Behind the Stays

Meet Amy Dourson from Red River Gorgeous, a collection of unique cabins, treehouses, and instagram-famous cliff houses in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Growing up, Amy wanted to be a doctor. So, she spent a lot of her time studying as she was determined to go to medical school. But, after a series of adventurous and serendipitous events, Amy fell in love with carpentry and decided to exchange her dreams of becoming a doctor with a new dream to become a builder. When Amy met her husband Aaron, his family owned a few cabins in the Nada Tunnel Road in the heart of the gorge. The business — if you could call it that — was hanging on by little more than a wing and a prayer. As Amy saw it, the couple had two options — let the family business run its course or adopt a new vision of building a collection of unique stays that would introduce the world to the geological wonders of the Gorge that she had fallen in love with. The couple chose the latter. Tune in to hear how Amy transformed a side-hustle family business into a thriving hospitality brand, how she’s strategically partnered with folks like Canopy Crew to build one-of-a-kind treehouses, how she’s built the right team to support the company’s growth, and her vision for the future of travel and hospitality. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. If you have more than one short-term-rental, chances are you use a system for your property management — something like Guesty or Uplisting. Well, Minoan is a TOTALLY FREE system that hosts use for furnishing and refreshing their homes. Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Create your free account here and be sure to tell the team that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Ben Wolff — Founder and Creator of Onera — a truly one-of-a-kind collection of unique escapes in the Texas Hill Country. Ben is no stranger to hospitality entrepreneurship. Prior to starting Onera, Ben founded and grew ProTripper, a property management services platform, and Blink Hospitality, a data-driven, vacation rental company with hundreds of properties across the US. But then something happened in early March 2020 that changed everything. Ben was overseas celebrating the prior year’s successes with a team he had built in the Philippines when his phone began vibrating uncontrollably. Guests were canceling their stays as news broke that the WHO had announced that COVID-19 was now a pandemic. And while COVID crushed Ben’s core business, which primarily focused on STRs in urban locations, it inspired him to think bigger, bolder, and more creatively than ever before. Tune in to hear the story behind how this set of seemingly-doomsday day events led to the creation of an innovative hospitality company offering luxury, eco-focused, unique stays in beautiful, natural landscapes. Book a Stay at Onera Follow Onera on Instagram Connect with Ben on LinkedIn Follow Ben on Twitter This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. If you have more than one short-term-rental, chances are you use a system for your property management — something like Guesty or Uplisting. Well, Minoan is a TOTALLY FREE system that hosts use for furnishing and refreshing their homes. Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Create your free account here and be sure to tell the team that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Chelsea Dunckley — the Founder of Digs Co, a hospitality company that specializes in creating elevated vacation rentals in Central Washington and the Greater Phoenix area. Chelsea and her husband Luke have always loved real estate. After getting married, you’d often find the couple working on nights and weekends flipping homes while discussing the latest trends in design, real estate, and hospitality. But it wasn’t until Chelsea received some unexpected news from the tech company she worked at that she and her entire unit were to be let go that she decided to try her hand at transforming Digs Co from a fun side hustle into her full time gig. In this conversation, Chelsea and I discuss the power and importance of brand building, why Chelsea is so discerning about the properties she chooses to manage for clients within the context of the Digs Co. brand, how and why she’s structured her portfolio into thematic collections, and much more. Book a Stay at Digs Co. Follow Digs Co. on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. If you have more than one short-term-rental, chances are you use a system for your property management — something like Guesty or Uplisting. Well, Minoan is a TOTALLY FREE system that hosts use for furnishing and refreshing their homes. Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Create your free account here and be sure to tell the team that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

In this special episode, Zach sits down with Amy from Allbelongco to discuss the viral story behind her missing painting. One of Amy's recent Airbnb guests stole a painting and then REPLACED it with one of his own. Amy posted about this on Instagram and TikTok...and it went viral! Tune into the riveting, somewhat unbelievable story behind this mystery unfolding (in real time) in Lynchburg, Virginia. Follow Allbelongco on Instagram. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. If you have more than one short-term-rental, chances are you use a system for your property management — something like Guesty or Uplisting. Well, Minoan is a TOTALLY FREE system that hosts use for furnishing and refreshing their homes. Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Create your free account here and be sure to tell the team that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Meet Jacob Halverson, the General Manager of Mendocino Grove — a luxury glamping resort on 32 wooded acres in Mendocino County, California. After studying hospitality management at Lakeland University, Jacob started his career as a front desk manager at Custer State Park Resort in South Dakota. Since then, he’s helped launch luxury boutique hotels, started his own hospitality consultancy, and, currently, serves as the General Manager at Mendocino Grove. In this lively conversation, Jacob and I discuss the massive opportunity that exists in the luxe camping space, how to increase revenue and profitability when you’ve reached the ceiling for your nightly rate, and the future of experiential travel. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. If you have more than one short-term-rental, chances are you use a system for your property management — something like Guesty or Uplisting. Well, Minoan is a TOTALLY FREE system that hosts use for furnishing and refreshing their homes. Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Create your free account here and be sure to tell the team that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jenny Power, the creator of The Cornerstone Cottage, a carefully restored historic home near Acadia National Park in Lamoine, Maine. Jenny wasn’t looking for a vacation rental — and while she enjoys hosting at her home in Houston, Texas the idea of becoming a short-term-rental host wasn’t remotely on her mind. Jenny’s family are long-time Mainers and she grew up spending lots of time in The Pine Tree State. And so when Jenny and her husband Allan visited Maine in the latter half of the pandemic, they were reminded just how magical this part of the world really is…and mere moments after this realization while on a walk down the street, they stumbled upon a For Sale sign on an impeccable waterfront property. Tune in to hear the vibrant story of how Jenny and Allan acquired The Cornerstone Cottage, which had once been a part of a hotel that families like the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers used to stay in on their way to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, and carefully brought it into its next chapter of life. Follow The Cornerstone Cottage on Instagram This episode is brought to you by DEN Outdoors. You’ve seen them all over Instagram… You may have also seen them in Dwell Magazine…. And if you love design, travel, and hospitality, chances are you’ve even dreamed about what it would be like to build your very own A-Frames, Cabins, or Barnhouse with their designs. DEN Outdoors began because its founders knew that building a cabin changes who you are, having a cabin changes how you live, and sharing a cabin changes how you engage with others. I’ve met so many incredible hosts in the short-term-rental community who have used DEN designs to build their bespoke escapes, many of whom have been guests on this podcast. And now, it brings me SO much joy to announce that we’ve partnered with DEN to bring you an exclusive discount on their digital design plans. By using the discount code SPONSTAY50 at checkout, you can get ANY of DEN’s digital plans for 50% off…that’s right…5-0. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet John Stokinger — Co-Host of the No BS Short-Term Rental Podcast and the Director of Sales at Direct, a SaaS platform for short-term rental property and reservation management. In this wide-ranging conversation, John and I talk about his time at the popular start-up, Hopper, how to build better technology platforms for short-term rental hosts, the pros and cons of industry events, and the powerful network effects of podcasting. Connect with John on LinkedIn Check out The No BS Short-Term Rental Podcast Learn more about Direct. This episode is brought to you by DEN Outdoors. You’ve seen them all over Instagram… You may have also seen them in Dwell Magazine…. And if you love design, travel, and hospitality, chances are you’ve even dreamed about what it would be like to build your very own A-Frames, Cabins, or Barnhouse with their designs. DEN Outdoors began because its founders knew that building a cabin changes who you are, having a cabin changes how you live, and sharing a cabin changes how you engage with others. I’ve met so many incredible hosts in the short-term-rental community who have used DEN designs to build their bespoke escapes, many of whom have been guests on this podcast. And now, it brings me SO much joy to announce that we’ve partnered with DEN to bring you an exclusive discount on their digital design plans. By using the discount code SPONSTAY50 at checkout, you can get ANY of DEN’s digital plans for 50% off…that’s right…5-0. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Travis Wilburn and Rebecca Lombardo — the founders of The 100 Collection, a curation of the best properties from trusted vacation rental brands on a mission to set the gold standard for hospitality. Travis has built and run companies in travel and hospitality for well over a decade. His working knowledge spans every level of his organizations, from operations to business development, to maintenance. And Rebecca is seasoned marketing executive with 15 years of experience developing brands and content for travel publications like Yahoo Travel and Orlando Magazine as well as several Fortune 100 companies. In this episode, this dynamic duo unpack their vision for a new era and standard of hospitality for the short-term and vacation rental markets and discuss crucial topics like: How to build a loyalty program in the vacation rental market How to fight back against the market-share owned by OTAs like Airbnb How to grow a meaningful, consumer-facing hospitality brand And much more Discover the 100 Collection Connect with Travis and Rebecca on LinkedIn. This episode is brought to you by DEN Outdoors. You’ve seen them all over Instagram… You may have also seen them in Dwell Magazine…. And if you love design, travel, and hospitality, chances are you’ve even dreamed about what it would be like to build your very own A-Frames, Cabins, or Barnhouse with their designs. DEN Outdoors began because its founders knew that building a cabin changes who you are, having a cabin changes how you live, and sharing a cabin changes how you engage with others. I’ve met so many incredible hosts in the short-term-rental community who have used DEN designs to build their bespoke escapes, many of whom have been guests on this podcast. And now, it brings me SO much joy to announce that we’ve partnered with DEN to bring you an exclusive discount on their digital design plans. By using the discount code SPONSTAY50 at checkout, you can get ANY of DEN’s digital plans for 50% off…that’s right…5-0. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

In just a moment you’ll meet Doug Heestand, the owner of the Desert of Maine, a unique and intriguing roadside attraction located in Freeport, Maine. In this podcast interview, Doug shares his journey of transforming the Desert of Maine from a simple tourist attraction to a thriving hospitality company. We explore the origins of the Desert of Maine, its unique geological features, and the challenges Doug faced when taking over the business. He shares how he implemented innovative strategies and creative ideas to rebrand the attraction and turn it into a destination that offers a range of exciting activities and experiences for visitors. Throughout the conversation, Doug emphasizes the importance of taking risks, embracing change, and following your passion when pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams. Doug's inspiring story and valuable insights will leave you feeling motivated and inspired to pursue your own entrepreneurial dreams and make a positive impact on the world. Discover the Desert of Maine Book a Stay at the Desert of Maine Follow the Desert of Maine on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Janice Stitzer, the creator of The Back Country A-Frame in Kremmling, Colorado. One afternoon Janice was flipping through a Dwell magazine when she stumbled upon a piece about a new start-up called DEN, which was selling plans for some of the most beautiful cabins she had ever seen. Janice was so impressed by the gorgeous DEN designs, particularly their designs for A-Frames, that right then and there she decided it was time to put her dream of building a short-term-rental from the ground up to life. In this podcast, Janice shares her journey of how she was first inspired to build an A-Frame Airbnb, the challenges she faced during the process and we delve deep into the topic of budgeting for a new A-Frame build and discuss the actual cost of building an A-Frame near Rocky Mountain National Park. Follow the Back Country A-Frame on Instagram Stay at the Back Country A-Frame This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Andrew Kitchell, a hospitality and proptech entrepreneur currently leading the team at Wheelhouse — a technology platform that helps you manage your short-term rentals as professionally and efficiently as major hotels—from understanding performance to better nightly pricing. Andrew is no stranger to tech or hospitality…in fact, he was building companies in Silicon Valley while a then-small start-up “Air Bed and Breakfast” was working their way through Y Combinator, the most exclusive of startup accelerators in the world. In this episode, Andrew and I discuss: - The revenue management strategies that the best hospitality entrepreneurs use to scale their brand reach as well as their revenue and profitability -new business opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to build in the ever-dynamic industry of hospitality - and what the future of travel, workcations, and experiential stays just might look like. Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn here or on Twitter here. Learn more about Wheelhouse here. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jen and Michael Penchansky, the creators of Casa Nevana, the first short-term rental in the couple’s newly founded portfolio, Nevana Properties. Michael and Jen met while working in the fashion industry in New York City. Michael founded a software company in fashion tech and Jen was employee number one, so the couple know a thing or ten about how to work together. Michael grew up going to Hunter, New York in the Catskills with his family and always had an appreciation for the reprieve the mountains offered from life in the city. So, when Michael and Jen began dreaming about starting a boutique hospitality brand centered around building a collection of luxurious, but accessible, short-term rentals, the couple new that the first home in their collection just had to be in Hunter. Tune in to hear the story of how Michael and Jen leveraged the local community to build their home in record time, the careful consideration that went into the founding of their hospitality brand, and what they have planned next. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Michael and Jen. Book Your Stay at Casa Nevana This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Wil Slickers — founder of Hospitality FM, the largest network of hospitality podcasts, and the co-founder of Recreation Rentals, a boutique collection of vacation rentals with luxury hotel-like operations. While working as a hotel manager in the pacific northwest, Wil stared a podcast called Slick Talk — a show that explores the dynamic nature of the hospitality industry — from short-term rentals and boutique hotels to Michelin star restaurants and five star resorts. Now this show Wil started as a fun side project? Well, a lot of people liked it…and before too long, Wil quick his job as a hotel manager and decided to build a niche media company dedicated to the professionals in the industry. Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how Wil founded and scaled Hospitality FM into the leading digital professional development space for hospitality entrepreneurs and what his hot takes on the future of the industry will look like. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Michael Albaum — a professional remote real estate investor, Airbnb superhost, and fellow podcaster. After getting an engineering degree and moving to the Bay Area, Michael stumbled upon a book that would forever shift his perspective on work and wealth…and that book was Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad. In this episode of Behind the Stays, Michael shares candidly about how he’s been able to grow a portfolio of short-term and longer-term rentals that are mostly remote — as in, he doesn’t live in close proximity to his properties. Michael and I chat about: the pros and cons of using a property manager the importance of balancing perspectives and decisions from both an investment and hospitality lens the future of OTAs like Airbnb how to get a crash course on real estate investment on Twitter and much more. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jonah Hanig, Founder and CEO of Rove — a premium portfolio of luxury Airbnbs designed for discerning travelers. Jonah grew up in the Chicago suburbs and always had a knack for tinkering with business ideas. After going to school in New York, Jonah decided to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur and was fortunate enough to get accepted to Y Combinator — the most prestigious of start-up accelerators in the world. Fun fact — Airbnb is a YC company! Soon after being accepted to YC covid hit…and, well, Jonah’s startup wasn’t immune to the disruption that all of us felt in those early days. But it wasn’t long before Jonah had another idea…and that idea was to offer a Ritz-Carlton-like experience within the context of a collection of highly-curated short-term rentals. Tune in to hear the story of: Where the idea for Rove came from How Rove is building the Ritz-Carlton of STRs Why Rove is also building a Zillow for STR investors How Rove has thought about differentiation in an increasingly-crowded marketplace This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Welcome to Marketing Mondays — a new, weekly segment on the Behind the Stays podcast that covers specific marketing strategies and tactics that Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs can immediately use to promote their stays. On this third episode Zach covers all things Email A/B testing! Email A/B tests are incredibly important...yet many Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs fail to conduct them regularly. I did a recent poll with some of the hosts in the space whose brands I respect the most and asked if they’ve run A/B tests to their email lists and 95% of them said no! Testing is INCREDIBLY important if you want to grow as a hospitality marketer — and, as far as I’m concerned, if you’re collecting guest emails to increase your direct bookings or to communicate with them after their stay, you are, in fact, a hospitality marketer. Now the reason folks don’t A/B test their emails typically comes down to time… Well folks, I’ve got some great news for you! I've taken the time to come up with 10 different email A/B tests that you can (and should) test out. These are fun! And pretty creative(ish) — if we do say so ourselves. If you use any of them, be sure to let us know which version won! Let us know what you think about this new segment by sending us a DM on Instagram @sponstayneous, shooting our founder a DM on Twitter, or sending him an email at [email protected] . Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jeff Iloulian — Founder and CEO of HostGPO, a buying group for the short term rental industry. After graduating with a degree in Economics from Columbia, Jeff thought he wanted to be an attorney, so went to Law School. But after practicing law for a few years, Jeff was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug so he founded a real estate and technology investment company called Winthorpe Valentine which grew to manage over 250 short-term rentals. Managing more than 250 properties meant that Jeff spent a lot of time buying furniture and other furnishings for his homes. While the homes he managed certainly varied in style and size, Jeff often found himself buying 100 of the same broom or 50 of the same bookshelf all at retail price. And that’s when the idea, which would eventually become HostGPO was born. Tune in to hear the story of how Jeff founded HostGPO and scaled it to be the largest buying group of short-term rental hosts in the country. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Devon Loerop, the creator of The Pacific Bin — a luxurious escape made of 5 shipping containers, just an hour outside of Seattle. Devon grew up in the midwest but was born with a New York City mindset — from the time he was young, he hustled hard, and enjoyed proving people wrong when they said “he couldn’t, shouldn’t, or wouldn’t” do something. Devon is a mechanical engineer by trade, but after being bored out of his mind during his first job after college, he decided to try his hand as a creative and became obsessed with photography and videography. And, while he didn’t know it at the time, this decision would quite literally change the course of his life. Tune in to hear the story of how Devon: Left the Chicago suburbs and moved to Seattle on a whim Invested his entire life savings into Tesla stock at the perfect moment Learned how to weld so that he could build a unique Airbnb by himself Spent $500,000 building a one-of-a-kind, category-re-defining container home in the Cascade Mountains of Washington Grew an Instagram following from 0 to 750k in one year This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Michael Romanowicz, the founder and CEO of DEN Outdoors. Mike is a software designer by trade, but has always had a love for the natural world. So, when he wasn’t busy leading the product team at Conductor, which was a content marketing platform owned by WeWork, Mike was tinkering with some designs for a minimalist, beautiful cabin he could build in the woods one day. After sharing his designs with some buddies and seeing their positive reactions he thought that there might be an opportunity to sell these plans to others. And, well, an opportunity there sure was. Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how: How Mike bootstrapped DEN Outdoors to seven figures of revenue How Instagram fueled DEN’s growth and inspired Mike to leave his day job How he landed Jimmy Kimmel as an Angel Investor And the exciting new offerings DEN is building for the next generation of builders and hospitality entrepreneurs. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty for Hosts... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Chase Charifa, the creator of the Lightfoot Cabin — a cozy, unique escape nestled in the foothills of Big Bear Mountain in Southern California. A few years ago, Chase and his wife April started a production studio as a side hustle. The couple regretted not having a videographer at their wedding and this inspired them to start their own studio to shoot weddings and events. In doing research for how to bring their studio to life, they stumbled upon Levi Kelly’s Airbnb tours. Levi Kelly is one of the OG Airbnb influencers and has amassed over 80 million views on his YouTube channel. Chase and April were so inspired by his videos that they decided to create their own unique stay. Tune into hear the exciting story of how Chase and April: Transformed a run-of-the-mill cabin into a Dwell and Condé Nast featured, multi-sensory, truly unique stay Bought and sold Teslas to help grow their short-term rental portfolio Acquire more traditional rentals to help them fund unique ones Created a secret experience that guests LOVE that’s not noted on their Airbnb listing Book a Stay at Lightfoot Cabin Follow the Lightfoot Cabin on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty... Will you send them a quick message thanking them for being a sponsor? You can email them here or DM them on social media here! While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Welcome to another Marketing Mondays on the Behind the Stays podcast feed! In this episode we chat ALL about SEO and how Airbnb hosts can leverage the power of great keyword research to increase their organic rankings on Google. In today's lesson we share a lot of screenshots and data...so...you MAY wish to WATCH this episode on YouTube, which you can do here: Stream Marketing Mondays on YouTube. In this 30-minute power episode you'll learn: How to find and target keywords that align with your short-term rental brand How to out-optimize pages ranking higher than yours How to splice your target keywords into headers on your website We also use Field & Lake as a case study during this episode...discover the incredible brand their founder, Sara Roitman, is creating by visiting their website, following them on Instagram, or booking one of their stays below: Field & Lake Website Field & Lake Instagram Field & Lake Airbnb Listings Subscribe to Behind the Stays wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to Sponstayneous to get the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Brooke Pfautz, founder and CEO of Vintory — a sales and marketing platform exclusively dedicated to helping professional vacation rental managers and short-term rental entrepreneurs grow their inventory. Brooke built one of the largest mortgage banking firms in the DC Metro Area, but when the financial crisis of 2008 hit, Brooke began to reconsider what it was he wanted to do with his life. After a serendipitous conversation with an investor-friend of his, Brooke decided that building a premier, boutique vacation rental company would serve as an exciting next chapter in his professional journey, so he founded “Vantage Resort Realty” and grew his company from 0 to 500 properties under management in just 5 years. Tune in to hear the motivating story of: How Brooke grew his company from zero-to-one How he was one of the first management companies to use VRBO What it was like in the Vacation Rental Management world when Airbnb first came onto the scene And how we came across the idea that would ultimately lead him to found the first-ever marketing and sales platform designed to help hospitality entrepreneurs and real estate investors grow their portfolios. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Guesty. Will you do us a favor and thank Gusty for being a Behind the Stays sponsor by DM'ing them on Social Media or writing them a quick email? While there are many property management softwares on the market, I always encourage our listeners to check out Guesty For Hosts. Guesty's channel manager centralizes reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to stay on top of your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. Guesty’s new and improved Website Builder allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your brand and increase your direct bookings. And finally, Guesty is positioned well to grow with you. As your business grows, you can grow with Guesty For Pros, unlocking new features and offerings designed for larger portfolios. So here’s the deal. If you’re an. STR host without a PMS system or a host looking at exploring a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers $20 off an annual or monthly plan of Guesty For Hosts when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” when signing up for a free 14 day trial - no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Guesty For Hosts — they’re the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Welcome to Marketing Mondays — a new, weekly segment on the Behind the Stays podcast that covers specific marketing strategies and tactics that Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs can immediately use to promote their stays. On this second episode of this new Behind the Stays segment, Zach covers: Why you should build a website for your Airbnb even if you don't have a direct booking site How to start ranking The CMSes that Airbnb hosts should consider building their websites on Let us know what you think about this new segment by sending us a DM on Instagram @sponstayneous, shooting our founder a DM on Twitter, or sending him an email at [email protected] . Before we dive in, I want to quickly plug a product my team and I recently moved out of beta, called Ping, because I think a lot of y’all tuning into this chat will get real value from it! Ping is a simple plugin that lives on your website or direct booking site and integrates with you Airbnb calendar and notifies your fans and followers the minute there is a match between your home’s availability and their desired travel dates. Ping was designed specifically for hosts with unique stays that typically have limited availability. The insta stories y’all post about last minute cancellations is a great start, but what it you could also automatically Ping folks who’ve already expressed interest in the very dates that just opened up?! And that’s exactly what Ping does. All prospective guest data collected in Ping is available to you and if you purchase a premium plan you can integrate Ping directly with you Mail Chimp or Constant Contact accounts! Learn more at BnBping.com or shoot our founder Zach an email at [email protected] if you've got questions! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Levi Kelly — a creator whose cabin tour videos have garnered nearly 80 millions views on YouTube. Growing up, Levi used to goof around and shoot funny videos with his buddies and then edit them on the iMovie app on his phone. In high school he realized that shooting and editing video was more than just a hobby of his…it felt like something he was destined to do. After successfully landing a few freelance clients in college, Levi came to the realization that he didn’t like paying tuition to be taught something he already knew how to do…so he dropped out of school to pursue video full time. And it was around this time where he posted his first tour of a tiny home on his YouTube channel. Well Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son, happened to see this video and share it on Twitter…and, well, it went viral. Tune in to hear the story behind how Levi used his love of storytelling to produce video tours of the world’s most incredible Airbnbs. Watch Levi's Videos on YouTube Follow Levi on Instagram Explore Levi's website This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Whitney and Andrew Bradberry, the creators of the Front Range A-Frame in Bailey, Colorado, just an hour outside of Denver. Whitney is a freelancer marketer by trade, and her husband Andrew is a firefighter paramedic. Given their non-traditional jobs, the couple has always enjoyed tinkering on creative projects together. Whitney’s father loved Colorado and it’s because of him that she fell in love with the mountains. So, when he passed away unexpectedly after a battle with cancer, the couple thought it would be fitting to honor his legacy by creating a space for others to enjoy in a place that meant so much to him. In this episode of Behind the Stays Whitney and Andrew discuss: The best YouTube channels to tap into for DIY projects The affordable design decisions they made that landed them a feature by HGTV How to build a simple, but website for your Airbnb that aligns with the brand strategy of your home This episode is brought to you by Guest Guru. Everyone’s talking about ChatGPT, but there’s a new AI tool that just hit the market that short-term rental hosts should care more about. Meet Guest Guru — the first, fully automated, AI-powered conversational tool for guest communications. Guest Guru integrates with your Airbnb or VRBO listing and automatically answers those questions like “what's the wifi password/", “where can I find the lockbox?”, and “can I bring my dog”, so you don’t have to. But get this…it does so by matching the tone and communication style of your guest. If they use emojis, Guest Guru will use emojis too. If they are a four-exclamation-points-per-sentence kinda person, well, Guest Guru will match or beat their enthusiasm. Now, you might be thinking this is to good to be true…or that Guest Guru can only answer BASIC questions…but that, friends, is where you’d be wrong. Guest Guru learns with every message you exchange with a guest or prospective guest. And once you answer a question like “what’s the best place near you to score all-you-can-eat breadsticks that isn’t Olive Garden?” once, Guest Guru will remember this query and be able to answer it, without pinging you, the next time one of your guests is a restaurant-chain hater. Anytime Guest Guru doesn’t know the answer to something, you’ll immediately receive an email and/or SMS text inviting you to jump into the conversation. Guest Guru is offering Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous Host Members their first property TOTALLY free when you sign up at GuestGuru.ai and mention that you heard about them from us. Discover how AI can help alleviate you from answering the same dozen questions every guest asks so you can have more time to better your guest experience in other, more productive and rewarding ways. Sign up at GuestGuru.ai. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Welcome to Marketing Mondays — a new, weekly segment on the Behind the Stays podcast that covers specific marketing strategies and tactics that Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs can immediately use to promote their stays. On the first episode of this new Behind the Stays segment, Zach covers: Why you should work with creators A framework for how to discern who to work with and how to work with them How creators can help you increase direct bookings Ideas for how to partner with creators in unique ways Let us know what you think about this new segment by sending us a DM on Instagram @sponstayneous, shooting our founder a DM on Twitter, or sending him an email at [email protected] Before we dive in, I want to quickly plug a product my team and I recently moved out of beta, called Ping, because I think a lot of y’all tuning into this chat will get real value from it! Ping is a simple plugin that lives on your website or direct booking site and integrates with you Airbnb calendar and notifies your fans and followers the minute there is a match between your home’s availability and their desired travel dates. Ping was designed specifically for hosts with unique stays that typically have limited availability. The insta stories y’all post about last minute cancellations is a great start, but what it you could also automatically Ping folks who’ve already expressed interest in the very dates that just opened up?! And that’s exactly what Ping does. All prospective guest data collected in Ping is available to you and if you purchase a premium plan you can integrate Ping directly with you Mail Chimp or Constant Contact accounts! Learn more at BnBping.com or shoot our founder Zach an email at [email protected] if you've got questions! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Emily South — the creator of The Appalachian A-Frame in Sugar Grove, North Carolina just 20 minutes outside of downtown Boone. Emily and her husband John are entrepreneurs. Emily is a yoga instructor and John owns and runs a production studio. Given their non-traditional career paths, Emily and John don’t have some of the benefits one might expect from a 9-5 such as a 401k match or stock options. As such, the couple has talked for years about what their retirement plan might look like and in 2019 they had finally agreed that a vacation home in the mountains would be a part of it. In this episode Emily talks about how they found their A-Frame, — despite realtors not wanting to work with them given their limited budget —, what they spent to acquire the home, and how they used credit card points to help fund the renovations. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Emily. This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jamie Kraus, the creator of Chestnut Hill — a beautiful appointed home located 5 minutes from Main Street in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jamie and her husband have three young adult sons and live in the great state of Texas. Growing up, Jamie would vacation in the Colorado mountains with her family and dreamed of one day owning a home in Breckenridge. A few years ago, Jamie was diagnosed with breast cancer. After an arduous battle, she was, thankfully, able to survive the disease. This life-altering event reminded Jamie that life is short — and that waiting to find her dream vacation until the timing just “felt right” was silly. Afterall, would it ever really feel right? Tune in to hear the story behind how Jamie found her dream vacation home and, unexpectedly, a love for hospitality that inspired her to build an entire collection of escapes in one of the world’s most popular ski towns. In this episode, Zach and Jamie discuss: How to go from 0 - 4 properties in under 2 years How to prioritize guest experience as a point of differentiation When building a short-term-rental in an incredibly crowded market IS a good decision This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Chris Broomfield, the creator of Evergreen Cabins — one of Instagram’s favorite collections of luxurious cabin rentals in the Adirondacks. Growing up, Chris loved to tinker. At the age of 14 he started building picnic tables and bar stools with his next door neighbor that he’d sell to local patrons. It was at this young age that Chris realized he wanted to work for himself…that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Chris studied the art and science of building unique structures and has spent the better part of 25 years bringing absolutely stunning, terrifically memorable spaces to life. Tune in to hear the motivational story of how Chris channeled his love of designing memorable homes into Evergreen Cabins — a portfolio of top-rated, luxurious, impeccably unique short-term rentals in the Adirondacks. You can connect with Chris at: Instagram - @Evergreen_Cabins Email - [email protected] Facebook - EvergreenCabinsRentals Linkedin - Evergreen Cabins, LLCWhatsApp - Evergreen Cabins This episode is brought to you by our friends at The Host Co. The Host Co. enables short-term rental host to build their own storefronts and offer amenities like late night snacks, massages, fresh flowers, grocery delivery, in-home shopping and much more. The Host Co. makes it easy for guest to augment their stay with the products and services they need and makes it easy for STR hosts to make up to an additional $10k in ancillary revenue on each rental. Hosts keep 93% of all sales and The Host Co. takes care of guest receipts, sales tax and payouts to you and vendors. Create your free store today by visiting TheHost.co and be sure to tell the team their that you heard about them from Behind the Stays! And, for a limited time, Behind the Stays listeners will get $30 back on their first sale when you use the discount code BTS30 at check out! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Tiffany Lund — the creator of The Havarti Haus, an accessible, Scandinavian-style retreat in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, opening in late 2023. Tiffany and her family love to go on adventures — the outdoors has always been a place of restoration and reinvigoration for them. Tiffany and her husband Jim have an incredible son named Morty. Morty, like his parents, loves the outdoors. He also loves the Boston Celtics and the Red Sox. Unlike his parents however, Morty has Cerebral palsy. If you’ve ever traveled with a wheelchair, you may know how difficult it can be to find a place to stay - somewhere you can get through the door without having to traverse up steps or somewhere you can actually take a shower without jerry-rigging something or settling for a sponge bath. Tiffany and Jim believe a place can be accessible and universally appealing to everyone. That is their dream. And they are watching it come to life with the building of Havarti Haus. Tune in to the inspiring story of how Tiffany is using universal design concepts to drive the design decisions to simplify the travel experience for the mobility impaired. Follow the Havarti Haus on Instagram Discover the Havarti Haus' Website This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Mike Iannetta, better known as Mike Will Travel, a YouTube creator and hospitality marketing specialist. Mike started his first business at the age of 17. He raised $5,000 on Kickstarter to start what he thought would be the next big board shorts brand. Now, the clothing line didn’t quite pan out, but it solidified for Mike that he wanted to spend his career starting and running his own businesses. When Mike was in college, he studied abroad in Europe…and after traveling to a dozen countries over his four months abroad, he came back to the states convinced he had to find a way to travel as close to full time as possible. So, Mike bought a camera and started messing around with shooting video. And, while he didn’t know the difference between shooting in 720, 1080, and 4k at the time, in just a few months, Mike would be traveling around the globe documenting his stays at some of the world’s most remarkable hotels and Airbnbs. Tune in to hear the story of how Mike started his YouTube channel, how he generated his first 10 million views, and how he’s helped Airbnb hosts generate millions of new fans and followers for their homes on Instagram. Subscribe to Mike's YouTube Channel Follow Mike on Instagram Explore Mike's Website This episode is brought to you by our friends at The Host Co. The Host Co. enables short-term rental host to build their own storefronts and offer amenities like late night snacks, massages, fresh flowers, grocery delivery, in-home shopping and much more. The Host Co. makes it easy for guest to augment their stay with the products and services they need and makes it easy for STR hosts to make up to an additional $10k in ancillary revenue on each rental. Hosts keep 93% of all sales and The Host Co. takes care of guest receipts, sales tax and payouts to you and vendors. Create your free store today by visiting TheHost.co and be sure to tell the team their that you heard about them from Behind the Stays! And, for a limited time, Behind the Stays listeners will get $30 back on their first sale when you use the discount code BTS30 at check out! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet John Andrew Entwistle, Founder and CEO of Wander, one of the most exciting startups in the travel and hospitality space today. John Andrew had a non-traditional schooling experience. He started and ran a game server company when he was just 13 years old, so focusing on homework wasn’t a high priority. In high school, John Andrew and his father agreed that an online option would be best for him as it’d allow him the opportunity to continue to pursue his projects and build companies. In this episode of Behind the Stays, John Andrew talks about: -being raised by a single dad - how he started and grew his second company Coder - what it was like being a Thiel Fellow - and, of course, the past, present and future of Wander — a company on a missions to verticalize the 100B+ short-term rental industry with a network of smart vacation homes in inspiring places that guests can control from their phones. Discover Wander Follow John Andrew on Twitter This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Ty and Mary, the creators of The Northwoods A-Frame and Tiny Cabins near Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota. Ty and Mary both have demanding jobs – Ty is an architect and Mary a nurse. So, in October 2020, after months of lockdown, the couple was in dire need of a getaway. Mary had been following an A-Frame on Instagram for a few months and decided to plan their getaway around when the home had availability. Upon their arrival, Ty and Mary were met with such a deep peace that they began dreaming about what it would take to create something of their own so that they might share this serenity with others. Tune in to hear how Ty and Mary designed, built, and branded an A-Frame and a couple of Tiny Cabins that they call Northwoods. Book Your Stay at Northwoods Follow Northwoods on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at The Host Co. The Host Co. enables short-term rental host to build their own storefronts and offer amenities like late night snacks, massages, fresh flowers, grocery delivery, in-home shopping and much more. The Host Co. makes it easy for guest to augment their stay with the products and services they need and makes it easy for STR hosts to make up to an additional $10k in ancillary revenue on each rental. Hosts keep 93% of all sales and The Host Co. takes care of guest receipts, sales tax and payouts to you and vendors. Create your free store today by visiting TheHost.co and be sure to tell the team their that you heard about them from Behind the Stays! And, for a limited time, Behind the Stays listeners will get $30 back on their first sale when you use the discount code BTS30 at check out! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Addie Wales, the creator of The Ely Cabin Collective — a boutique collection of Airbnbs near The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. Growing up, Addie always wanted to be an entrepreneur. She remembers pitching her first business to her dad as a 10 year old which was for an ice cream shop where the roof of the shop was shaped like an ice cream cone! In the fall of 2020, Addie got a call from her uncle about a 40 acre plot of land that was for sale which included a charming, but quite dilapidated, log cabin. Addie and her husband Ben made the 4-hour drive from the Twin Cities to explore the opportunity further and, while they didn’t know it at the time, this trip up north would be the start of a remarkable adventure. Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how Addie transformed that dilapidated cabin into the Ely Log Cabin and how this renovation inspired the launch of The Ely Cabin Collective. Book a Stay at The Ely Cabin Collective Follow The Ely Cabin Collective on Instagram Follow The Ely Log Cabin on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Justin and Shaun — the creators of The Chal-A Frame, a beautifully curated escape nestled between the Stratton and Mt. Snow ski areas in Vermont. Justin and Shaun are both architects. They were roommates in college and have been close friends ever since. One day while hanging out with the rest of their crew, Justin and Shaun got really excited about the possibility of having a place in the mountains where they could host their friends and families on long-weekends. Justin began scrolling through Zillow listings every night looking for plots of land in Vermont that might work for the guys to build their dream getaway on. Tune in to hear the fun story of how Justin and Shaun found their land, how they collaborated on designing the A-Frame, what they did when they had to fire their builder halfway through the project, and the role Instagram has played in helping them book their first guests. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Justin and Shaun. Stay at The Chal-A Frame Follow The Chat-A Frame on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at The Host Co. The Host Co. enables short-term rental host to build their own storefronts and offer amenities like late night snacks, massages, fresh flowers, grocery delivery, in-home shopping and much more. The Host Co. makes it easy for guest to augment their stay with the products and services they need and makes it easy for STR hosts to make up to an additional $10k in ancillary revenue on each rental. Hosts keep 93% of all sales and The Host Co. takes care of guest receipts, sales tax and payouts to you and vendors. Create your free store today by visiting TheHost.co and be sure to tell the team their that you heard about them from Behind the Stays! And, for a limited time, Behind the Stays listeners will get $30 back on their first sale when you use the discount code BTS30 at check out! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

About the Episode: Meet Melissa Hessney Masters — the founder of Tanglebloom and the creator of the Tanglebloom Cabin. Melissa has always been creative. Growing up in the fingerlakes region of New York, she found herself mesmerized by natural beauty — whether it be wildflowers or waterfalls, Melissa was transfixed by the innate purity of the natural world. She started her first business when she was in high school, selling hand-sewn clothes on the internet and in the parking lots of Phish concerts. And while she couldn’t have guessed it then, this was the first stepping stone in her journey to become a flower farmer and short-term-rental entrepreneur. Tune in to hear the enthralling story of how Melissa brought her wedding and event flower business, Tanglebloom, as well as Vermont’s most wish-listed Airbnb, to life. Book a Stay at the Tanglebloom Cabin Follow the Tanglebloom Cabin on Instagram Follow Melissa on Instagram This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA. I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into. Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription: 1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe. 2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence. 3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that? If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you. AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription. Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout! Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Connor Gross — an entrepreneur in his mid-twenties who is currently focused on building a portfolio of self-storage units across the state of Texas. Connor graduated from Northeastern University in 2020. As a part of a co-op program at Northeastern, he was able to spend a semester building his first start-up, Cardly, with his co-founder Giovanni, which was a snazzy looking credit card holder that attaches to the back of your iPhone. After selling the start-up in early 2020, Connor began learning about real estate investing. While the idea of investing in a short-term rental was attractive, in Connor’s mind, being responsible for a place where folks actually lived or vacationed was a bit too much of a headache. So, he decided to start with self-storage. Tune in to an energetic, idea-producing conversation where Connor and I discuss: How he convinced the host of a luxury Airbnb villa in Bali to let him stay in their home for free How he founded, built, and sold his first e-commerce company Why you’re never too young or too old to start your entrepreneurial journey Connor’s hot takes on the future of travel and hospitality after living out of a suitcase for 2 years and traveling to more than 30 countries. This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts(as in, Behind the Stays). If you liked this episode, you're going to love some of our other recent conversations: How She Built an Insta-Famous Airbnb — The Story Behind the Cozy Rock Cabin. She Left Her Law Career to Become a Hospitality Entrepreneur — Meet the Creator of Field and Lake How They’re Building Canada’s Premier Luxury Treehouse Company About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

In just a moment, you’ll meet Natalie Palmer — an Airbnb Ambassador, a 17x superhost, and the creator and host of the popular No Vacancy podcast. Natalie was never really sure what she wanted to do when she “grew up”...but she was always quick to say “yes” when opportunities to step outside of her comfort-zone surfaced. So, after spending a couple of months learning about short-term rental investing and hosting, Natalie asked her parents if she could try her hand out at turning their family’s vacation home in the mountains into an Airbnb. While skeptical, they agreed to give her a shot…and within one ski season, they had made enough to pay the mortgage on the home for the entire year! This early win inspired Natalie to further immerse herself in learning everything she could about how to deliver an exceptional guest experience while also growing a profitable business. Natalie and I discuss the power of networking and why more hosts should participate in STR industry events, frameworks for how to structure your time as a hospitality entrepreneur, and why she’s throwing a women’s only STR hospitality event in Scottsdale, Arizona called the “Level Up Your Listing Summit.” You’ll learn more about this event towards the end of the interview but I want to highly encourage all the ladies tuning into today’s chat to check out Natalie’s event. Natalie is also giving all Behind the Stays listeners a 10% discount when they use the code BTS10 at check out. Learn more about the Level Up Your Listing Summit here. Follow Natalie on Instagram Stream the No Vacancy Podcast This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts(as in, Behind the Stays). If you liked this episode, you're going to love some of our other recent conversations: How She Built an Insta-Famous Airbnb — The Story Behind the Cozy Rock Cabin. She Left Her Law Career to Become a Hospitality Entrepreneur — Meet the Creator of Field and Lake From Serving in Afghanistan to Hosting on Airbnb: Meet the Founders of Seasons‘ Yield Farm About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Alexis and Skeeter — the creators of The Kingdom A-Frame, a quintessential New England escape in Burke, Vermont. Alexis and Skeeter love mountain biking and have traveled to Northeastern Vermont to traverse the Kingdom Trails for years! These trails are known as the crown jewel of East Coast mountain biking. Alexis and Skeeter have three dogs and struggled to find an Airbnb that both allowed dogs and offered an inspirational aesthetic. After doing some back-of-the-napkin math, the couple realized that, given the frequency of their travels to Burke, they might actually be better off buying a place then continuing to book stays on Airbnb. Tune in to hear the fun story of: How Alexis and Skeeter found and refurbished The Kingdom A-Frame How an instagram post landed their A-Frame in Vogue How they’ve balanced increasing their nightly rate (as their insta-fame has grown) with their original mission of creating a beautiful, accessible, and unique escape for all Follow The Kingdom A-Frame on Instagram Book Your Stay at The Kingdom A-Frame This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays). If you liked this episode, you're going to love some of our other recent conversations: How She Built an Insta-Famous Airbnb — The Story Behind the Cozy Rock Cabin. She Left Her Law Career to Become a Hospitality Entrepreneur — Meet the Creator of Field and Lake From Serving in Afghanistan to Hosting on Airbnb: Meet the Founders of Seasons‘ Yield Farm About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Damian Sheridan, founder of The Book Direct and Scale Rentals Shows — a couple of the leading events for short-term rental hosts and property managers interested in building their direct booking strategies. Growing up, Damian wanted to be a professional footballer…but, he quickly learned that in addition to passion for the game, you needed the skill as well! Years later while working at a travel agency, Damian developed an affinity for Search Engine Optimization — also known as SEO. The idea that, with the right set of strategies and tactics, you could rank #1 on Google for a term like “best vacation rentals in Miami” fascinated him…and before too long he became something of an expert in SEO! Tune in to hear the motivational story of how Damian parlayed his SEO skills into a full-time gig and what inspired him to build a collection of niche, in-person events for hosts and operators interested in growing their direct bookings. Connect with Damian on LinkedIn Learn More the Book Direct Show Learn More about the Scale Rentals Show Rate and Review this Episode on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Sponstayneous This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Janice Smith, the creator of the Cozy Rock Cabin (@cozyrockcabin), a 750 square-foot cabin on 3 acres of wooded land in Freeport, Maine. Janice has always had a knack for project management — and this skill has served her well as she led an ed-tech startup, launched her own video production agency, and brought not one, not two, but three cozy Airbnbs to life. Now Janice has used instagram to promote all of her homes, but one in particular, the Cozy Rock Cabin, has become what some might call “insta-famous” having garnered over 70k followers. Tune in to hear the moving story of why Janice wanted an Airbnb in Freeport, how she DM’d the creator of The Raven House — one of the OG insta-worthy cabins — and convinced him to help her develop the plans of her own cabin, and her theory on why Jimmy Kimmel follows the Cozy Rock Cabin on Instagram. Book Your Stay at the Cozy Rock Cabin Follow the Cozy Rock Cabin on Instagram Rate and Review this Episode on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Sponstayneous This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts(as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Sara Roitman, the creator of Field and Lake, a new collective of boutique vacation rentals on the shores of Lake Michigan. Sara is an attorney by trade and lives in Chicago with her beautiful family. A few years back, Sara and her husband had purchased a vacation home on Lake Michigan so that they could escape from the city with the kids for long weekends and a couple of weeks each summer. When COVID hit, the home next door to their lake house became available…and, upon hearing this news, a bold idea began to form, and ultimately take residence, in Sara’s mind. And that idea? Well, it was to buy this home, launch a hospitality brand, build a portfolio of beautiful yet casual escapes, oh — and leave her job! Tune into the fun and inspiring story of how Sara ideated, planned out, and ultimately launched Field and Lake. Follow Field and Lake on Instagram Book a Stay at Field and Lake This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Ethan Abitz — one of the OG Airbnb Instagram Influencers. Ethan first started using Instagram in high school to promote an apparel line he started. This was when Instagram let you upload a photo and select from just a handful of filters before posting your shot — no stories, reels, etc. In college, Ethan thought he wanted to work on Wall Street. He was interested in finance and investing and was always good at spotting opportunities. But around this time, Ethan began to further explore his creative abilities — especially in the context of photography. And he soon realized that his love of capturing moments and telling the stories behind them outweighed whatever affinity he had for buying low, and selling high. Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how Ethan pursued his love for adventure and photography and grew his following to hundreds of thousands across Instagram and TikTok. Follow Ethan on Instagram Follow Ethan on TikTok This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Spenser and Marcy Kernea, the creators of the Retreat at Fall Branch Falls, a pristinely crafted escape in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Spenser has always been a big dreamer. And while Marcy is fond of big ideas herself, she often has to counterbalance Spenser’s idealism with just a smidge of realism. Spenser once had this grand idea of opening up an authentic Italian gelateria in Tennessee, and Marcy had to remind him that he didn’t know the first thing about making ice cream or running a restaurant! So, after Spenser’s dream of becoming the Guy Fieri of gelato were tabled, he and Marcy began discussing a dream they both shared — and that was to be able to create welcoming spaces where people of all backgrounds might feel at home. Tune in to hear the somewhat miraculous story of how Spenser and Marcy found the perfect piece of land, created a magical Airbnb on that land, and grew their Tiny Houses’ following to over 30k across Instagram and TikTok. Book your stay at the Retreat at Falls Branch Follow the Retreat at Falls Branch on Instagram Follow the Retreat at Falls Branch on TikTok This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

In just a moment you’ll meet Jamie Lane, Vice President of Research at AirDNA. After spending a decade at CBRE, one of the country’s largest American commercial real estate services and investment firm, Jamie was itching for a change… He had always loved the hospitality space, and the short-term rental space in particular, so when he got a call from Scott Shatford the founder of AirDNA about joining the team, Jamie couldn’t say no. Tune in to hear Jamie’s thoughts on: How savvy STR hosts should be using pricing strategies to increase their occupancy rates How STR hosts should balance OTAs and the building of their own brands As well as his hot takes on the future of travel and hospitality Learn More about AirDNA Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn Stream Jamie's podcast, STR Data Lab This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts(as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Emir Dukic, founder and CEO of Rabbu. Rabbu helps investors find and manage short-term rentals. Emir started working in tech via a cold email. He reached out to the founder of Kick, which was a social network dedicated to talking about all things soccer, asking if he could help the company grow in any way. He started volunteering for the company, was eventually hired, and then worked his way up into a leading operations role before the company was acquired by NBC. Tune in to hear the fun story of how Emir got into the STR game as a host and how that experience inspired him to found Rabbu. Follow Emir on Twitter Learn more about Rabbu This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay. Touch Stay enables hosts to build beautiful, digital guidebooks in a matter of minutes… And enhances the guest experience by packaging your recommendations for coffee, wine bars, artisan bakeries, and Michelin star restaurants in a single online location. Guests can access everything through a simple link — and yes, it works WITHOUT a wifi connection. Touch Stay allows you to customize your guidebook to match your brand — pick the colors, fonts, and images that best align with your STR. Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays). About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

In just a moment you’ll meet Evan Dolgow, Head of Predictive Hospitality at Jarvis ML. Jarvis ML was founded by the guys over at Google who built the machine learning platforms powering Google Ads and Payments. Evan and his team have a vision of democratizing the data and technology that OTAs have and making these tools and insights accessible to short-term and vacation-rental hosts in order to increase direct bookings. Tune in to discover what short-term rental and vacation rental hosts can learn from the ecommerce space about building independent brands and moats. Learn more about Jarvis ML here Connect with Evan on LinkedIn This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Lauren and Cam Green, the founders of The Fort Treehouse Company — Canada’s premier luxury treehouse company. Cam and Lauren met at summer camp. They were a part of the same friend group for more than 15 years before they started dating, but once they did, it was clear that they were a perfect match. Both Lauren and Cam are quite entrepreneurial. Lauren tends to have the big ideas and Cam is incredible at finding ways to bring them to life. While working on staff at the camp that he and Lauren met at, Cam discovered a sustainable treehouse design and build program in Vermont. And it was this moment where Cam first realized that what he really wanted to do was build beautiful escapes in the trees! Tune in to hear the remarkable story of how Cam and Lauren brought their first treehouse to life and what the couple has planned next for The Fort Treehouse Co. Learn more about The Fort Treehouse Co. Follow The Fort Treehouse Co. on Instagram This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Ali Nichols — Co-Founder of Getaway. Getaway is on a mission to make vacation rental real estate accessible to the next generations of investors and to reimagine travel memberships by allowing investors to stay in the premier homes they own. Ali has been interested in real estate since she was a young child. She’d come home on Sunday mornings after church and circle listings in the newspaper with open houses she wanted to visit. After working for technology companies like Uber and Bungalow, Ali was bit by that entrepreneurial bug and began desiring to start her own company. Tune in to hear the story behind where the idea of Getaway came from and what her goals are for the company over the next 12 months. Discover Getaway Connect with Ali on LinkedIn This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Heather Davis, the creator of the Stone City Treehouse in Hardwick, Vermont. Heather grew up in New York but always had great affinity for the Green Mountain State — so much so that her only criteria for where to go to college was that it had to be in Vermont. In 2012 Heather started renting her home on Airbnb in order to help pay the bills. Being a single mom with two teenagers in Vermont was not always easy! She had such a positive experience with the platform and the guests who stayed in her home that she started dreaming about how she might expand her business. And that’s when the idea for the Stone City Treehouse was born. Tune in to hear the story behind how Heather built the Treehouse with a little help from the DIY Network’s The Treehouse Guys, and how she generated over 500 incredible reviews and 12k followers on Instagram. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Heather. Book a Stay at the Stone City Treehouse Follow the Stone City Treehouse on Instagram This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.