Behind the Stays

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meet Daniel Rusteen. Daniel is the self-proclaimed “world’s best at Airbnb.” And before you laugh or roll your eyes, he’s got a pretty solid case for why this title is fitting. Daniel worked at Airbnb for several years, launched his own Airbnb property management business, is building his own collection of luxe Airbnbs, has a plethora of courses, tools, and resources he’s developed for Airbnb hosts AND has spent more than 2,000 nights staying at Airbnbs! So, yeah, the dude knows a thing or two about the Airbnb ecosystem. Tune into a riveting conversation on how to optimize your Airbnb business and what Daniel thinks the future of travel and hospitality will look like over the next few years. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Daniel. Visit Daniel's Website Book a stay at Daniel's Airbnb Follow Daniel on Twitter This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Nate Ritter — founder of Room Steals, a travel membership that provides customers with incredible deals on hotel rooms. Nate is a technology executive who has started, bought, and sold companies and who has also consulted for companies like Microsoft and Land Rover. Fun fact — Nate also popularized the use of the hashtag on Twitter…pretty cool, huh? In this episode, we talk about: Where the idea for Room Steals came from and how it compares to Expedia and other OTAs How to build a productized experience for your STR collection Hot takes on the future of travel and hospitality What it’s like to live full time in an RV as a family of 5 Sign up for Room Steals Follow Nate on Twitter Get to Know More About Nate on His Website This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Bryce Garcia. Bryce works in sales for a SaaS company by day and is building his own collection of STRs by night. When Bryce’s mom found out he had bought a condo in Austin, site unseen, during the middle of the pandemic, and planned to live in one room and rent out the other on Airbnb she thought he had gone NUTS. But when Bryce made enough money over one holiday weekend to pay his mortgage for the month, she told Bryce’s father, “maybe the kid is on to something.” In this episode, Bryce and I talk about: How to get into the game as a new STR investor The tech stack you need from 0 - 3 properties How to use Twitter to grow your brand and business as an STR entrepreneur The best people to follow on Twitter for tips on STR investing and business building And lots more. Follow Bryce on Twitter This week's episode is brought to you by Guesty for Hosts. One of the questions I get asked a lot from listeners is what they should look for in a PMS or Property Management System. Now, we’re lucky — there are a lot of great options in the market, which can’t be said for software platforms in all industries. That said, I always encourage them to take a good look at Guesty for Hosts — and here’s why: 1. Guesty’s Channel Manager helps you centralize data across the major booking platforms and stay on top of all activity on your listings without having to hop back and forth between channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. 2. Guesty’s automation tools enable you to ensure you connect with guests in a meaningful, creative, and instant fashion. You can make custom messages for a variety of situations, from a response to an initial inquiry to a post check-out follow up encouraging your guests to leave a review. 3. It includes a Website Builder feature that allows you to create your own branded booking website in just minutes…allowing you to grow your listing’s brand value and increase your direct bookings. 4. And finally, Guesty just raised over $170 million dollars which means they got some serious cash to continue to seriously invest in their product! So here’s the deal. If you’re a STR host without a PMS system or a host looking to explore a new one, I’ve got a treat for you. The team at Guesty is giving Behind the Stays listeners and Sponstayneous subscribers 20% off of their first year when they use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” at checkout. Get started with a 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. Once your 14 day free trial is up, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year. Guesty for Hosts — it’s the bestie of top-rated STR super hosts. Try Guesty for Hosts for Free. About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb. You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com. Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jon Kreye — an award-winning Airbnb and VRBO photographer. Growing up, you’d often find Jon in the backyard snapping photos of trees, flowers, and wildlife — he has always been moved by the beauty nature offers. Jon dreamed of being able to do photography full-time, but was sober to the fact that making it as a full-time photographer is super difficult. One day, while traveling in Minnesota, Jon posted photos of the cabin he was staying at on Instagram — and while he didn’t know it at the time, this decision would change the course of his life forever. Tune in to hear the story of how the success of those first posts on Instagram inspired Jon to focus his photography business around the short term travel space. Follow Jon on Instagram. This episode is brought to you by BuildUp Bookings. SEO. Paid Search. Email Marketing. You know they are the marketing trifecta needed to build your brand and increase direct bookings to your properties... But, outside of watching a couple of YouTube videos and listening to a few STR podcasts, you haven’t had the time to really understand how Google ranks content or what subject line and preview text combo are the best when sending an email to your list about last-minute availability. If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re not just any run of the mill STR or vacation rental host — you’re an entrepreneur who wants to see their portfolio of homes and the brand that encompasses grow. And this week’s podcast sponsor, BuildUp Bookings, can help you do just that. BuildUp Bookings is the digital marketing team that some of the best players in the game use to scale their businesses. I had their founder, Conrad O’Connell on Episode 44 of the podcast...and let me tell you — this guys know his stuff! In just the last 12 months, BuildUp Bookingshas helped their clients earn over $48 million in direct bookings. If 90% of your bookings are coming via the Airbnbs and VRBOs of the world, it might be time to audit and augment your direct booking strategy — and Conrad and his team have set up a special landing page for Behind the Stays listeners chock-full of free resources to help you do so. Head on over to www.BuildUpBookings.com/BTS to learn more. And be sure to request a free marketing strategy session with Conrad and tell him Zach from Behind the Stays sent you his 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 just a moment you’ll meet Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts — an RV membership program that allows travelers to stay overnight at unique locations around the country including farms, wineries, breweries, and more. Joel is what you might call a creative hustler. As a young teenager, you could either find him selling DVDs and books on eBay or out and about shooting video. Joel loved capturing compelling video content. So much so in fact, that he launched a business called VideoBlocks, which was a marketplace for stock video footage. He grew the company now known as StoryBlocks and sold it back in 2020 — but not before spending a year RVing around the country with his wife. After taking some much deserved time off, Joel began looking for his next opportunity. And that’s when he stumbled upon Harvest Hosts. Tune in to hear the serendipitous story of how Joel discovered, bought, and scaled one of the travel industry’s most beloved brands. Explore Harvest Hosts Connect with Joel on Twitter or LinkedIn. This episode is brought to you by BuildUp Bookings. SEO. Paid Search. Email Marketing. You know they are the marketing trifecta needed to build your brand and increase direct bookings to your properties... But, outside of watching a couple of YouTube videos and listening to a few STR podcasts, you haven’t had the time to really understand how Google ranks content or what subject line and preview text combo are the best when sending an email to your list about last-minute availability. If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re not just any run of the mill STR or vacation rental host — you’re an entrepreneur who wants to see their portfolio of homes and the brand that encompasses grow. And this week’s podcast sponsor, BuildUp Bookings, can help you do just that. BuildUp Bookings is the digital marketing team that some of the best players in the game use to scale their businesses. I had their founder, Conrad O’Connell on Episode 44 of the podcast...and let me tell you — this guys know his stuff! In just the last 12 months, BuildUp Bookingshas helped their clients earn over $48 million in direct bookings. If 90% of your bookings are coming via the Airbnbs and VRBOs of the world, it might be time to audit and augment your direct booking strategy — and Conrad and his team have set up a special landing page for Behind the Stays listeners chock-full of free resources to help you do so. Head on over to www.BuildUpBookings.com/BTS to learn more. And be sure to request a free marketing strategy session with Conrad and tell him Zach from Behind the Stays sent you his 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 Tyann Marcink — the Queen of Guest Experience at Touch Stay, a digital guidebook platform for short-term and vacation rental hosts. Tyann has a knack for charting her own path. She’s a resilient creative who owns 2 rental management brands and has been active in the vacation rental industry since 2007. Discover Tyann’s hot takes about the future of the hospitality industry, hear the story behind how she bought a bank and turned it into a vacation rental in the Ozarks, and learn about how she ventured off on her entrepreneurial journey after losing a college scholarship in this episode of Behind the Stays. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Tyann. You can learn more about Touch Stay here. Explore Tyann's Vacation Rentals here. Connect with Tyann on Twitter here. This episode is brought to you by BuildUp Bookings. SEO. Paid Search. Email Marketing. You know they are the marketing trifecta needed to build your brand and increase direct bookings to your properties... But, outside of watching a couple of YouTube videos and listening to a few STR podcasts, you haven’t had the time to really understand how Google ranks content or what subject line and preview text combo are the best when sending an email to your list about last-minute availability. If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re not just any run of the mill STR or vacation rental host — you’re an entrepreneur who wants to see their portfolio of homes and the brand that encompasses grow. And this week’s podcast sponsor, BuildUp Bookings, can help you do just that. BuildUp Bookings is the digital marketing team that some of the best players in the game use to scale their businesses. I had their founder, Conrad O’Connell on Episode 44 of the podcast...and let me tell you — this guys know his stuff! In just the last 12 months, BuildUp Bookings has helped their clients earn over $48 million in direct bookings. If 90% of your bookings are coming via the Airbnbs and VRBOs of the world, it might be time to audit and augment your direct booking strategy — and Conrad and his team have set up a special landing page for Behind the Stays listeners chock-full of free resources to help you do so. Head on over to www.BuildUpBookings.com/BTS to learn more. And be sure to request a free marketing strategy session with Conrad and tell him Zach from Behind the Stays sent you his 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 Marcus Rader — Founder and CEO of Hostaway. Marcus grew up in Finland. He was quite a curious kid, but struggled to develop any lasting hobbies as he was easily distracted. After flying for the first time as a six year old, Marcus’ dream was to become a pilot. Something about being at 30,000 feet was inspirational and invigorating. Sadly, Marcus was diagnosed with epilepsy just a few years later. And while he didn’t understand much about the disease as a kid, his soul was crushed when he learned he’d never be able to be a pilot. Tune in to hear the inspirational story of how Marcus turned this moment of despair into the pursuit of greatness and how he ultimately built one of the most valuable all-in-one tools for vacation rental property managers on the market. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Marcus. This episode is brought to you by Build Up Bookings. SEO. Paid Search. Email Marketing. You know they are the marketing trifecta needed to build your brand and increase direct bookings to your properties... But, outside of watching a couple of YouTube videos and listening to a few STR podcasts, you haven’t had the time to really understand how Google ranks content or what subject line and preview text combo are the best when sending an email to your list about last-minute availability. If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re not just any run of the mill STR or vacation rental host — you’re an entrepreneur who wants to see their portfolio of homes and the brand that encompasses grow. And this week’s podcast sponsor, Build Up Bookings, can help you do just that. Build Up Bookings is the digital marketing team that some of the best players in the game use to scale their businesses. I had their founder, Conrad O’Connell on Episode 44 of the podcast...and let me tell you — this guys know his stuff! In just the last 12 months, Build Up Bookings has helped their clients earn over $48 million in direct bookings. If 90% of your bookings are coming via the Airbnbs and VRBOs of the world, it might be time to audit and augment your direct booking strategy — and Conrad and his team have set up a special landing page for Behind the Stays listeners chock-full of free resources to help you do so. Head on over to www.BuildUpBookings.com/BTS to learn more. And be sure to request a free marketing strategy session with Conrad and tell him Zach from Behind the Stays sent you his way! About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 Marc Hostovsky, Founder and CEO of Minoan — a customizable, curated retail platform for short-term rental hosts. Marc is a self-proclaimed boutique geek and is passionate about the future of retail. After spending nearly 6 years working at Jet.com and then Walmart (acquired Jet.com), he quickly realized that the best product experiences don't happen on screens or shelves, they happen in real moments of use "in the wild". Marc founded Minoan to help hosts: create, and capitalize on, rich moments in their homes save money on everything they need to buy and spend a fraction of the time on the unsexy things that come along with ordering (tracking, routing, logistics, etc.) Tune in to discover the exciting story of the early days of Minoan and learn how you, as an STR host, can leverage Minoan for a current or future property. Explore the Minoan Experience Website Connect with Marc on LinkedIn Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 This week's episode is brought to you by Mount. A few months ago, Gabby and I stayed at a quintessential beach cottage in San Diego. The home was just 3/4 of a mile from the beach — perfect biking distance, right? There was only one problem — the home didn’t come with bikes, and the nearest bike rental shop was fully committed throughout our stay. We really wanted bikes — so much so that we asked our host if she knew anyone personally that we might be able to rent bikes from. Alas, she did not. Today, I want to introduce you to a company who is solving for this very problem. Meet Mount — a platform that enables STR hosts to transform their homes into full-fledged vacation experiences. Mount let’s you rent just about anything to your guests — bikes, scooters, golf carts, kayaks, and even private chefs and masseuses! With the simple scan of a QR code, guests can explore all of the rental amenities you have to offer. Guests can browse, book, and access anything you make available in a matter of seconds. Mount makes it easy for guests to access anything additional they might need during their stay, and for STR hosts to increase their revenue per booking. Oh, and if you don’t have a bike or scooter to rent, no problem — Mount can provide one for you. Learn more about how you can earn more via your STR with Mount and get your first month free by emailing the Mount team at [email protected]

In just a moment you’ll meet Heather Bien and Adam Shapiro, the creators of Rosehill Cottage — a charming river house on the Rappahannock River in Virginia. Heather works in marketing at a tech start-up by day and runs her lifestyle and travel blog by night, and Adam works for the federal government. While the couple lives in Washington DC, they thoroughly enjoy weekend escapes from the city. And it was on one of these weekend escapes that they fell in love with the charming Virginian towns along the Chesapeake Bay. Tune in to hear the exciting story of how Heather and Adam found the perfect home in Locust Hill, Virginia and how they brought Rosehill Cottage to life. Book Rosehill Cottage on Airbnb. Visit the Rosehill Cottage Website. Follow Rosehill Cottage on Instagram. Follow Heather Bien on Instagram. Discover Heather's Lifestyle Blog. Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 This week's episode is brought to you by Mount. A few months ago, Gabby and I stayed at a quintessential beach cottage in San Diego. The home was just 3/4 of a mile from the beach — perfect biking distance, right? There was only one problem — the home didn’t come with bikes, and the nearest bike rental shop was fully committed throughout our stay. We really wanted bikes — so much so that we asked our host if she knew anyone personally that we might be able to rent bikes from. Alas, she did not. Today, I want to introduce you to a company who is solving for this very problem. Meet Mount — a platform that enables STR hosts to transform their homes into full-fledged vacation experiences. Mount let’s you rent just about anything to your guests — bikes, scooters, golf carts, kayaks, and even private chefs and masseuses! With the simple scan of a QR code, guests can explore all of the rental amenities you have to offer. Guests can browse, book, and access anything you make available in a matter of seconds. Mount makes it easy for guests to access anything additional they might need during their stay, and for STR hosts to increase their revenue per booking. Oh, and if you don’t have a bike or scooter to rent, no problem — Mount can provide one for you. Learn more about how you can earn more via your STR with Mount and get your first month free by emailing the Mount team at [email protected]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Vinny Breslin, founder of Uplisting — one of the industry’s leading short-term rental software & channel manager platforms. Vinny was born and raised in Ireland. If you were to stumble into his room as a young kid, you might find Vinny taking apart a computer or a radio. When he was 14 years old, he started building websites and was pleasantly surprised when he learned that people would pay him to do such. He went to school for civil engineering and after graduation started working for a SaaS startup building products and services for the travel industry. And it was during this season in his life where he started thinking about starting his own company in the hospitality management space. Tune in to hear the entertaining story of how Vinny Breslin brought Uplisting to life. Explore Uplisting here. Follow Vinny on Twitter here. Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 This week's episode is brought to you by Mount. A few months ago, Gabby and I stayed at a quintessential beach cottage in San Diego. The home was just 3/4 of a mile from the beach — perfect biking distance, right? There was only one problem — the home didn’t come with bikes, and the nearest bike rental shop was fully committed throughout our stay. We really wanted bikes — so much so that we asked our host if she knew anyone personally that we might be able to rent bikes from. Alas, she did not. Today, I want to introduce you to a company who is solving for this very problem. Meet Mount — a platform that enables STR hosts to transform their homes into full-fledged vacation experiences. Mount let’s you rent just about anything to your guests — bikes, scooters, golf carts, kayaks, and even private chefs and masseuses! With the simple scan of a QR code, guests can explore all of the rental amenities you have to offer. Guests can browse, book, and access anything you make available in a matter of seconds. Mount makes it easy for guests to access anything additional they might need during their stay, and for STR hosts to increase their revenue per booking. Oh, and if you don’t have a bike or scooter to rent, no problem — Mount can provide one for you. Learn more about how you can earn more via your STR with Mount and get your first month free by emailing the Mount team at [email protected]

Meet Arthur Colker, Founder and CEO of StayFi. Growing up, Arthur thought he wanted to be a politician. He was intrigued by how power and influence could move society forward. After going to school in DC and interning on The Hill, Arthur realized that while he loved following politics, working in it wasn’t quite for him. And while he couldn’t have known it at the time, this realization was the first major stepping stone in his journey to becoming an entrepreneur and in founding StayFi — a wifi portal for short term rentals that allows hosts to capture crucial data from their guests. Now you’re going to meet Arthur in JUST a second here, but, before you do so, I have a gift for you. Arthur has offered listeners of Behind the Stays 50% off their first 3 months of StayFi. So, if you’re inspired by what Arthur and his team are building and want to leverage their tools to grow your STR business, head on over to StayFi.com and use the discount code BTS50 at check out for 50% off the first 3 months of your subscription. You can connect with Arthur on Twitter or learn more about StayFi here. Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 This week's episode is brought to you by Mount. A few months ago, Gabby and I stayed at a quintessential beach cottage in San Diego. The home was just 3/4 of a mile from the beach — perfect biking distance, right? There was only one problem — the home didn’t come with bikes, and the nearest bike rental shop was fully committed throughout our stay. We really wanted bikes — so much so that we asked our host if she knew anyone personally that we might be able to rent bikes from. Alas, she did not. Today, I want to introduce you to a company who is solving for this very problem. Meet Mount — a platform that enables STR hosts to transform their homes into full-fledged vacation experiences. Mount let’s you rent just about anything to your guests — bikes, scooters, golf carts, kayaks, and even private chefs and masseuses! With the simple scan of a QR code, guests can explore all of the rental amenities you have to offer. Guests can browse, book, and access anything you make available in a matter of seconds. Mount makes it easy for guests to access anything additional they might need during their stay, and for STR hosts to increase their revenue per booking. Oh, and if you don’t have a bike or scooter to rent, no problem — Mount can provide one for you. Learn more about how you can earn more via your STR with Mount and get your first month free by emailing the Mount team at [email protected]

In just a moment you’ll meet Jason Neil — the creator of Golden Tiny Homes – a collection of minimalist short term rentals in Golden, British Columbia. Growing up, Jason liked working with his hands. He always had an eye for making things better and this perspective ultimately led him to become a builder — like his father before him. Jason has also always loved the outdoors — in fact he spends half the year surfing in Mexico and the other half snowboarding in British Columbia. One summer while surfing in Baja, Jason’s buddies started talking about the emerging Cannabis industry and the business opportunities that surrounded it. Tune in to hear the incredible story of how Jason built up a Cannabis business only to sell it and use the profits of his exit to start building Golden Tiny Homes. Alright, without further adieu, get ready to meet Jason. This week's episode is brought to you by Wander. In every marketplace, there are the Davids and Goliaths. While it’s hard to fathom now, Amazon was a David when Borders and Barnes and Noble were the bookstore Goliaths. And don’t forget that Apple was a David when Xerox, IBM, and Motorola were consumer technology Goliaths. Today, I want to introduce you to the David of short-term-rental platforms — a company called Wander. Whether you’re embarking on a family vacation, planning a getaway with friends, yearning for a workcation, or organizing a company offsite, there is a Wander for every occasion. Wanders aren't vacation homes, they're better. Inspiring views, modern workstations, restful beds, hotel-grade cleaning and 24/7 concierge service are just a few of the guarantees that come when you stay with Wander. Wander is in search of high-end vacation homes in incredible locations around the US (think national parks, beaches, mountains…) with proven annual revenue. If you are a short-term rental owner looking to sell your property to someone who will appreciate what you’ve built, send the Wander team an email with all the important deets (like monthly rev, monthly expenses, yada yada) to www.sponstayneous.com

Meet Chad Ludeman, Co-Founder of Post Green Homes and Lokal Hotel. Chad moved around a lot as a kid, but spent high school in upstate New York. He’s an engineer by trade, but an entrepreneur at heart. Courtney, Chad’s wife and business partner, was Chad’s most critical sounding board — she shot down most of his business ideas until he started talking about real estate. There was one idea, in particular, that Chad and Courtney both agreed was worth pursuing and that was to build a 1,000 square foot house for $100k. This project was the birth of the couple’s first business, Post Green Homes. And while they learned a lot through this venture, they realized that their hearts were really in the hospitality space. And it was this realization that ultimately led them to found Lokal Hotel — a collection of design driven boutique luxury hotels. Tune in to hear the exciting story of how Chad and Courtney built their brand and their first three hotels. Book your stay at a Lokal Hotel Follow Chad on Twitter Follow Lokal Hotel on Instagram This week's episode is brought to you by Wander. In every marketplace, there are the Davids and Goliaths. While it’s hard to fathom now, Amazon was a David when Borders and Barnes and Noble were the bookstore Goliaths. And don’t forget that Apple was a David when Xerox, IBM, and Motorola were consumer technology Goliaths. Today, I want to introduce you to the David of short-term-rental platforms — a company called Wander. Whether you’re embarking on a family vacation, planning a getaway with friends, yearning for a workcation, or organizing a company offsite, there is a Wander for every occasion. Wanders aren't vacation homes, they're better. Inspiring views, modern workstations, restful beds, hotel-grade cleaning and 24/7 concierge service are just a few of the guarantees that come when you stay with Wander. Wander is in search of high-end vacation homes in incredible locations around the US (think national parks, beaches, mountains…) with proven annual revenue. If you are a short-term rental owner looking to sell your property to someone who will appreciate what you’ve built, send the Wander team an email with all the important deets (like monthly rev, monthly expenses, yada yada) to www.sponstayneous.com

Meet Dylan Petrich — Co-Founder of Wilder Ways, a Texas-based hotel brand and management company.​ Dylan was born in Paris but grew up in London. After graduating from university he went to work in finance and split his time between London and New York. While finance was fascinating, Dylan grew tired of just looking at numbers — he wanted to get into the game of business and be an operator. So, when an opportunity presented itself to move into the hospitality space by joining a new startup, The Guild, Dylan took it. After a couple of years of learning a lot about hospitality, real estate, and startups the entrepreneurship bug bit Dylan…and he wondered what it would look like to start his OWN hospitality brand and business. Tune in to hear the exciting story of how Dylan built Wilder Ways. This week's episode is brought to you by Wander. In every marketplace, there are the Davids and Goliaths. While it’s hard to fathom now, Amazon was a David when Borders and Barnes and Noble were the bookstore Goliaths. And don’t forget that Apple was a David when Xerox, IBM, and Motorola were consumer technology Goliaths. Today, I want to introduce you to the David of short-term-rental platforms — a company called Wander. Whether you’re embarking on a family vacation, planning a getaway with friends, yearning for a workcation, or organizing a company offsite, there is a Wander for every occasion. Wanders aren't vacation homes, they're better. Inspiring views, modern workstations, restful beds, hotel-grade cleaning and 24/7 concierge service are just a few of the guarantees that come when you stay with Wander. Wander is in search of high-end vacation homes in incredible locations around the US (think national parks, beaches, mountains…) with proven annual revenue. If you are a short-term rental owner looking to sell your property to someone who will appreciate what you’ve built, send the Wander team an email with all the important deets (like monthly rev, monthly expenses, yada yada) to www.sponstayneous.com

Meet Conrad O'Connell (@conradoconnell), Founder and CEO at BuildUp Bookings, a digital marketing agency that helps STR hosts increase direct bookings & build their brands. Conrad was working at a marketing agency after college. This agency onboarded a new client in the boutique hotel space and Conrad was assigned to the account. Pretty instantly, Conrad fell in love with the hospitality space — so much so that he wound up leaving the agency to start a firm of his own. Tune in to hear Conrad share new ideas for how to market STRs, an overview of the most common marketing mistakes that STR hosts make, and how to know if/when it might be time to move off of Airbnb. This week's episode is brought to you by Wander. In every marketplace, there are the Davids and Goliaths. While it’s hard to fathom now, Amazon was a David when Borders and Barnes and Noble were the bookstore Goliaths. And don’t forget that Apple was a David when Xerox, IBM, and Motorola were consumer technology Goliaths. Today, I want to introduce you to the David of short-term-rental platforms — a company called Wander. Whether you’re embarking on a family vacation, planning a getaway with friends, yearning for a workcation, or organizing a company offsite, there is a Wander for every occasion. Wanders aren't vacation homes, they're better. Inspiring views, modern workstations, restful beds, hotel-grade cleaning and 24/7 concierge service are just a few of the guarantees that come when you stay with Wander. Wander is in search of high-end vacation homes in incredible locations around the US (think national parks, beaches, mountains…) with proven annual revenue. If you are a short-term rental owner looking to sell your property to someone who will appreciate what you’ve built, send the Wander team an email with all the important deets (like monthly rev, monthly expenses, yada yada) to www.sponstayneous.com

Meet Debbie Todd, creator of The Woodlands at Hocking Hill. Debbie is a physical therapist and mother of three by day, and an STR host by night. Debbie and her husband Jeff were looking for a vacation home that they could get away to a couple of weekends a month. The idea of renting it out wasn’t totally off the table, but certainly wasn’t a priority. Then one weekend, in the spring of 2020, the family decided to list the property on Airbnb. And, well, it instantly took off…so much so, in fact, that the Todd family was rarely able to stay there! This traction inspired Debbie and Jeff to start searching for another home in Hocking Hills. Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how Debbie and Jeff found the property which they’d transform into the Woodlands Lodge and how they’ve designed their budding STR business to give back to the community. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Debbie. Book The Woodlands at Hocking Hills. This week's episode is brought to you by Wander. In every marketplace, there are the Davids and Goliaths. While it’s hard to fathom now, Amazon was a David when Borders and Barnes and Noble were the bookstore Goliaths. And don’t forget that Apple was a David when Xerox, IBM, and Motorola were consumer technology Goliaths. Today, I want to introduce you to the David of short-term-rental platforms — a company called Wander. Whether you’re embarking on a family vacation, planning a getaway with friends, yearning for a workcation, or organizing a company offsite, there is a Wander for every occasion. Wanders aren't vacation homes, they're better. Inspiring views, modern workstations, restful beds, hotel-grade cleaning and 24/7 concierge service are just a few of the guarantees that come when you stay with Wander. Wander is in search of high-end vacation homes in incredible locations around the US (think national parks, beaches, mountains…) with proven annual revenue. If you are a short-term rental owner looking to sell your property to someone who will appreciate what you’ve built, send the Wander team an email with all the important deets (like monthly rev, monthly expenses, yada yada) to [email protected]. If Wander makes an offer, you can count on it being all cash, quick and hassle-free. So if you’ve been thinking of selling, even remotely, why not start a conversation with our friends at Wander? Send them an email at [email protected]. Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 Madison Rifikin — Founder and CEO of Mount, a platform designed to help short term rental hosts upsell their guests. Madison has always been a tinkerer. In 5th grade, she had the opportunity to enroll in an innovation program…and she was pretty much hooked on building things after that. One of the first products she built was a smart bike lock, which she’d go on to sell to some of the most well-known scooter brands in the industry. Tune in to hear the fantastic story of how selling locks to the Bird’s and Lime’s of the world led to Madison building a platform for STR hosts to turn just about anything into a rentable amenity. Learn more about Mount by visiting their website. Connect with Madison on LinkedIn This week's episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by Ping — the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available. Ping is a simple widget that lives on your website (or direct booking site) and allows your fans and followers to sign up to be notified if their preferred dates become available. Here’s how it works. Jimmy sees that you’re booked the whole month of October, but he wants to be notified if any 3-night window in the month becomes available. Jen is a returning guest and wants to be notified if any week in June, July, or August becomes available. In a matter of seconds, Jimmy and Jen fill out the simple form and will be Pinged if their requested dates become available. And as a host, you will immediately get pinged via email with Jimmy and Jen’s contact information and requested dates enabling you to build up your own database of guest email addresses. Ping — it's what the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up for free at www.bnbping.com Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 Jack Buck — a hospitality entrepreneur working on his first luxe vacation rental concepts in Sedona, New Orleans, and The Boulders in Arizona. Buck fell in love with travel after taking a motorcycle trip across Vietnam a few years ago. The beauty and adventure the country offered, coupled with the community he found while traveling, inspired him to work on projects in and the travel industry. Discover his thoughts on the democratizing of hospitality brand building, why he thinks the future of travel will be communal, and how he’s designing highly-experiential stays for the next generation of travelers. Follow Buck on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/buckshotio This week's episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by Ping — the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available. Ping is a simple widget that lives on your website (or direct booking site) and allows your fans and followers to sign up to be notified if their preferred dates become available. Here’s how it works. Jimmy sees that you’re booked the whole month of October, but he wants to be notified if any 3-night window in the month becomes available. Jen is a returning guest and wants to be notified if any week in June, July, or August becomes available. In a matter of seconds, Jimmy and Jen fill out the simple form and will be Pinged if their requested dates become available. And as a host, you will immediately get pinged via email with Jimmy and Jen’s contact information and requested dates enabling you to build up your own database of guest email addresses. Ping — it's what the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up for free at www.bnbping.com Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment, you’ll meet Justine Palefsky, co-founder of Kindred — a members-only community for home swapping. Growing up, Justine loved to read, ideate, and create. Her parents originally moved to San Francisco to follow the Grateful Dead and encouraged Justine to dream big and take bold risks even if others didn’t quite get it. Justine has always loved to travel. When COVID hit, Justine, like many folks, started dreaming about what it would look like to live in different cities throughout the year. She started looking into buying short term rentals in markets like Tahoe, but soon realized that, for her, it was less about owning real estate, and more about having the ability to live and work in different locations throughout the year. And it was this revelation that sparked the initial idea which would become Kindred. Follow Justine on Twitter here. Learn more about Kindred by visiting their website. This week's episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by Ping — the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available. Ping is a simple widget that lives on your website (or direct booking site) and allows your fans and followers to sign up to be notified if their preferred dates become available. Here’s how it works. Jimmy sees that you’re booked the whole month of October, but he wants to be notified if any 3-night window in the month becomes available. Jen is a returning guest and wants to be notified if any week in June, July, or August becomes available. In a matter of seconds, Jimmy and Jen fill out the simple form and will be Pinged if their requested dates become available. And as a host, you will immediately get pinged via email with Jimmy and Jen’s contact information and requested dates enabling you to build up your own database of guest email addresses. Ping — it's what the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up for free at www.bnbping.com Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 Jami Jenkins — the creator of The Carpenter’s Cabin — a top-rated, luxe cabin stay in Southeastern Ohio's Scenic Wonderland - Hocking Hills. Jami has always had a knack for the creative. She remembers drawing up floor plans of beach cottages in elementary school and building furniture for her Barbies. A graphic designer and event planner by trade, Jami loves using design as a way to communicate the story behind a space, an idea, or an experience. So, when it was time to build the first cabin on the 32 acre plot that Jami and her husband Scott had purchased, Jami knew she wanted an eco-friendly escape that was truly special — that had a soul if you will. And that’s when the idea of building a space to honor the memory and legacy of her father, a lifelong carpenter, was sparked. Book your stay at The Carpenter's Cabin Follow The Carpenter's Cabin on Instagram This week's episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by Ping — the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available. Ping is a simple widget that lives on your website (or direct booking site) and allows your fans and followers to sign up to be notified if their preferred dates become available. Here’s how it works. Jimmy sees that you’re booked the whole month of October, but he wants to be notified if any 3-night window in the month becomes available. Jen is a returning guest and wants to be notified if any week in June, July, or August becomes available. In a matter of seconds, Jimmy and Jen fill out the simple form and will be Pinged if their requested dates become available. And as a host, you will immediately get pinged via email with Jimmy and Jen’s contact information and requested dates enabling you to build up your own database of guest email addresses. Ping — it's what the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up for free at www.bnbping.com

Meet Jeff Wilson, the founder and CEO of Jupe. Jeff is a serial entrepreneur in the real estate technology industry. If you were to have asked Jeff as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would have either said a “garbage man”, “a doctor”, or “a builder of solar-powered cars” — so, yes, his interests have always been quite varied. Before founding Jupe, Jeff founded the award-winning micro housing company Kasita, which was named one of Inc’s 25 most disruptive companies in the World (alongside the likes of SoFi and Hyperloop). Jeff is also known as ‘Professor Dumpster.’ He lived in a 33 sq. ft. modified trash dumpster for a year as part of a minimalist living and housing experiment during his time as a professor in the University of Texas System. In this interview, you’ll learn how Jeff sees the world, why he’s so passionate about using Jupe as a vehicle to make offgrid living accessible and enjoyable, and how STR hosts can join the Jupe platform and design unforgettable, soul-enriching experiences for their guests by placing a Jupe on their property. Alright, without further ado, get ready to meet Jeff Wilson. Learn more about Jupe Stay in a Jupe Follow Jupe on Twitter Follow Jupe on Instagram Connect with Jeff on Twitter This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment, you’ll meet Billy Chu — owner of The Blue Bungalow, a chic escape in Palm Springs, California. Billy and his wife Becky are both doctors who live in Los Angeles and parents to young twin girls. A couple of years ago, Billy and Becky joined an online community of medical professionals who invest in real estate in order to learn more from their peers about the industry. In early 2021 they stepped into the longer-term rental game by purchasing a couple small multifamily properties. But the couple really wanted to try their hand at short term rentals and had been eyeing properties in Palm Springs. Here was the problem — getting into the short term rental game in the fall of 2021 when the real estate market was going bananas seemed all but impossible. But after consuming dozens of hours worth of STR podcasts, losing out on multiple bids, and almost throwing in the towel, they discovered the home which they now call theirs. Tune in to hear the story behind how Billy and Becky bought a 4 bed, 3 bath property 5 minutes from downtown Palm Springs and transformed it into The Blue Bungalow. Book your stay at The Blue Bungalow Book your stay at The Salty Saguaro This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 Stephanie Hays and Peter Woolcock — winners of Airbnb’s Live Anywhere contest. Last summer, Airbnb announced that they were looking for 12 individuals who’d be willing to live full-time via stays booked on their platform for a year — and over 314,000 applicants from all around the world applied for this once in a lifetime opportunity. One of the 12 selected was Stephanie Hays. Stephanie and her husband Peter are no strangers to travel — in fact the couple first met each other in a bar in Shanghai! Since then, they’ve traveled to more than 70 countries and lived abroad on a number of occasions. Most recently, Steph and Pete were living in Chattanooga, Tennessee along with their toddler son, Hays. When she heard about the contest something told Stephanie that she just had to throw her hat into the ring. And, well, that something was right. Tune in to hear the incredible story behind what this young family has learned after 9 months of living around the globe on Airbnb. You can follow their travels on Instagram here You can watch their travel vlogs on YouTube here This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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 Isaac French, the creator of Live Oak Lake, a collection of seven stunning cabins nestled around a small lake in Waco, Texas. Isaac is what you might call a curious creator. He was homeschooled growing up and his parents enabled him the freedom to pursue a plethora of interests — from art, to architecture, and accounting to entrepreneurship. Isaac comes from a family of entrepreneurs and learned a lot about business, architectural design, and general contracting from his grandfather who built luxury homes all across the state of Texas. And it was this influence of his grandfather’s, in part, that emboldened Isaac to purchase an overgrown, 5 acre plot of land just outside of Waco, Texas and transform it into an Insta-worthy vacation destination. Tune in to hear the remarkable story of how Isaac brought Live Oak Lake to life. Book your stay at Live Oak Lake. Follow Live Oak Lake on Instagram. Follow Isaac on Twitter. This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment you’ll meet Taylor Jones, Head of Acquisition at Superhost Labs. Taylor was working in sales when COVID hit. A few weeks after the world shut down, Taylor’s job was put on a two-month pause and he knew he had to start looking for a new frontier. Taylor had always dreamed of getting into real estate but had never quite known where to start. With newfound time on his hands, and with nowhere to go, he began Googling. After watching more than 200 hrs of YouTube videos, streaming a plethora of STR podcasts, and reading through dozens and dozens of blog articles, Taylor finally pulled the trigger on his first-ever short-term-rental. And while he didn’t know it at the time, this decision would ultimately upon up an entirely new career trajectory for Taylor. Tune in to hear the story behind how Taylor Jones became the Head of Acquisition at Superhost Labs, a short-term-rental investment startup, and became one of the leading voices on all things STRs on Twitter @MrJonesSTRs. This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment, you will meet Katrina Kuhn and Kathy and Sayres Dudley — the dynamic trio who brought to life The Dwelling Place, a special, peaceful escape in Radford, Virginia. Kathy was the 12th child in her family and was born on the land that would become Iron Heart Vineyard in Southwestern Virginia. Kathy and Sayres met in college, married young, and have two sons. Today, Kathy and Sayres run an executive recruiting firm that specializes in the real estate space, but that’s only half of their story. The Dudleys have always had a heart for mission-driven entrepreneurship, and Kathy is the founder of four nonprofit charities and ministries, including Imani Bridges, an organization whose mission is to connect Christians from different denominations around the world to use their gifts, talents, and resources to become agents of transformation. Tune in to hear the incredible story of how and why Kathy and Sayres felt compelled to purchase a home in Southwestern Virginia and with the help of their co-host Katrina, transform it into a serene escape for the world to enjoy. Book your stay at The Dwelling Place Purchase Kathy's book, Bridges: Transforming Communities Together This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment you’ll meet Hillary and Jason DeMeo — the creators of the IROX ONE, a Scandinavian modern retreat in Asheville, North Carolina. Hillary and Jason are serial entrepreneurs. A few years ago, the couple left their respective day jobs to go all in on an idea they had dreamed about for years. And that idea was to start We Are Curio — a creative studio built for explorers and innovators. Hillary and Jason have consulted with incredible brands like Disney, NASA, the Orlando Magic, and Chick-fil-A within the context of We Are Curio, but the couple always dreamed of expanding their work into the hospitality space. Tune in to hear the remarkable story of why this dynamic duo built the Irox Living brand and how they brought their first property, the IROX ONE to life. Book your stay at IROX ONE Discover Irox Living's Website Follow Irox Living on Instagram Learn More About We Are Curio This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment, you’ll meet Megan and Darrin — the creators of the Lakeview Hilltop, a coastal-chic cottage on Claytor Lake in Radford, Virginia. Originally from the California Bay Area, and a graphic designer by trade, Megan has always had an awareness of the role space plays in inspiring new ideas and perspectives. Darrin, who grew up in the Southwestern Virginia area, had always dreamed of having a lake house. But with two young kids and demanding jobs the idea of acquiring a vacation home in this season of life seemed untenable. But then COVID hit. And within a matter of months, a charming home that overlooked one of Virginia’s most beautiful, and somewhat undiscovered lakes became available. Tune in to hear the story behind how Megan and Darrin acquired the home which they now call Lakeview Hilltop and brought it to life. Book Your Stay at the Lakeview Hilltop Follow Megan and Darrin on Instagram Visit the Lakeview Hilltop Website This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment you’ll meet Andrew Hunter — the creator of Airstream Island, a mid-century, tropical hideaway in Atlanta, Georgia. Andrew is an actor. He will never forget the first time his mother took him to see Fiddler on the Roof. He was transfixed by the characters in the show, but more bewildered by the fact that you could make money pretending to be someone you weren’t! Fast forward a couple of decades and Andrew is pursuing his acting dream by day and Instagram influencing at night to help pay the bills. But after he meets the love of his life — and proposes to her just two months later — Andrew realizes that in order to continue his acting dream, he’s going to need some supplemental income to support his family. And that’s when the idea that would ultimately become Airstream Island was born. Tune in to hear the story behind how Andrew transformed his backyard into a tropical escape and how he grew it to become one of Atlanta’s top-rated Airbnbs. Book your stay at Airstream Island Follow Airstream Island on Instagram Follow Andrew Hunter on Instagram This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. It’s 11:32 pm on a Thursday night and you wake up in a panic. You forgot to send your guests the custom lockbox combination for your Airbnb, and you missed the 17 messages they sent saying they couldn’t get in because you enabled “sleep mode” on your iPhone — you know, to try and cut down on screen time before bed and all. After apologizing profusely and sending them a bottle of bubbly — in hopes they won’t leave you a 1-star review — you think to yourself, “how do other hosts stay on top of guest communications?" The answer? They use Guesty For Hosts — an easy to use rental management platform. With features like Automated Messages that send important communications to guests at the exact right times…you'll never have to jeopardize your beauty sleep again. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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

In just a moment you’ll meet Ryan Killeen — General Manager of The Annex Hotel. You might call Ryan a child of the hospitality industry. He grew up traveling the world with his mom who worked in the luxury hotel space, and had the privilege of encountering a diverse set of cultures and experiences all around the world. Ryan studied hotel management in college, and while in school, he started cleaning bathrooms and making beds with the housekeeping team at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, which was considered Vancouver’s definitive luxury hotel. His hard work paid off, and when an opportunity to join the opening team in Dubai at Fairmont the Palm arose, Ryan took it! After a couple of years, Ryan became interested in the budding space of short-term rentals, so he took jobs at both Sonder and Airbnb. But Ryan has always been entrepreneurial so when a new opportunity to join a hospitality start up came his way, he took it. Tune in to hear the story behind The Annex — a new hospitality concept marrying the best of boutique hotels, Airbnb and cutting edge technology that Ryan and his team are developing. Book Your Stay at The Annex Hotel Here. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn Here. This week's episode is brought to you Guesty for Hosts — the bestie of top-rated Airbnb hosts. It’s 11:32 pm on a Thursday night and you wake up in a panic. You forgot to send your guests the custom lockbox combination for your Airbnb, and you missed the 17 messages they sent saying they couldn’t get in because you enabled “sleep mode” on your iPhone — you know, to try and cut down on screen time before bed and all. After apologizing profusely and sending them a bottle of bubbly — in hopes they won’t leave you a 1-star review — you think to yourself, “how do other hosts stay on top of guest communications?" The answer? They use Guesty For Hosts — an easy to use rental management platform. With features like Automated Messages that send important communications to guests at the exact right times…you'll never have to jeopardize your beauty sleep again. Guesty For Hosts allows short-term rental hosts to manage listings from Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com in one calendar and send a series of automated messages before, during, and after their stay. The platform also has features that help you manage cleanings, build a custom booking website, and so much more. Start your 14 day free trial today — no credit card, set up fee, or commitment required — and cancel anytime if you don't love it. While getting started, use the discount code “SPONSTAYNEOUS” for 20% off of your first year." Behind the Stays is brought to you each 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