Behind the Stays

Meet Bunim Laskin, Founder and CEO of Swimply — the Airbnb for Pools. Bunim grew up in Israel and moved to the states with his family when he was 15 years old. He is oldest of 12 children and the idea for Swimply came to him when he was looking for a way to entertain his younger siblings in the heat of a New Jersey summer. His next door neighbor had a pool that she didn’t use much and Bunim asked her if his family could use the pool when she wasn’t using it they agreed to pay 25% of the pool’s annual costs…to his surprise, she agreed. Tune in to hear the remarkable story of how Bunim raised his first million dollars, wound up pitching Swimply on SharkTank, how he and the team navigated COVID, and what the next 12 months for the company will look like (hint: it includes being able to book more than just pools!). This episode is brought to you by OwnerRez — the smartest property management software for vacation rental hosts. You can get a 30% discount on your first 3 months by mentioning Behind the Stays after booking a call or requesting more information from their team. Learn more about OwnerRez here. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a carefully-curated newsletter that sends subscribers 150 of the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week. You can subscribe for free at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus (@zboozee) — Co-Founder of Sponstayneous. If you know of an Airbnb host you think we should have on the show, please reach out directly to Zach at [email protected] and he'd be happy to talk with them.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. 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! Issac French, Creator of Live Oak Lake, joins Zach for a chat about his latest project — a Masterclass on Experiential Hospitality. This 9-hour, 45-videos-course, is your complete guide to financing, designing, building, marketing, and automating a boutique hospitality experience. I’ve interviewed over 100 hospitality entrepreneurs on my podcast, Behind the Stays, and I’ve never met someone in this industry so committed to excellence in ALL he does. Isaac is humble, smart, and has zero tolerance for ‘just OK.’ What he’s built at Live Oak Lake is truly extraordinary and I for one can’t wait to see what he does next. A few decades ago, a young entrepreneur named Issy from Canada had a simple vision for creating exceptional experiences…that vision became Four Seasons. If I was a betting man, I’d bet that the creator of the “next generation” Four Seasons might come from Waco, Texas…and chances are his name will be Isaac. Sign up for the course here. 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.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. 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! Meet Hector Hughes, Co-Founder of Unplugged — a collection of off-grid cabins around the UK designed and optimized for guests seeking a digital detox. Hector started his career working in sales at a start-up, but it wasn’t really his thing. So, he gave product management a try and, well, that wasn’t much better. So he was REALLY excited when he finally got the opportunity to join the growth team…but, as it turns out, that wasn’t really his thing either. So Hector did the only thing he could do…he went soul searching at a two-week silent retreat in the Himalayas. Tune in to hear how that retreat inspired him and his now-Co-Founder Ben to build a hospitality business focused on helping young professionals from the city escape the matrix for a couple of days by locking up their phones, disconnecting from the internet, and booking a stay in an impeccably-designed tiny cabin nestled in nature. 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 episode Zach shares some exciting new updates on what we're building at Sponstayneous and asks for feedback from listeners on how to improve Behind the Stays. Got ideas for Zach? Reach out to him direct at [email protected] or find him on Twitter @zboozee or on LinkedIn at @zacharybusekrus. 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 Paul Waldschmidt, Co-Founder and CEO of OwnerRez — one of the industry’s most beloved property management platforms. Paul is a software developer through and through. He has always loved leveraging technology to solve problems. So, when he and his business partner Chris began experiencing problems with their property manager on their recently purchased vacation rental in the Blue Ridge mountains, the technical duo saw an opportunity. Tune in to hear the story of how Paul and Chris bootstrapped the creation of one of the most respected, loved, and powerful PMSes for STR owners and property managers. In this episode, Paul and I discuss: The history of PMSes in the vacation rental space Why Airbnb invests tens of millions of dollars each year on UX/UI design Why so many direct booking websites suck The opportunities that exist to build new software and tooling in the industry And much more. Finally, Paul and his team have generously offered a 30% discount for new customers for their first 3 months. Just mention Behind the Stays after booking a call or requesting more information from their team. Learn more about OwnerRez here. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a carefully-curated newsletter that sends subscribers 150 of the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week. You can subscribe for free at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus (@zboozee) — Co-Founder of Sponstayneous. If you know of an Airbnb host you think we should have on the show, please reach out directly to Zach at [email protected] and he'd be happy to talk with them.

This episode is brought to you by StayFi! StayFi makes it easy to collect data from and market to every single person staying in your short-term rental. StayFi lets you create a custom branded WiFi splash page similar to what you might experience when logging onto the WiFi network at your favorite coffee shop. This means you can collect the name, email address, and phone number from every guest staying with you, not just the one who booked…because who doesn’t need to use the WiFi. Learn more about StayFi at StayFi.com and be sure to use the code “BTS” at checkout for 50% off your first 3 months. Meet Jessica Foster, the creator of Ironton Island — a collection of unique glamping stays in Ironton, Minnesota. Jessica is a product designer by trade and has always had a love for the outdoors — something she and her husband Chad have in common. Jessica and Chad have always enjoyed working hard and dreaming about ways to create valuable assets that enable others to encounter the natural world in more meaningful ways. So, when the opportunity presented itself for the couple to begin designing and building unique, but affordable, Airbnb escapes, they jumped at it. Tune in to hear the story of how Jessica and Chad have strategically acquired overlooked land, built simple but memorable unique stays — with little-to-no financing — and how they plan to take a more “bootstrapped” approach to building their collection of insta-worthy short-term rentals. Follow Ironton Island Follow Lazy Loon Properties Learn more about StayFi Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a carefully-curated newsletter that sends subscribers 150 of the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week. You can subscribe for free at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus (@zboozee) — Co-Founder of Sponstayneous. If you know of an Airbnb host you think we should have on the show, please reach out directly to Zach at [email protected] and he'd be happy to talk with them.

This episode is brought to you by StayFi! StayFi makes it easy to collect data from and market to every single person staying in your short-term rental. StayFi lets you create a custom branded WiFi splash page similar to what you might experience when logging onto the WiFi network at your favorite coffee shop. This means you can collect the name, email address, and phone number from every guest staying with you, not just the one who booked…because who doesn’t need to use the WiFi. Learn more about StayFi at StayFi.com and be sure to use the code “BTS” at checkout for 50% off your first 3 months. Meet Mark Simpson — the founder and CEO of Boostly, the leading direct booking website builder for STR and vacation rental hosts. Mark literally grew up immersed in the hospitality industry. His family lived on a 200 acre farm in Scarborough, England where they ran a bed and breakfast and farm-to-table restaurant for folks around the UK looking for a relaxing getaway from the city. After a career as a football, or as we call it here in the states, soccer coach, Mark wound up returning to the farm to help usher the family business into the 21st Century. And while he couldn’t have known it at the time, this move would wind up laying the groundwork for Mark to become one of the most trusted and inspirational voices in hospitality. Tune in to hear the story of how Mark recognized a massive opportunity to help STR owners and operators build and scale their businesses, reduce their reliance on OTAs like Airbnb, and increase their portfolio’s revenue. In this episode we talk about: How Tim Ferris’ 4-Hour Work Week inspired Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit Why he bought a billboard in Times Square with has face on it and the words “I’m the guy Airbnb doesn’t want you to know about” His content marketing playbook which has garnered him tens of thousands of followers across LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram His hot takes on the future of travel and hospitality Discover Boostly Follow Mark on Instagram Learn more about StayFi Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a carefully-curated newsletter that sends subscribers 150 of the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week. You can subscribe for free at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus (@zboozee) — Co-Founder of Sponstayneous. If you know of an Airbnb host you think we should have on the show, please reach out directly to Zach at [email protected] and he'd be happy to talk with them.

This episode is a special one! Wil Slickers from Slick Talk invited our host, Zach Busekrus, to come and share his story on Wil's top-rated hospitality podcast. Enjoy this rebroadcasted episode! Be sure to subscribe to Wil's show here or wherever you get your podcast. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a carefully-curated newsletter that sends subscribers 150 of the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week. You can subscribe for free at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus (@zboozee) — Co-Founder of Sponstayneous. If you know of an Airbnb host you think we should have on the show, please reach out directly to Zach at [email protected] and he'd be happy to talk with them.

This episode is brought to you by StayFi! StayFi makes it easy to collect data from and market to every single person staying in your short-term rental. StayFi lets you create a custom branded WiFi splash page similar to what you might experience when logging onto the WiFi network at your favorite coffee shop. This means you can collect the name, email address, and phone number from every guest staying with you, not just the one who booked…because who doesn’t need to use the WiFi. Learn more about StayFi at StayFi.com and be sure to use the code “BTS” at checkout for 50% off your first 3 months. Meet Katie Cline, creator of Trout Landing in Lake George, New York. While new to the STR space, Katie comes from a background of luxury hospitality PR, having worked for brands such as The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, St. Regis, JW Marriott, Edition, and Le Méridien in both New York and London. In this episode Katie and I discuss what STR hosts designing, building, and hosting luxury stays can learn from some of the most highly-regarded hospitality organizations in the world. We chat about how the communication tone and style differs within Marriott's luxury collection, some of the most noteworthy experiences Katie had while working in PR, how she’s applying her learnings from luxe hospitality to the building of her own hospitality brand, and some lessons she thinks STR owners and operators can learn from luxury hotels. Book Your Stay at Trout Landing Behind the Stays is brought to you by Sponstayneous — a carefully-curated newsletter that sends subscribers 150 of the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb twice a week. You can subscribe for free at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus (@zboozee) — Co-Founder of Sponstayneous. If you know of an Airbnb host you think we should have on the show, please reach out directly to Zach at [email protected] and he'd be happy to talk with them.

So there’s been a LOT happening over the last couple of months and I wanted to give you all a quick update on some exciting happenings at Sponstayneous and Behind the Stays... Say hi to Minoan Sign up for Minoan Subscribe to Behind the Stays on YouTube Follow Behind the Stays on Instagram Say hi to DEN Outdoors Join the Sponstayneous Host Partner Program Subscribe to Sponstayneous Say hi to Uplisting ’m going to call this episode and future episodes like it “housekeeping” so if you’re just here for the guests I bring onto the show and don’t care too much about what we’re building at Sponstayneous or the community we’re cultivating through Behind the Stays, I am not offended, just ignore these episodes when they pop-up into your feed. But, if you ARE cheering us on and curious about what’s been happening behind the scenes of Behind the Stays, then lend me your ears for the next few minutes On the agenda for today: New ways for y’all to stay connected to Behind the Stays A big update to Sponstayneous How hosts are using our Ping product to increase their nightly rates The expansion of our host partner program 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.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. 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! Meet Hans Lorei — Head of Design at Investmet.com and one of the most beloved designers in the short-term rental and boutique hospitality corners of the internet. Hans was working at a bar in Nashville when he overheard a couple of real estate developers discussing a new luxury build they were working on nearby, and something about their conversation sparked inspiration in Hans. He asked if he could come and check out their project and the duo said yes. And while Hans couldn’t have known it at the time, this would prove to be a pivotal moment in his life and the first step in his journey to becoming a realtor, learning the ropes of development, and applying his creative talents to the hospitality space. In this conversation, Hans and I discuss: - Why STR hosts should invest way more in design - Why hosts should think about their yards as an extension of their homes - How to ensure that every item you buy for your STR is aligned with your brand - And loads more. Get excited for a riveting and inspirational conversation with one of my favorite follows on Twitter. Follow Hans on Twitter Create your free Minoan account 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.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. 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! Meet Jason and Monique — the founders of The Vermont A-Frame…one of the OG instagram famous A-Frames in New England. Jason grew up vacationing in Vermont, but it wasn’t until he took Monique up from Jersey for a weekend that the couple realized how special this part of the country really was. Soon after that trip, Jason and Monique began dreaming about how they might own a vacation home in the area that they could escape to on long weekends and perhaps rent out to others on occasion. Tune in to hear the story of how the couple found the perfect A-Frame (after visiting more than 20 others!) and transformed it into one of the most desirable vacation homes in the Green Mountain State. In this episode, I chat with Jason and Monique about: What it was like owning a unique stay back in 2017 and how their business has been impacted since the covid boom The best and worst experiences they’ve had with creators and influencers Why they often ignore their dynamic pricing tools in favor of attracting the core guest avatar And so much more. Book Your Stay at The Vermont A-Frame Follow The Vermont A-Frame on Instagram 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.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. 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! Meet Nate Vietz, founder of Content House — one of the most exciting media agencies serving the short-term rental community. After graduating from high school, Nate began working as a line cook. He loved the creative outlet that cooking offered so much so that he wound up starting his own meal prepping business. And then covid hit…and, overnight, Nate’s entire business model had to shift. It was stressful to say the least, but it was this world-changing moment that inspired him to pause and think about what he really wanted to do in the next chapter of his life. Tune in to hear the story behind the opportunity Nate saw to help hospitality entrepreneurs build their brands on social media through a unique approach to content creation, social media strategy, and audience development. In this episode, Nate and I discuss: How he convinced internet-famous Airbnb personalities like Levi Kelly and Isaac French to work with him How he’s helped dozens of clients go viral on Instagram and TikTok The key to creating great content that doesn’t break the bank How to measure the value of your Airbnb’s following on social media and much more Discover Content House Follow Nate on Instagram 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. 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.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Minoan. 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 Episode: Meet Sani Djaya, the creator of Moonbase — a next generation luxury campground designed to help make stargazing accessible to all. Sani is a product manager by trade. After graduating from University of Maryland College Park, he traded the east coast for the west coast and has spent the last few years working for tech startups. Sani has always loved the outdoors, so when he learned that his girlfriend had never been stargazing, he knew he had to change this reality as quickly as possible. But there was one BIG problem…his girlfriend wasn’t thrilled about sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent on top of a mountain. And that’s when Sani had an idea…what if he could design a luxe camping experience that would enable you to stargaze to your heart's content AND get the best night of sleep you ever had…and, that’s when the idea for Moonbase was born. In this episode, Sani and I chat about: How he ran a Google Ads campaign to validate his idea Why he launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise some initial cash for Moonbase The story behind how he discovered Jupe and his thoughts on the benefits of pre-fab structures And how he plans to scale Moonbase over the next 12-24 months. 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. 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.

Download the full free report . Oh, and be sure to start your 14-day free trial of Uplisting at at https://www.uplisting.io/bts-podcast and, once you’ve fallen in love with all that this platform has to offer, get 20% off of your first year of Uplisting when you use the code BTS20 at checkout. Welcome to Episode 3 of a special 3-part podcast series on The State of the Short-Term Rental Industry brought to you by my friends at Uplisting — one of the most powerful property management systems on the market. In this episode, Zach and Vinny (founder and CEO of Uplisting) chat about how to market your short-term rental portfolio in 2023 — and the approach different property managers take to promoting their listings. About the series Airbnb hosts and short-term rental operators often work independently without much intel as to how their peers are marketing their properties, increasing their booking rates, and how much money folks are actually making from their portfolios. In order to address this issue, the Uplisting team took it upon themselves to collect and analyze data from their own customers as well as hundreds of other STR owners and operators in the industry. This special podcast series will unveil some of the more interesting findings from this report and equip you with insight into how your business compares to others. Stream Episode 1 here Stream Episode 2 here This episode and 3-part series is brought you to by Uplisting. Whether you have a single property or hundreds of properties, Uplisting is designed to help you accelerate growth with incredible reliability, critical marketing automation and the most powerful direct booking engine on the market. Start your 14-day free trial at uplisting.io/bts-podcast and, once you’ve fallen in love with all that this platform has to offer, get 20% off of your first year of Uplisting when you use the code BTS20 at checkout — but act fast, because this offer expires on June 30th, 2023 at midnight! 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 Hayden Laverty, Founder of CHJ Development, a real-estate developer in Portland, Oregon focused on acquiring, designing, and constructing the city’s most significant short-term-rental residences. Hayden learned pretty early on in life that he wasn’t cut out for the traditional 9 - 5. After working at two internships during his junior and senior years of college at Intel and Price Water Cooper, Hayden realized that he loved working hard, pushing the envelope of convention, and didn’t have much patience for bureaucratic friction. So, after graduating from Arizona State University, Hayden decided to shoot his shot by starting his own business. Follow Hayden on Twitter Connect with Hayden on LinkedIn In this episode of Behind the Stays, Hayden shares: 1. The story behind the opportunity he saw in the short-term rental real estate development and management game 2. How he’s scaled his business to over 200 units under management 3. Why he thinks OTAs like Airbnb should charge hots more 4. What he’s learned as a young entrepreneur about the importance of focus, grit, and differentiation. 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.

Download the full free report . Oh, and be sure to start your 14-day free trial of Uplisting at at https://www.uplisting.io/bts-podcast and, once you’ve fallen in love with all that this platform has to offer, get 20% off of your first year of Uplisting when you use the code BTS20 at checkout. Welcome to Episode 2 of a special 3-part podcast series on The State of the Short-Term Rental Industry brought to you by my friends at Uplisting — one of the most powerful property management systems on the market. In this episode, Zach and Vinny chat about how much money you can actually make from short-term rentals based on new data uncovered by the aforementioned report. About the series Airbnb hosts and short-term rental operators often work independently without much intel as to how their peers are marketing their properties, increasing their booking rates, and how much money folks are actually making from their portfolios. In order to address this issue, the Uplisting team took it upon themselves to collect and analyze data from their own customers as well as hundreds of other STR owners and operators in the industry. This special podcast series will unveil some of the more interesting findings from this report and equip you with insight into how your business compares to others. Stream Episode 1 here This episode and 3-part series is brought you to by Uplisting. Whether you have a single property or hundreds of properties, Uplisting is designed to help you accelerate growth with incredible reliability, critical marketing automation and the most powerful direct booking engine on the market. Start your 14-day free trial at uplisting.io/bts-podcast and, once you’ve fallen in love with all that this platform has to offer, get 20% off of your first year of Uplisting when you use the code BTS20 at checkout — but act fast, because this offer expires on June 30th, 2023 at midnight! 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 Robin Craigen, Co-Founder and CEO of Moving Mountains —a luxury collection of lodging properties in Steamboat Springs, Beaver Creek, Vail, and Breckenridge, Colorado. Robin began his hospitality entrepreneurship journey alongside his wife Heather at sea. Yes, you heard that right, the Craigens ran a luxury yacht charter business around the British Virgin Islands. And while sailing the stunning waters of the BVI was nothing short of a dream, Robin and Heather had higher aspirations. The couple moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and decided to open up a ski chalet business. And that business? Well they called it Moving Mountains and today, they manage more than 200 properties across in Colorado’s most desirable ski towns. In this conversation, Robin shares: - His musings on the current state of the vacation rental industry - His thoughts on how to best leverage OTAs - How he’s scaled a team to manage 200+ properties with the kind of service and attention to detail of a 5-start resort - Why he thinks Moving Mountains generates so many returning guests - How he’s thinking about growing in other vacation destinations with his soon-to-be-launched sub-brands Moving Beaches and Moving Oceans. Book your stay at a Moving Mountains property. Connect with Robin on LinkedIn. 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. 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.

Download the full free report . Oh, and be sure to start your 14-day free trial of Uplisting at at https://www.uplisting.io/bts-podcast and, once you’ve fallen in love with all that this platform has to offer, get 20% off of your first year of Uplisting when you use the code BTS20 at checkout. Welcome to a special 3-part podcast series on The State of the Short-Term Rental Industry brought to you by my friends at Uplisting — one of the most powerful property management systems on the market. Over the next three weeks, join Vinny Breslin, Co-Founder and CEO of Uplisitng, and yours truly, Zach Busekrus from Behind the Stays, as we unpack Uplisting’s latest trends report . Airbnb hosts and short-term rental operators often work independently without much intel as to how their peers are marketing their properties, increasing their booking rates, and how much money folks are actually making from their portfolios. In order to address this issue, the Uplisting team took it upon themselves to collect and analyze data from their own customers as well as hundreds of other STR owners and operators in the industry. This special podcast series will unveil some of the more interesting findings from this report and equip you with insight into how your business compares to others. Uplisting invites you to download the full, free report via the link in the show notes below. Alright folks, without further ado, grab a cup of coffee or your favorite evening cocktail and settle in for an informative and timely 3-part conversation. This episode and 3-part series is brought you to by Uplisting. Whether you have a single property or hundreds of properties, Uplisting is designed to help you accelerate growth with incredible reliability, critical marketing automation and the most powerful direct booking engine on the market. Start your 14-day free trial at uplisting.io/bts-podcast and, once you’ve fallen in love with all that this platform has to offer, get 20% off of your first year of Uplisting when you use the code BTS20 at checkout — but act fast, because this offer expires on June 30th, 2023 at midnight!

Meer Eric Moeller, Founder + CEO of Freewyld — a curated collection of properties designed to inspire awe and bring people together launching this summer in Idyllwild, California. Eric is no stranger to hospitality entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder of Overnight Success which is the engine behind short-term rental educational brands like Legends X 90-Day STR Accelerator, STR Legends Mastermind, Get Paid For Your Pad, and the Airbnb Profit Club. Eric was also the co-founder and CEO of Koda Homes — a real estate investment, management and professional tenant company in San Diego. In this lively conversation, Eric and I chat about the major opportunities that exist in the boutique hospitality space right now, why impeccable design is table stakes when it comes to short-term rentals today, the challenges of building membership programs as a highly-curated collection of stays, and much more. Learn more about Freewyld Connect with Eric 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.

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.