible: Breezeway's operat...

Chip Conley has disrupted the hospitality industry on more than one occasion.  First as 26 year old founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which transformed an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America.  Many years later he would get a call from Brian Chesky to join Airbnb as the head of Global Hospitality and Strategy.   In this episode of Unlocked, Chip joins us vir...