Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast

This is a special bonus episode to feature and recap the LiveRez Partner Conference that was happening in Boise, Idaho this week! In this episode, you will hear from Amber Knight who is the GM of LiveRez and we cover her career and personal story and then, of course, the story and evolution of LiveRez. I was honored to be the Emcee of the Partner Conference and to meet the LiveRez team & partners! To learn more about LiveRez and who they are, check out these links! Website: https://www.liverez.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiveRezSoftware Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liverezsoftware/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liverez/

Jesse is a growth-oriented serial entrepreneur with a passion for Product, UX, and Technology. Jesse is the Chief Product Officer and Co-founder of Frontdesk, a leading tech-enabled urban short-term rental brand. Today, Frontdesk operates in 35 cities with over 250 talented employees. Jesse is a champion for all-things growth at Frontdesk, which includes leading the technology, sales, and marketing teams, while also nurturing key strategic relationships for the company. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UW-Milwaukee. Jesse is a proud husband and father of three boys, and a complete nerd at heart. This episode is sponsored by our friends at NoiseAware! NoiseAware is the only 100% privacy-safe noise monitoring solution so get with NoiseAware so you don’t waste any time while you grow your professional and amazing business! Use SLICKTALK20 to get 20% off your noise devices with NoiseAware! Smart locks, Smart thermostats, automation, and a solution for any hotel and vacation rental company. Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message, or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full-service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 03:20 - Guest Background 06:57 - Technology and automation is the key to solve complex operations 08:16 - Creating guest experience during Covid 10:24 - Challenges in the business 18:04 - Finding a great leader 19:28 - Managing the internal culture 24:27 - Not all things need to be automated 27:34 - Celebrating victories as the founder 31:39 - The biggest impact of Covid 33:58 - Hiring Skillsets vs Mindsets 41:32 - Scaling a large network of professionally managed tech-enabled apartments 43:02 - Managing the quality 48:23 - Connect with the guest Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://www.stayfrontdesk.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stayfrontdesk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stayfrontdesk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontdeskinc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stayfrontdesk/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H Mid Roll Ad - 24:40

Lee Curtis, CCHP, co-founded RESIDE Worldwide, Inc. in November 2017. Lee and his partners believe that the traditional corporate housing industry is in a state of evolution and is being driven by the acceleration of interest in alternative housing globally. RESIDE’s core purpose is to transform the way that extended stay travel is purchased with a focus on delivering global travel solutions for enterprise companies with global needs. Mr. Curtis is active in the corporate housing industry, having served on the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) board of directors from 2003-2008 and then again from 2015-present. From 2004-2007 he additionally served as Vice President and Chairman and again as Chairman from 2019 through 2021. His companies have won over 13 Tower of Excellence awards for Company of the Year, Marketing Campaigns of the year, and various other accolades from the association. He is also the recipient of CHPA’s “Provider Member of the Year – Individual” award. In June of 2020, Lee was awarded the “CEO Excellence Award for Innovation” from CEO Magazine for innovation in global furnished accommodations. In February 2021, Mr. Curtis was awarded the CHPA’s Industry Impact Award. Formerly known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, this award is given to an individual that has made significant and lasting contributions to the industry. As a property manager, business owner, and entrepreneur, you already have so much to do in a 24 hour time period. Don’t let the worry of your property being damaged and focus back on growing your business with Safely! Safely is a proud sponsor and I love that I can use them for my business to ensure my properties are safe, protected and my homeowners know that I think of their asset as my asset too! Go to Safely.com and sign up today and let them know Wil sent you! Smart locks, Smart thermostats, automation, and a solution for any hotel and vacation rental company. Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message, or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full-service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 03:10 - Guest Background 06:12 - What was the pull for hospitality 17:02 - How ROTC refine your leadership ability 24:39 - Different offerings of RESIDE company 31:09 - How RESIDE company deals with Covid 35:18 - Goal for RESIDE in the 360 Platform 40:03 - Tools and Systems that allows you to aggregate expenses 44:49 - Evolution of RESIDE - corporate housing 49:24 - Evolution of Business travel 51:59 - What’s next for RESIDE Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://staywithreside.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-curtis-cchp-17196210/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Autohost CPO and co-founder, Ela Mezhiborsky, handles the intersection of customer success and product development, setting priorities and driving the product roadmap based on client feedback. Before transitioning to SaaS, her career involved working in risk management, running her own digital marketing agency, and managing a successful short-term rental business in Toronto. In fact, it was her experience in the short-term rental industry that exposed her and her co-founders to the massive security void plaguing property managers. It’s the reason they built Autohost. This episode is in honor of Anton who was also a co-founder of Autohost and unexpectedly passed away a little over a year ago today. Please go listen to Antons previous episode that came out exactly one year ago today, September 30th. This episode is sponsored by our friends at NoiseAware! NoiseAware is the only 100% privacy-safe noise monitoring solution so get with NoiseAware so you don’t waste any time while you grow your professional and amazing business! Use SLICKTALK20 to get 20% off your noise devices with NoiseAware! Smart locks, Smart thermostats, automation, and a solution for any hotel and vacation rental company. Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message, or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full-service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 04:28 - Ela’s story 11:44 - Preventing fraudulent reservation 16:28 - Importance of KYC (Know your client) 18:56 - Why do we need to screen the guest 21:20 - Maintaining the accuracy of the guest screening 25:33 - Factors in making an assessment 28:11 - Biggest Red Flag indicator 31:52 - Better safe than sorry strategy 36:12 - Best payment processing - Stripe 40:34 - Creating a virtual check-in 47:27 - Trust & Safety In Hospitality 51:32 - Connect with Ela Connecting with the Guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elamezhiborsky/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Michael is the head of business development for NoiseAware and has been a part of the short term rental community since 2015. He is a 2x Phocuswright 35 under 35 leader who is committed to bettering the short term rental industry. Michael's role is focused on collaboration with the OTA's, partnering with cities for sensible regulation, developing key industry partnerships and leading the charge into new segments of hospitality like flexible rentals. On a personal side, he is obsessed with travel, volleyball, and the dad of a 2 year old boy! This episode is sponsored by Hostfully & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property management platform and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your techstack and get this dynamic duo to power your business! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full-service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 04:27 - Things happening since Covid-19 09:46 - Why does this kind of host have to be kicked-off 12:41 - Flexible Rentals 15:26 - Does workforce housing stay until 2022? 17:54 - Labor shortage in the hotel industry 21:16 - Importance of the guest experience 26:31 - How NoiseAware is solving the noise issue 29:24 - What’s new with NoiseAware? Connecting with the Guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgoldin1/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/goldin1 Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H #ShortTermRentals #HospitalityIndustry #Partnerships

Ryan Killeen’s hospitality career officially began after participating in the hotel management program at Vancouver Community College. While in school, Ryan started cleaning bathrooms and making beds with the housekeeping team at the Fairmont Pacific Rim — considered Vancouver’s definitive luxury hotel. He was climbing the ladder at a healthy pace and was presented with an opportunity to join the opening team in Dubai at Fairmont the Palm. Without processing what this meant, Ryan said yes. Living in Dubai, working with 52 different nationalities, and leading the guest services team was the most eye-opening experience of my life. For Ryan and fellow North Americans, it was an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and open the floodgates to new opportunities back home. For others, it was an opportunity to provide for their families and give their children a future. After returning to North America, Ryan took on progressive roles in Vancouver, Calgary, Boston that included sales, business development, leadership, and operations for Sonder, a ‘Hometel’ company bringing together the authenticity of peer-to-peer home rental plus the dependable, elevated services of a hotel. Currently, Ryan operates the Annex Hotel in Toronto as GM. As a property manager, business owner, and entrepreneur, you already have so much to do in a 24 hour time period. Don’t let the worry of your property being damaged and focus back on growing your business with Safely! Safely is a proud sponsor and I love that I can use them for my business to ensure my properties are safe, protected and my homeowners know that I think of their asset as my asset too! Go to Safely.com and sign up today and let them know Wil sent you! Smart locks, Smart thermostats, automation, and a solution for any hotel and vacation rental company. Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full-service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 02:52 - Background of the Guest 06:47 - Disadvantages of having an overcomplicated system 08:07 - Using Technology vs Old school way 09:35 - Technology role in the hospitality industry 13:00 - Shifting to Sonder and Airbnb 15:56 - What is it like to be an established company? 19:32 - What is Annex? 23:15 - Adopting Technology - from traditional to high-tech hotel 26:19 - Consolidating Tech hacks 29:29 - Prediction when shifting to high-end vacation rentals Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://theannex.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankkilleen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annexhotels/?hl=en Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Alex has led the strategic marketing and business development efforts for Condo-World since 2009. She manages a team that has grown the company from a local vacation rental business into a nationally recognized condo marketing and technology enterprise. Alex has a passion for developing strategies that drive sales overnight and brand over time, connecting all aspects of digital, social and traditional marketing to keep Condo-World at the forefront of their highly competitive market.  This episode is sponsored by Hostfully! Hostfully is an industry-leading software company that provides property managers and hoteliers with a property management platform and amazing digital custom guidebooks that will make your guests' experience with you 10X better! Use SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off of their property management platform and two months free of their premium digital guidebooks!  As a property manager, business owner, and entrepreneur, you already have so much to do in a 24 hour time period. Don’t let the worry of your property being damaged and focus back on growing your business with Safely! Safely is a proud sponsor and I love that I can use them for my business to ensure my properties are safe, protected and my homeowners know that I think of their asset as my asset too! Go to Safely.com and sign up today and let them know Wil sent you! In this episode, we explore:  04:23 - Alex and Condo-World Background  08:36 - Key to Success  13:16 - Importance of Marketing  19:10 - Steps for Branding package  22:32 - Technology Program  29:02 - Making successful partnerships  32:40 - Software Connectivity Piece  36:55 - Finding Gaps to fill  39:19 - What’s next for Condo-World?  Connecting with the Guest:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-o-husner-%F0%9F%8C%8E-1844306/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.o.husner  Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H  Mid Roll Ad - 20:53

Brooke Pfautz is one of the industry's foremost experts in growing vacation rental inventory. He got his start in the industry 14 years ago when he founded Vantage Resort Realty in Ocean City, MD and took an idea on a napkin to more than 500 properties in just five years. After a successful exit, he went on to grow inventory for other major vacation rental brands as a Chief Business Development Officer in multiple destinations. Most recently, as an executive at a leading vacation rental software company, he saw first-hand through MasterMind groups that he launched and facilitated what worked and what didn’t for the 20 largest and most successful companies in the country. Today, Brooke leads Vintory, the 1st and only CRM & Sales and Marketing automation platform designed exclusively for Vacation Rental Managers to grow their inventory. At Vintory, a team of over 50 growth experts are laser focused on one thing: helping VRMs hit or exceed their growth goals. This episode is sponsored by Hostfully & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property management platform and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your tech-stack and get this dynamic duo to power your business! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full-service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 03:46 - Brookes Background 08:46 - Finding more qualified properties 09:48 - Good vs Bad Mailing Campaign 11:26 - Increasing bookings and reservations 15:23 - Top 5 Hacks for Vacation Rental Manager 19:51 - Why do we need data scientists? 26:05 - How will you know if the data is useful? 33:36 - Direct Mail 37:53 - What makes people not throw direct mails 40:38 - Custom Audiences 42:39 - What is IP targeting? 45:26 - Direct Mail Retargeting 49:01 - Determining the Value of a proper portfolio Connecting with the Guest: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vintoryhq/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vintory Twitter: https://twitter.com/vintoryHQ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H Mid Roll Ad - 24:34

Samantha Hardcastle, founder of The Storied Experience and Amore Social, brings a decade of marketing strategy & storytelling to hospitality properties and destinations worldwide. Her passion-driven mission is to transform the way we travel and infuse each moment with more meaning, purpose, and magic. After a not-so-pleasant hotel stay a few years back, Samantha started her journey of exploring guest experience design with Cornell in 2018. Her creative marketing background, immense curiosity about other cultures, and empathetic understanding of today’s traveler serve her as she seeks to help hospitality hosts elevate their guest experience and stand out. Samantha’s vision is to combine her unique perspective on storytelling with aesthetic & emotional intelligence, positive design & psychology, wellbeing, and human behavior to build out programming and spaces for properties that are enriching and personality-packed. Her online course, the Spark 5-Star Success Pathway, dives deep into her years of research and strategies. Use code to SLICKTALK get 20% off. As a property manager, business owner, and entrepreneur, you already have so much to do in a 24 hour time period. Don’t let the worry of your property being damaged and focus back on growing your business with Safely! Safely is a proud sponsor and I love that I can use them for my business to ensure my properties are safe, protected and my homeowners know that I think of their asset as my asset too! Go to Safely.com and sign up today and let them know Wil sent you! Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! This episode is also sponsored by Jetstream! Jetstream is a full service hospitality solution with a powerful team behind it! To learn more about Jetstream, just click this link! In this episode, we explore: 02:10 - Background of the guest 06:13 - Creating Real Expectations with the guest 08:47 - Areas of Inspirations 11:42 - How Covid affects Marketing 15:59 - Relying on Positive Psychology and positive designs 21:14 - Guest’s Experiences 25:07 - Storytelling 30:25 - Importance of knowing your values and personality Connecting with the Guest: Website: http://thestoriedexperience.com/ Website: http://fivestarpathway.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthahardcastle_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skhardcastle/ Email: hello@thestoriedexperience.com Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H Mid Roll Ad - 18:32

Justin Ford is the Director of Safety & Certification Programs at Breezeway; where he is helping property managers and owners maintain the safety of short-term rental properties. An international short-term term rental safety expert, Justin was the first to elevate awareness of safety in short-term rentals back in 2013. Prior to Breezeway, Justin co-founded On the Water in Maine in 2006 and grew the company into the highest-grossing vacation rental company in New England. A former member of the US Coast Guard and a firefighter, Justin travels worldwide to share his industry expertise on short-term rental safety. Risk is something we can’t avoid and you know this! But… you can sure minimize your risk when it comes to putting things in place like NoiseAware & Safely.com! Safely have you, your guests, and your homeowner covered if anything goes wrong or gets damaged and guess what!? By having a NoiseAware device in your homes, you’ll have everything you need in order to have peace of mind! This episode is also sponsored by our friends at Breezeway! Check out this link to learn more! In this episode, we explore: 03:25 - Background of the guest 06:24 - Convincing the waterfront owners 09:49 - Safety Training Course 13:48 - Challenges of creating the course 16:24 - Top Claims in Insurance Company 20:31 - Successful ways to overcome incidents 24:12 - What is Safety Training Course 30:28 - Marketing Tricks 35:54 - Breezeway’s Mission 40:06 - Why Rentals are not considered safe Connecting with the Guest: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shorttermrentalsafety Website: https://www.breezeway.io/safety-app Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Thanks for Visiting has always been about short-term rentals. Annette and Sarah met at a Columbus, Ohio City Council Meeting fighting for their right to host homes on Airbnb. The two shared a belief that the short-term rental industry needs hosts to be more hospitable. Every resource they'd come across in growing their own businesses was purely profit driven - and "heads in beds" just isn't their style. We had to figure out a lot of stuff on our own and now we want to give you the behind-the-scenes look we tried to find when we started. Thanks for Visiting is like Hospitality Prep School for the Airbnb stager or host. You'll find resources to help you host with heart and improve your processes and systems. This episode is sponsored by our friends at NoiseAware! NoiseAware is the only 100% privacy safe noise monitoring solution so get with NoiseAware so you don’t waste any time while you grow your professional and amazing business! Use SLICKTALK20 to get 20% off your noise devices with NoiseAware! Hostfully is an industry leading software company that provides property managers and hoteliers with a property management platform and amazing digital custom guidebooks that will make your guests' experience with you 10X better! Use SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off of their property management platform and two months free of their premium digital guidebooks! This episode is also sponsored by our friends at Breezeway! Check out this link to learn more! In this episode, we explore: 03:04 - Background of the guests 12:08 - Power of Podcasting 17:55 - How to operate in a high standards 19:07 - Complete Transparency to everyone 23:54 - STR Regulations 27:48 - Finding good resources 30:50 - Balancing media side of the business and the vacation rental business 37:14 - Why we need to continue growing and build something 38:50 - Females are the biggest users in Airbnb platforms 41:03 - Enjoying the Process Connecting with the Guest: Website: www.thanksforvisiting.me Instagram:  @thanksforvisiting Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H Mid Roll Ad - 21:22

Maeva is the founder of Flying Cat Marketing, a content-led SEO agency for SaaS companies in hypergrowth. She's helped VC-backed tech companies like Operto, Avantio, tye, and others scale their organic user acquisition with seamless content operations and world-class, revenue-generating content. This episode is sponsored by NoiseAware & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property noise sensor and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your tech stack and get this dynamic duo to power your business! This episode is also sponsored by our friends at Jetstream! Check out this link to learn more! In this episode, we explore: 03:31 - Maeva’s Background 11:24 - Letting go of control 15:35 - Optimizing your time and energy 21:10 - Financial Ambitious Goals 23:36 - Are you charging more or less? 25:19 - Point of view when it comes to technology 30:38 - Why Hoteliers keep everything tight 34:50 - Providing better value to the guests 37:17 - Scaling the services 40:12 - Using LinkedIn to Grow your Brand Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://flyingcatmarketing.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maevaeverywhere?originalSubdomain=es Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flyingcatmarketing/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H Mid Roll Ad - 22:14

Daniel Cruz and I are back to talk about entrepreneurship and the impact it's had in our lives and the lessons and values we are getting from our recent journey!   We will be bringing on other founders in the industry and we plan to make sure that we are 100% vulnerable and open during these recordings! Slick Talk Sponsors: NoiseAware Hostfully Safely.com Operto

Chloe Cohen is the CEO of BRIQ, a Real Estate Investor, and the Founder of Real Deals by Chloe. She is an empathy-driven entrepreneur focused on helping others self-empower by approaching life from a balanced perspective-mind, body, and soul. She is a real estate investor and prop-tech advisor at BRIQ, a tech-focused Real Estate Estate Marketing Agency, in New York City. Join us today to learn more about how to utilize what’s right in front of us with Chloe Cohen. This episode is sponsored by Hostfully & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property management platform and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your tech stack and get this dynamic duo to power your business! This episode is also sponsored by our friends at Jetstream! Check out this link to learn more! In this episode, we explore: 02:18 - Chloe’s Background 04:55 - Best software or technology 07:55 - Different periods that we go through 09:08 - Niche Marketing 10:01 - Overabundance of staff 15:50 - Is there a universal technology? 20:18 - Flexible Living 22:13 - Variation of Personality types 26:37 -  How will we know if it’s scalable? 33:12 - Knowing which route to take in investing Connecting with the Guest: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdealsbychloe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloecohen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RealDealsbyChloe Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

After Airbnb became a publicly traded company, we (and many others) predicted this would have a chain reaction with many others trying (and succeeding) to go public as well!   In today's episode, we will cover the news of Vacasa's recent announcement to go public with a 4.5 Billion dollar evaluation!   Thank you ShortTermRentalz for this article: https://shorttermrentalz.com/news/vac...  Startup of the week is: https://www.getwebee.com/  This episode is sponsored by Breezeway! To learn more about our friends there, you'll want to check out this episode and go to www.breezeway.io/gmh

I loved having Daniel Cruz, CEO & Founder of washbnb, on the show so much, and with all of their exciting news as a company, I just had to have him on for a "late-night recording session" to hear it all! Tune in to hear how washbnb is doing from the recent crowdfunding campaign to being accepted and in week two of Techstars! If you haven't heard Daniel's first episode on Slick Talk, you NEED to go listen to it now because it was that good!  👇 https://www.slicktalkthepodcast.com/podcast/episode/3b77f51d/created-by-hosts-for-hosts Listen until the end to hear a little announcement from Daniel & me as well!

Luca Zambello is the co-founder and CEO of Jurny, a hospitality tech company pioneering the next generation of tech-first, on-demand accommodations. A born entrepreneur, Luca launched one of the first professionally operated Airbnb vacation rental companies in 2012, quickly earning the Superhost status that he still holds today. Following that success, he realized there was a need for a more streamlined, on-demand hospitality experience for both guests and operators. Partnering with David Phillips in 2017, he co-founded Jurny and has led the company to triple-digit growth with more than 570 units under management across ten markets. The company is a leader in hospitality technology and automation allowing it to manage and operate some of the top-performing hotels and multi-family buildings in the industry. As an expert within the hospitality industry, Luca has been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur and other major industry publications. His mission continues to be modernizing hospitality and creating solutions that cater to the heightened expectations of today's traveler. Smart locks, Smart thermostats, automation, and a solution for any hotel and vacation rental company. Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! As a property manager, business owner, and entrepreneur, you already have so much to do in a 24 hour time period. Don’t let the worry of your property being damaged and focus back on growing your business with Safely! Safely is a proud sponsor and I love that I can use them for my business to ensure my properties are safe, protected and my homeowners know that I think of their asset as my asset too! Go to Safely.com and sign up today and let them know Wil sent you! In this episode, we explore: 02:58 - Luca’s Background 04:12 - Things need to consider when managing Airbnbs 05:35 - What makes Jurny different from others 09:47 - Offering full management service 10:51 - Making Guest feel at home 17:56 - Eliminating human interaction 21:18 - Why some guest don’t need human interaction 25:47 - Roadmap for Jurny 29:37 - Key things when leading a team Connecting with the Guest: Website: www.jurny.com, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urjurny, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jurny-115358886519014, Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jurny Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H Mid Roll Ad - 15:34 Making your guest feel at home 10:51 - 12:25

Mickey Kropf is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vector Travel, Inc, a tech-enabled, full-service, rental housing hospitality company. Prior to Vector Travel, Mickey co-founded and led growth at Rented.com, a short-term rental marketplace connecting owners with short-term rental management companies. Mickey has a background in commercial real estate development and finance. Enjoy 15% off by using SlickTalk on the checkout page with Vector Travel. For those who are apartment owners, you get one month free, and if you mention the podcast, you’ll get a one-month management fee for free too! Risk is something we can’t avoid and you know this! But… you can sure minimize your risk when it comes to putting things in place like NoiseAware & Safely.com! Safely have you, your guests, and your homeowner covered if anything goes wrong or gets damaged and guess what!? By having a NoiseAware device in your home, you’ll have everything you need in order to have peace of mind! We also want to say thank you to Breezeway for sponsoring this episode! To learn more about Breezeway, go to www.breezeway.io/slick In this episode, we explore: 02:58 - Mickeys Background 05:55 - Revenue share model vs master lease model 09:27 - Why mess with the model that’s not broken 11:47 - Iceberg Analogy 14:57 - Dealing with multi-billion dollar corporation clients 16:42 - Control Access to the Building 20:43 - Tracking the Inventory for multifamily side 23:10 - Positive Challenges that help grow the business 26:51 - The best clients are the existing clients 28:55 - Handling the business operations 31:36 - Contracts with the clients Connecting with the Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vectortravel www.vectorstays.com Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

The Founder of Mews, Richard Valtr, is a hotelier with a serious passion for technology and service. His mission is to transform an entire industry with cloud solutions that make hospitality more rewarding for everyone. This episode is a deep dive into his thoughts and opinions on how the hotel industry (hospitality) built products (tech) the wrong way that does a disservice to our guests and industry, the Original Sin as Richard likes to call it, we’ve looked at it all wrong. Risk is something we can’t avoid and you know this! But… you can sure minimize your risk when it comes to putting things in place like NoiseAware & Safely.com! Safely have you, your guests, and your homeowner covered if anything goes wrong or gets damaged and guess what!? By having a NoiseAware device in your homes, you’ll have everything you need in order to have peace of mind! In this episode, we explore: 03:27 - Richard Valtr Background 10:20 - Giving Value Added Services to Your Guests 17:40 - Knowing the Right Guest That Will Match Your Property 20:27 - The Original Sin of Hospitality 22:43 - The Creation of Mews 31:34 - Add on Services We Can Offer to the Guests 39:59 - Revenue Per Guest 42:25 - Making Sure to Meet the Guests Satisfaction 46:41 - Challenges In the Hospitality Industry 54:41 - Mews In The Next Few Years Connecting with the Guest: www.mews.com Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Jonathan Weitz is the founder and president of Avocet Hospitality Group. In 2006, Weitz and his wife Lisa founded Avocet Hospitality Group via the acquisition of Islands West Real Estate, a small vacation rental business of Folly Beach, South Carolina. Over dinner with friends, the ultimate vision of Avocet Hospitality was born - to identify boutique properties that needed renovations and repositioning and to create unique guest experiences that are more than just hotel stays. Fifteen years later, the Avocet Hospitality Group now includes award-winning The Vendue Arts Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, historic The Read House in Chattanooga, Tennessee, oceanfront Tides Folly Beach, South Carolina, and St. Barth Exclusives, Saint-Barthélemy, Antilles, French West Indies. Weitz began his hospitality career leading development and as general counsel for Kiawah Island Golf Resort helping to entitle and build the Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. During his tenure, he also worked with ownership to acquire and completely restore the historic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, and oversaw the planning, design, and construction of both The Ocean Course Clubhouse and The Turtle Point Clubhouse. These experiences molded Weitz’ passion and drive for creating his own company. Weitz is an alumnus of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. A resident of Charleston, South Carolina, Weitz has served on the Board of Governors for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and a member of the Board of Trustees at Porter-Gaud Schools. In addition, he is active with charities and the arts and enjoys traveling. He and his wife Lisa have two children, Jessica, and Jonathan. This episode is sponsored by Hostfully & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property management platform and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your tech stack and get this dynamic duo to power your business! In this episode, we explore: 02:41 - Johns Background 05:28 - Owning and Operating Hotels 12:12 - Understanding what you could and could not control 18:50 - Managing the property 23:32 - Importance of Technology 28:25 - Implementing good culture to the guests 36:07 - CornerStone of Culture 38:51 - Magic Money Program 42:59 - Key factor when looking into a new destination Connecting with the Guest: https://www.avocethospitality.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-jon-weitz-718242139/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/avocet-hospitality-group/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Michael Friedman: Director of Sales and Expansion SkyRun Vacation Rentals Michael has over 30 years of hospitality, vacation rental, real estate, and travel and tourism experience. He has created, led, and implemented successful sales, sales training and development programs that increase revenue, market growth, and expansion. His programs have grown businesses by 40% to 1000%. He is a growth-oriented sales professional with leadership skills at both the franchise and sales level. As a thought leader, Michael provides industry expertise in vacation rental outbound sales, network growth, sales funnels, and marketing plan development and execution. He is also the Co-Founder of Vacation Rental University (VRU), an online academy that educates, trains and supports the VR industry. VRU was founded to fill the massive void in education and training in a fragmented industry. Michael has a passion for developing others and has consulted with individuals as an executive coach and mentor. Michael resides in Charleston, SC, where he enjoys playing golf, walking on the beach, and dining at many world class restaurants. He’s an avid college and professional football fan, and devoted father of two grown sons who reside in Madison, Wisconsin (his home state). This episode is sponsored by Hostfully & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property management platform and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your techstack and get this dynamic duo to power your business! In this episode, we explore: 02:39 - Michaels Background  06:46 - Running the backend operations 10:54 - Understanding the market and its needs 13:54 - Skyrun common theme 19:34 - Learning management platform - VRU 22:47 - Capturing Guest Information 26:53 - Remarketing your past guest 29:20 - Tools used in communicating guest 32:37 - Leveraging your business 36:51 - Dynamic Pricing and Revenue Management Connecting with the Guest: Email: michaelf@skyrun.com Website: https://www.skyrun.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyrun/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Calvin is the Chief Experience Officer and Iconicity Enthusiast for ICONIC Presentations, LLC. Calvin specializes in delivering high-energy, customized keynote presentations for organizations that desire to reach or maintain ICONIC status. Calvin focuses on delivering the perfect blend of business concepts, story-telling and music themes to bring home an impactful message that touches both the heads and hearts of his audiences. Calvin designed a practical and systematic technique called The ICONIC Framework™ to help organizations achieve and maintain iconic status in the eyes of their customers. Calvin is also host of The ICONIC Mindset podcast where he and his co-host John Avola share the secrets behind what it takes to make your business, idea or movement iconic. This episode is sponsored by our friends at NoiseAware & Operto! NoiseAware is the only 100% privacy safe noise monitoring solution so get with NoiseAware so you don’t waste any time while you grow your professional and amazing business! Use SLICKTALK20 to get 20% off your noise devices with NoiseAware! Our show partners at Operto are the leading solution for operators to enhance their operations by integrating with your property management software and making sure all smart devices create a contactless guest experience while streamlining operations. Check them out on their website, send me a message or just let them know Wil sent you and you’ll be in great hands! In this episode, we explore: 03:22 - Background of the guest 05:29 - Homewood Suites Creation 09:03 - Lodging Options 13:32 - Becoming an entrepreneur and creating iconic presentations 18:51 - Importance of being authentic 25:04 - Knowledge vs Passion 28:23 - Pragmatic Optimism 34:25 - Being consistent 46:37 - What is inimitability? Connecting with the Guest: www.iconicpresentations.net https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvinstovall/ https://twitter.com/ICONICSPEAKER Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

With 15 years of experience in fast growing tech-startups, Marcus has successfully built up a leading PMS and Channel Manager for vacation rentals from scratch. During this journey, he has gained substantial knowledge about two-sided marketplaces, VC funding, growing companies and more importantly getting more bookings! Join us and know how to successfully build a leading PMS and Channel Manager for vacation rentals from scratch. Risk is something we can’t avoid and you know this! But… you can sure minimize your risk when it comes to putting things in place like NoiseAware & Safely.com! Safely have you, your guests, and your homeowner covered if anything goes wrong or gets damaged and guess what!? By having a NoiseAware device in your homes, you’ll have everything you need in order to have peace of mind! In this episode, we explore: 03:46 - Background of the guest 06:23 - Creation of Hostaway 08:47 - Creating Game 53 11:47 - What is Game 53 look like 14:32 - Is creating a PMS beneficial? 17:54 - Big changes prior to Covid-19 24:18 - Consolidation of Tech 32:09 - Gap between hotels and vacation rentals 35:35 - Importance of guest’s experience 40:07 - Development side of Hostaway 44:17 - Travel Destinations Connecting with the Guest: Website: www.hostaway.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingmarcus Email: marcus@hostaway.com Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

As the Chief Executive Officer, Emir is in charge of Rabbu’s growth and visionary efforts. Being a natural entrepreneur and follower of Real Estate, Emir turned a spare bedroom above his detached garage into the genesis for a new asset class within Real Estate and into an opportunity for investors to create more value while de-risking their portfolio through Rabbu. Prior to founding Rabbu, Emir was a Senior Product Manager at NBC Sports which he joined as part of the acquisition of KYCK. Emir joined KYCK as a free intern, after failing to find satisfaction as a Civil Engineer, and eventually worked his way up to be the Vice President of Operations when it was acquired by NBC Sports.  Emir was originally born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (formerly Yugoslavia) and was forced to flee there when a civil war broke out. After spending 6 years in Germany, Emir moved to the United States at the age of 12. Having survived civil war and beaten cancer, Emir is conditioned to beat adversity and not to take any situation and opportunity for granted.  Join us today to know the role of technology in the short-term rental industry.  Risk is something we can’t avoid and you know this! But… you can sure minimize your risk when it comes to putting things in place like NoiseAware & Safely.com! Safely has you, your guests, and your homeowner covered if anything goes wrong or gets damaged and guess what!? By having a NoiseAware device in your homes, you’ll have everything you need in order to have peace of mind!  In this episode, we explore:  04:09 - Background of the guest  12:23 - Creation of Rabbu  13:36 - Controlling the access to the property  17:04 - Building a Technology Platform  22:14 - Why specialization is important  26:17 - Most challenging things when building a platform  31:06 - Keeping up with all the changes  35:56 - Managing Crossovers  Connecting with the Guest:  Website: https://rabbu.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emirdukic/  Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Andy McNeill is a travel and hospitality entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in his profession. He is the CEO and founder of American Meetings, Inc., an industry-leading meetings and events agency that produces thousands of live and virtual meetings annually for Fortune 500 clients. He is also the co-host of the Destination Everywhere Podcast, a top travel, and hospitality podcast that highlights bucket-list destinations, luxury hotels, local cuisine, and must-do activities. Andy is a significant voice in the hospitality, meeting, and travel industries. Join us today and learn more about American Meetings services and The Destination Everywhere Podcast. This episode is sponsored by Hostfully! Hostfully is an industry-leading software company that provides property managers and hoteliers with a property management platform and amazing digital custom guidebooks that will make your guests' experience with you 10X better! Use SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off of their property management platform and two months free of their premium digital guidebooks! In this episode, we explore: 02:50 - Background of the guest 04:10 - How American Meetings Inc. started? 07:20 - Virtual Events 09:48 - What are Hybrid Events? 12:52 - Destination Everywhere Podcast 16:55 - Biggest Key Takeaways in the Podcast 19:51 - What are “4 Seasons” Experience 23:49 - Futuristic Hotel Concept 25:15 - Flexible Lodging 27:57 - Finding Ways to Innovate the Business Operation Quotes from the episode “Business is important but experience is first.” Connecting with the Guest: Instagram - @atmcneill @americanmeetingsinc @destinationeverywherepodcast Facebook - @americanmeetings @destinationeverywherepodcast https://www.facebook.com/andy.mcneill LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-mcneill https://www.linkedin.com/company/ami-global-meetings-solutions-inc. Twitter - @amermeetings Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

Noble Crawford III shares his best practices for actively prospecting and generating direct bookings, both B2C and B2B. He dives deep into understanding buyer personas and how critical they are to increasing bookings and growing revenue. Join us today as he shares different strategies and knowledge to grow your business. This episode is sponsored by Hostfully! Hostfully is an industry leading software company that provides property managers and hoteliers with a property management platform and amazing digital custom guidebooks that will make your guests experience with you 10X better! Use SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off of their property management platform and two months free of their premium digital guidebooks! In this episode, we explore: 03:02 - Background of Noble Crawford 07:22 - Business Structure 12:09 - Dealing cancelled bookings 16:18 - Managing the system’s backend 19:22 - Relationship with insurance company 21:48 - Negotiating market rate 26:10 - Getting the unit to be booked Connecting with the Guest: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noble.crawford.3/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noblecrawford/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/noblecrawford?_rdc=1&_rdr Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

In this episode, Theron Lewis shares his story of how he has liberated nearly 1 million people from Airbnb and STR bans. He went from almost losing his business in Detroit due to an STR ban to getting the ban pulled, being at the table with the City Council, and growing his business to the 7 figure level due to advocacy. Theron will be sharing some ideas on how to stop/prevent a ban and how to grow your business massively from Advocacy. This episode is sponsored by our friends at NoiseAware & Safely! Risk is something we can’t avoid and you know this! But… you can sure minimize your risk when it comes to putting things in place like NoiseAware & Safely.com! Safely has you, your guests, and your homeowner covered if anything goes wrong or gets damaged, and guess what!? By having a NoiseAware device in your home, you’ll have everything you need in order to have peace of mind that it all goes right! In this episode, we explore: 04:16 - Background of Theron Lewis 09:32 - First action to take when fighting for your business 16:25 - The “Suck” Phase 20:36 - Getting people to come together 27:58 - The Middle Phase 30:02 - Importance of starting a Facebook Ads 37:10 - 3 Things to avoid losing your business 47:02 - Mission in helping people protect their short term rentals 52:16 - Where can people give back in different ways Connecting with the Guest: Email: theron@sharingdetriot.org Clubhouse: @theronl Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

In today’s episode, let us welcome Wendy Jae and David Tucker from Travelers Book Direct and learn the different strategies that will empower you to create direct relationships with your guests, upgrade how you operate, and master the strategies and tactics you need to tap into your full potential. Learn the foundations and fundamentals of attracting visitors as a Destination Influencer (Destinationaire!) and convert them into guests that book directly on your platform. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Safely & NoiseAware! If you’re a professional property manager then you need to get both Safely & NoiseAware in your tool belt so you can focus on operating and growing your business. Go to Safely.com and let them know Wil sent you and use SLICKTALK20 to get 20% off your noise devices with NoiseAware! In this episode, we explore: 04:16 - Background of David & Wendy 09:58 - Creating systems and Direct Relationships 11:45 - Destination Influencing Concept 16:32 - Beginning and Results of Destination Influencing Concept 23:00 - Personalize Marketing Strategies 24:13 - 3 Things an Influencer Needs 28:10 - Creating Partnerships and Relationships 34:28 - Creating personal Video messages for the guests 39:16 - Success stories as a destination influencer 44:47 - Creating content for YouTube Quotes: “I learned two important things that day. One was no matter what you’re up against, you have to create a system. If you don’t have a system, you’re lost. And the second thing was direct relationships are always the most valuable.” - David Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://www.ilukamedia.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqzPgsckRjkqcXkRDM_LVgA Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/ilukamediamarketing/?_rdc=1&_rdr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilukamedia/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iluka-media/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://linktr.ee/Slicktalk

This week, we are joined by Nitesh Gandhi, founder of Locale, a company that’s dedicated to bridging the gap between home and hotels, offering thoughtfully furnished, upscale apartments for short and extended stays. Nitesh previously worked as an asset manager of large-scale, branded hotel projects across the US. He was also a management consultant at a top-tier boutique firm with experience leading multiple engagements throughout the US and Europe. He has since launched operations for two hospitality startups. This episode is sponsored by my friends at Hostfully! Use my code SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off their property management platform or two months free of their digital guidebooks! In this episode, we explore: 02:37 - Background of Locale 05:14 - Transitioning from hotel to short term rentals 11:22 - Transitioning from asset manager to Airbnb host 14:24 - Creating brand consistency 18:15 - Managing hotels during Covid 23:38 - Investing in the right technology 29:18 - Key takeaways from the episode Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://locale.com/ Email: hello@locale.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngandhi/ Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

In this episode, Washbnb CEO Daniel Cruz talks about the incredible story of how the company started, and what it took for them to get to where they are today. Being a host himself, Washbnb was founded after he saw the great need for laundry service in the rental industry. Daniel Cruz and the Washbnb team are dedicated to providing the best level of hospitality to their clients. Washbnb prides itself on being a company that is created by hosts, for hosts. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Safely & NoiseAware! If you’re a professional property manager then you need to get both Safely & NoiseAware in your tool belt so you can focus on operating and growing your business. Go to Safely.com and let them know Wil sent you and use SLICKTALK20 to get 20% off your noise devices with NoiseAware! In this episode, we explore: 03:37 - Getting into Airbnb 10:20 - When the side hustle turns into a full-time job 17:41 - The beginning of Washbnb 20:52 - Pushing through setbacks 24:55 - The high demand for laundry services in rentals 27:46 - The company’s values 31:27 - What hospitality really means 33:36 - The white linen analogy 39:23 - Washbnb after a year 45:36 - Marketing through Clubhouse Be a part of their journey! Invest in Washbnb: https://wefunder.com/washbnb Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://www.washbnb.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/washbnb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/washbnb/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/washbnb/  Email: info@washbnb.com Daniel’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatdjc/  Daniel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielJCruz Clubhouse: danieljcruz Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://linktr.ee/Slicktalk

Anthony Gantt is the founder and CEO of At Ease Rentals, a corporation dedicated to connecting vacation rental hosts to federal and military members and military families during official travel, liberty, and leave. In this episode, he talks about how At Ease came to be, the company’s vision, and how they’re making it happen. Joining Anthony is Mateo Bradford who has been a trusted advisor with At Ease since the beginning of it all and brings a wealth of experience and industry knowledge. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Safely! If you’re a professional property manager then you need to get Safely in your tool belt so you can focus on operating and growing your business. Go to Safely.com and let them know Wil sent you! In this episode, we explore: 03:50 - Background of Anthony Gantt, founder of At Ease 10:16 - At Ease company was the solution 15:41 - Returning Receipts and Vouchers 21:25 - What is At Ease 24:30 - Pricing structure for At Ease 24:57 - Getting an Inventory from PMS 33:37 - Privacy Aspect 37:27 - Tasks at hand for At Ease Connecting with the Guest: Twitter https://twitter.com/At_Ease_Rentals Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ATEASERentals/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/40730274 Instagram https://instagram.com/stories/at_ease_rentals/ Website https://pcsatease.com Email info@pcsatease.com Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://linktr.ee/Slicktalk

On today’s episode, we are joined by Tim From Buoy, Co-Founder/Head of Product at Buoy, a dynamic pricing platform for vacation rentals. Prior to founding the company he was an independent revenue manager, and spent 2016-2018 with Oasis Collections. This episode is sponsored by my friends at Hostfully! Use my code SLICKTALK20 and get $100 off their property management platform or two months free of their premium digital guidebooks! In this episode, we explore: 02:37 - Background of Tim Speicher + How he started Airbnb hosting 05:39 - What is Buoy? 08:26 - How to determine your booking rate? 10:41 - Implementing better revenue strategies 14:21 - Why was Buoy created? 18:22 - How Buoy can help with dynamic pricing suggestions 19:22 - Construal Distance - bridging the gap between abstract and concrete idea 22:28 - Complete aggregated data vs Non-aggregated data 29:12 - Buoy’s company goal Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://buoy.us/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyspeicher/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buoy.us/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/tim_speicher?lang=en Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://linktr.ee/Slicktalk

This week, we are joined by Nancy McAleer, Co-Founder of FLARBO. After several years of frustration with the major OTAs, Nancy co-founded Florida Rental By Owners, a no booking fee website "Built By Owners For Vacation Rental Owners". Giving full control back to the short-term rental host, homeowner, and property manager. Dedicated to the Book Direct movement, FLARBO is a sustainable, viable, trusted partner for the niche Florida rental market in the United States. In this episode, we explore: 2:51 - Background of Nancy McAleer + How It All Started 7:12 - The biggest lessons learned in co-founding a business 9:31 - Transitioning from OTAs(Online Travel Agency) to Direct Booking 10:13 - The value of software integration and automation in a business 13:33 - The difference between mainstream OTA and Flarbo 19:56 - What does it take to build a listing site like Flarbo? 23:15 - How to identify and avoid booking scams 25:40 - Thriving amidst the pandemic 32:37 - How the Flarbo business model could be effective for other markets 38:36 - Best Practices for hosting rentals Check out Flarbo’s Annual Report for 2020 to see how they withstood the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and how their data can help maximize dollar per transaction (DPT), rental ratios, and ROI for hosts. This episode is sponsored by my friends at Hostfully! Use my code SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off their property management platform or two months free of their digital guidebooks! Mentioned in this episode Website: https://www.floridarentalbyowners.com/ Email: nancy@floridarentalbyowners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mcaleer-6672a41a/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floridarentalbyowners/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridarentalbyowners/ Slick Talk Website & Socials

In March, the Breezeway Elevate Operations Summit virtual panel welcomed leading management companies and invited them to speak about how to succeed through strong business relationships. The panel covered best practices for delivering (and maintaining) hospitality-like owner services and how they’ll foster more trustworthy owner relationships, increase client retention and boost referrals. It featured Jon Eskin of BHHS Colorado Properties and Brittany Blackman of Breathe Easy Rentals. Mentioned in this episode: Breezeway Slick Talk Website & Links

David Meltzer is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing and formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh (“Lee”) Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire.   His life’s mission is to empower OVER 1 BILLION people to be happy! This simple yet powerful mission has led him on an incredible journey to provide one thing…VALUE. In all his content, and communication that’s exactly what you’ll receive. As part of that mission, for the past 20 years, he’s been providing free weekly training to empower others to be happy. David and I have been connected the last few weeks and it's been an honor to receive some one-on-one mentorship and be involved with another like-minded community of entrepreneurs.  Mentioned in this episode: Davids FB Page Davids LinkedIn Davids Texting Community - (949) 298-2905 Slick Talk Website & Socials

PointCentral provides Smart Home solutions that enable vacation rental and residential property managers to remotely control energy and access to ALL their properties from their desktop or mobile device. Sean Miller, the President of PointCentral joins me to talk about more than just Smart Home automation but the three key value adds that solutions like PointCentral can bring to property managers in order to better serve the property owners and maintain quality control when properties aren't occupied!  Mentioned in this episode: PointCentral Website More About PointCentral Slick Talk Website & Socials

Sahara Rose De Vore is a Wellness Travel Coach and Consultant and the Founder of The Travel Coach Network. Sahara spent a decade traveling to over 84 countries before founding her businesses. Her mission is to educate companies on the wellness benefits of travel. Sahara is a published author, global speaker, and has been seen in over 70 media outlets including Forbes and Business Insider for her expertise. I first met Sahara on a series called Discover Hospitality and we stayed connected since! When I first heard about her business and how she started it, the podcaster in me had to know more!   Mentioned in this episode: The Travel Coach Network Website TCN Facebook TCN Instagram Sahara's LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials!

I connected with Toby late last year during the launch of the Destinationaire Awards and I fell in love with his companies Instagram because of the beautiful properties and high attention to detail!  Toby is a dreamer and an experience builder and it shows in his work! In this episode, you'll hear about the challenges but then you'll hear about the beautiful moments that he is able to make by going above and beyond and creating a destination! When you're in a beautiful beach town and your guests rarely go to the beach and spend most of their time at the property, you must be doing something right. This episode is part of the Hostfully Highlight Series and I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to share the awesome stories of property managers like Toby!  Mentioned in this episode: Beachhouse WA Website!  Beachhouse WA Instagram Hostfully Website - Use my code SLICKTALK20 for $100 off and much more with their digital guidebooks! Slick Talk Website & Socials

Rowledge Associates was founded by Adam Rowledge following a successful career in the hospitality industry, during which he established a reputation for achieving operational excellence and commercial success by taking an employee-centric approach to business. Named Independent Hotelier of the Year by the Independent Hotel Show Awards in 2018, Adam has also been awarded British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame Young Manager of the Year in 2017 and an Acorn Award in 2012. These awards were recognition of his leadership which led to further prestigious awards for his team and individual colleagues. Mentioned in this episode: Rowledge Associates Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

Sarah Dandashy is recognized as one of the leading concierges in the world. People seek her out for her travel tips, advice, and knowledge of trends from the “frontlines of travel.”  Award-winning, she was named “Best Young Concierge” by Les Clefs d’Or International, making her the Miss Universe equivalent of the concierge profession.  She has worked at some of the most prestigious hotels, including The London West Hollywood, Four Seasons Washington DC, L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, and The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Mentioned in this episode: Ask A Concierge Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

Michael Driedger is the Co-Founder of Operto and CEO of Airsset Technologies. If you're a consistent listener of the show you would have heard his previous episode when he joined me to talk about Operto and how it's changing the game for short-term rental managers and hotels. In this episode, we catch up with Michael about what he's been up to since stepping into a new role and helping solve issues surrounding air quality. I really enjoy my conversations with Michael so get ready for us to uncover a lot in this episode! Mentioned in this episode: Sponsored by Hostfully! Uses SLICKTALK20 to get an exclusive discount!  Airsset Website Airsset Instagram Airsset LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials

Mike Liverton is a serial entrepreneur with two decades of experience and a proven track record in creating strong organizational cultures with guest-centric values enabling sustainable and scalable business growth. Born and raised in England, He moved to Canada in 2006. He quickly became involved in the short-term rental property market and realized that the fragmented nature of the market and legacy software platforms provided a significant opportunity to revolutionize technology and services in the property management and distribution vertical. Emmanuel Lavoie is an engineer, entrepreneur, and investor with 15 years of experience in the management of business and technical projects. As COO at Jetstream Hospitality Solutions, he focuses on maximizing business growth and driving innovation. In 2012 Leavetown.com was launched and in 2017 their market-leading technology and full-service solution was branded Jetstream. They have grown globally with offices and teams in North America, Europe, the Philippines, and now full circle, they also have offices in the UK. This episode was a blast to record! They've got a really cool story of having bought Jetstream back from Red Awning at the beginning of the Pandemic and are now 100% employee-owned and I am glad to be one of the firsts to capture it! Mentioned in this episode: Jetstreams Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

UrHip provides the best fully furnished, short-term rentals in Philadelphia! In this episode featuring Steve Patterson, the founder, we discuss more ways that businesses have been impacted by COVID19 and what the key strategies were for Steve and his team in order for them to still be here today! Thank you Hostfully for connecting me to the operators that are making a difference in our industry and allowing me to share their stories! Mentioned in this episode: Hostfully is a podcast Headline Sponsor - Use my code SLICKTALK20 for access to beautiful digital guidebooks and their property management platform! UrHip Website Slick Talk Website & Socials 

Tom Smyth - the owner of Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments, multiple construction companies, author & 10x coach, speaker & mentor with the Grant Cardone Licensee Program! This man has accomplished so much and overcome many challenges in his life.  This episode is great for entrepreneurs who want to hear from someone who has never given up and is building a legacy. Mentioned in this episode: Tom Smyth on LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials

The more and more I have connected with Sheheryar on LinkedIn & in the recording of this podcast, the more I get inspired and excited for the future of the next generation of hospitality. Sheheryar is a great example of overcoming the odds and pushing yourself to grow in the industry you love. He and I have similar experiences, outlooks, and backgrounds in our careers. I hope this episode inspires you the way Sheheryar has inspired me! Mentioned in this episode: Hyatt Place Toronto/Mississauga Centre Sheheryar Javaid's LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials

Madi Rifkin is the CEO and founder of Mount Locks, a micro-fleet and technology made for hospitality providers in the hotel and short-term rental industry.  Hear her story as she started out as a young entrepreneur at the age of 12 and how it lead her to "unlocking" her passion for solving problems, building teams, and re-thinking the way businesses can create new and remarkable experiences.  Mentioned in this episode: MountLocks Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

Vered Raviv Schwarz is President & COO of property management platform Guesty, where she brings nearly 20 years of experience in global operations to overseeing teams including Customer Experience, Finance, Operations, Legal, HR, Customer Success, Data & Analytics, and Strategic Partnerships. Prior to Guesty, Vered was COO of Fiverr where she grew the company from 40 employees to over 400 in her six-year tenure. In her free time, she serves on the advisory boards of several startups and participates in mentorship programs focused on female entrepreneurship. In this episode, Vered and I discuss her background and what she's learned from her previous adventure at Fiverr, and how it carries over to her new position at Guesty. We also uncover their findings from their industry report that surveyed 500+ professionals in hospitality on the state of confidence in the short-term rental ecosystem. Mentioned in this episode: Guesty's Industry Report - Download now! Vered's LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials

When you think you've heard it all, you get amazing stories like Nick's. Constantly having to be on their toes because the market they operate in is completely different from what we normally see... the tropics have plenty of beauty but plenty of challenges to overcome.  In this episode of the Hostfully Highlight Series, you'll hear how Nick Halverson, Founder of Osa Property Management in Costa Rica, explains how he and his team have handled their business during COVID and how they improved their operations during the early days of the pandemic when we had more downtime to figure out how we were going to recover for the long term.  Thank you Hostfully for connecting me to the operators that are making a difference in our industry and allowing me to share their stories! Mentioned in this episode: Hostfully is the podcasts Headline Sponsor - Use my code SLICKTALK20 for access to beautiful digital guidebooks and their property management platform! Osa Property Management Website Osa Property Management Pinterest Slick Talk Website & Socials

Christoph Hutter is the brains and creative behind the term "non-traditional revenue manager" and you'll hear why. Tune in to hear his story and passion for hotels, revenue management, and strategy execution.  Mentioned in this episode: Christophs Website Christophs LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials 

Kyle Allison has actually been someone I have paid attention to in hospitality & media since I actually started doing Slick Talk as a young hotel manager out on the Oregon coast! In this episode, we dive into his extensive background in the hotel space and what he has been able to accomplish at such a young age! For our next generation of hospitality professionals, this is a message and podcast for you! Mentioned in this episode: Hospitality MD Social & Website Links Slick Talk Socials & Website

Ken Patel has been claimed the "Elon Musk of Hospitality," so it felt totally natural to have him on with me, Wil Slickers, the "Joe Rogan of Hospitality." Tune in as we talk tech, humanization, and changes to come with how hotels operate for the future as Ken Patel and his team build the first every technology hotel management company! Mentioned in this episode: Ken Patels LinkedIn EV Hotel Group Slick Talk Website & Socials

Jim Sheehan is a prime example of a natural-born entrepreneur who just has the mind and mindset for business. Founding a tech company to now running a scaling professional vacation rental management company in the midst of COVID19, this is the conversation I have been looking forward to as we talk about key things like automation and building proper systems. This episode is part of the Hostfully Highlight Series where I interview property managers that have embraced their software and create sustainable businesses that make a difference in the industry! Use my code SLICKTALK20 to get their digital guidebooks (they're amazing!) or $100 their property management platform! Mentioned in this episode: Wydaho Property Management Hostfully Slick Talk Website & Socials

This special episode is included in the Vacation Rental Mastermind Series: Operators Edition, where Sarah Franzen with Natural Retreats talks all things revenue management with me! Sarah has a great background and story from both hotels and vacation rentals, so it was a ton of fun to get her perspective! Mentioned in this episode: Natural Retreats Website Sarah's Blog - Sarah Say What!? Sarahs LinkedIn Sarah's Instagram Slick Talk Website & Socials!

This is a Slick Talk Bonus episode featuring Chris Maughan, the CEO of I-PRAC, David Jacoby, the President of Hostfully, and Andrew Kitchell, the CEO of Wheelhouse!  These three industry experts talked about the three categories they specialize in and answered some questions from others in the industry on the newest social platform, Clubhouse! Mentioned in this episode: I-PRAC Website Hostfully (Use my code SLICKTALK20 to get $100 off!) Wheelhouse The BIG Giveback - A new podcast created by Wil Slickers, coming to all platforms soon!

Julie George is a name you will get used to hearing and seeing if you haven't already!  Author of Million Dollar Host and now a Consultant in the STR Industry, Julie George listed her first property on Airbnb in 2016. Less than 3 years later she was managing 130 properties on Airbnb for property owners and had amassed in excess of $8 million dollars in bookings. In late 2019 Julie sold her property management business to a larger company (Hometime). Julie now is considered one of the world's leading experts in Short Term Rentals and mentors other budding entrepreneurs on how to build a successful business in the sharing economy. Mentioned in this episode: Julies Website Sponsored by Hostfully - Use my code SLICKTALK20  Wheelhouse Revenue Management Slick Talk Website & Socials! Clubhouse Invites! DM me on Instagram to claim yours! (Only to the first 5!)

In this episode, we cover the inner workings of a rising brand in the industry that has taken on (as I like to call it) the role of hybrid! Kasa's Founder, Roman Pedan, and I discussed their journey as this startup has successfully overcome challenges during the pandemic. Roman founded Kasa Living, Inc. in August 2016. He brings a unique blend of real estate, hospitality, and technology experience to the business that makes him well-positioned to lead it into the future. Mentioned in this episode: Kasa Living Website Kasa Living LinkedIn Slick Talk Website

Andrew has been in & around the hospitality space for 10+ years.   To start, he paid for his first business - a publishing business that designed language guides for travelers - by renting out his room on Airbnb.   From there, he has founded & led Lyric, Wheelhouse, Beyond Pricing, and other brands in the STR space. Tune in as we discuss the depths of dynamic pricing for short-term rentals! This episode is sponsored by Hostfully! I couldn't ask for a better sponsor because Hostfully and Wheelhouse have an amazing partnership with API connections! See the links below to get started! Don't forget to use my code, SLICKTALK20 for Hostfully's digital guidebooks and property management platform! Mentioned in this episode:  Wheelhouse  Hostfully - Use code SLICKTALK20 Wheelhouse Pro Demo Slick Talk Website & Socials!

A Life That I Dream Of Many of us in the hospitality industry are dreamers that see a beautiful world of excitement and endless opportunities. Hospitality professionals make that dream happen because it's true; the world is beautiful and has endless possibilities, and we showcase that through our services, properties, and so much more! Will Parry, Co-Funders and now CEO of ALTIDO tells us the early stages of his journey into the ALTIDO brand that manages short-term rental properties all over the UK and Europe! You may also hear that sometimes, to create something like this, all it takes is a little bit of juice!  This episode is sponsored by Wheelhouse! Wheelhouse is a dynamic pricing software created to help property managers of short-term rental properties increase their direct profit and outperform their comp-set and market in their specific destination! You can sign up using my link here and see their market reports for FREE! I also recorded an episode with their founder, Andrew Kitchell, and so you can subscribe to the show to learn more when that episode comes out! Mentioned in this episode: ALTIDO Website ALTIDO LinkedIn ALTIDO Instagram HOST Conference NoiseAware Wheelhouse  Slick Talk Website & Socials

Entrepreneurism runs deep in the short-term rental operators and creators' veins in this hospitality segment, and Merilee Karr is a perfect example of that. For this VRMS: Operators Edition episode, Merilee Karr, the founder of UnderTheDoormat, tells us her journey into the vacation rental industry and how (in more ways than not) her business has helped unite our beautifully diverse segment of the hospitality industry by creating Hospiria and TrustedStays! Mentioned in this episode: UnderTheDoormat Website Hospiria Website TrustedStays Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

Parker Stanberry is the Founder of Oasis, a vacation rental management company with hundreds of properties around the world. You've probably heard of Oasis from publications like Skift and many others for their recent (and significant) pivot they made during the COVID19 pandemic. Oasis was one of the first management companies to create a tiered subscription booking option called the Oasis Passport. Tune in to hear more and see why I picked Parker to be the one to kick off the Vacation Rental Mastermind Series: The Operators Edition here on Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast. Mentioned in this episode: Oasis Website Oasis Passport Slick Talk Website & Socials 

Starting February 3rd, 8 am PST; I will be releasing an episode for the series called "The Vacation Rental Mastermind Series: Operators Edition." I did the series last year and focused on service providers like NoiseAware, Breezeway, and AirDNA. After the wild year of 2020, I am focusing on the property manager giants taking the pandemic head-on.  Tune in every Wednesday at 8 am PST, and don't miss out! Slick Talk Website & Socials

In this episode, Tyann Marcink-Hammond and I talk about why it's so important more now than ever before to build a vacation-short term rental brand rather than just a business.   Mentioned in this episode:  Slick Talk Website & Socials Hostfully, show sponsor: Use code SLICKTALK20 tyannmarcink.com touchstay.com  nattymedia.com  bransonfamilyretreats.com  missourihaus.com  vrmastered.com

Shawn Soole, creator or Soole Hospitality, joins me on the show to discuss his background and how his life pre-covid and post-covid has changed, and what he and his team are doing for their clients in the F&B segment of the hospitality sphere to combat covid as we continue to gear towards recovery. Mentioned in this episode: Soole Hospitality Website Soole Hospitality Concepts Instagram Slick Talk Website & Socials

No stranger to the show, I invite the newest CEO of Operto, a tech solution for operators and owners alike in the hotel and vacation/short-term rental segment of hospitality, to discuss his extensive background in tech as an executive and as an entrepreneur to now the CEO of Operto.  In this episode, you will hear how his perspective brings in a new set of eyes for the company and why creating a team that can thrive is the best thing you can do for your business in any industry. My amazing friends at Hostfully sponsor this episode! If you use the code SLICKTALK20, you will get two months free on their digital guidebooks or $100 when you sign up to use their Property Management Platform! If you click this link, you can download their recent Industry Report and how professional managers are actually seeking tech solutions like Operto to grow their operations and profitability! Mentioned in this episode: Operto Website Steves LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials Hostfully Website Hostfully Industry Report 2020

This is a replay of Monday's episode on Good Morning Hospitality! ~ Welcome to the future... okay, maybe not the future because there are no flying cars (yet) and all that good stuff, but we are now in 2021, and unfortunately, the events from 2020 aren't going away in the snap of a finger.    Join us this week as we continue in the ongoing conversation of hospitality and the future we see coming to life. Last week, the three of us discussed our year in review and did some reflection; now, we are looking ahead and moving forward. ~ Mentioned in this episode: Good Morning Hospitality NoiseAware Bidroom.com Short Term Rentalz - 2021 Predictions

Nick understands the term hustle and keep going!  We all were hit hard with how the world turned back in March and April but many have kept pushing on and making hundreds, if not thousands of decisions a day, in order to keep our businesses open and our clients/customers happy.  Nick and his team with Ready Strong Meals are not part of the 60% permanent closure rate we've seen so far. Listen to his story and how he has kept his mentality at a top performance in order to pivot and make his business sustainable for the years to come.   Mentioned in this episode:   Ready Strong Meals Website  Ready Strong Meals Instagram Slick Talk Website & Socials

As 2020 comes to a close, we are still hopeful and keep looking forward to the great things to come in the new year. We would love to get your thoughts on the past year and of course hear what you think 2021 will bring to the hospitality industry. In this episode, my co-hosts & talk about our biggest learnings from the past year and how it played a roll in our personal and professional lives. Next week, join us as we discuss 2021. Mentioned in this episode: Episode Supporter/Sponsor: Hostfully NoiseAware Bidroom Slick Talk Website & Socials Hostfully Data Report 2020 - Download Today!

Humphrey Bowles, the co-founder of Guardhog Technologies joins me to discuss the journey leading up to 2020 and how he has looked at this year for the positive things like the new goats at his farm house, the idea of taking away a star rating review system, and the importance of making trust and transparency available for everyone in the industry.   Guardhog is also doing a fantastic $10,000 giveaway to a business in need during this last year. All you have to do is go to this website and submit the reason why you deserve it!  This episode is sponsored by my favorite people at Hostfully! Use my code SLICKTALK20 and get 20% their digital guidebooks! Mentioned in this episode:   Guardhog & Superhog Boost Giveaway!  Humphreys LinkedIn  Leo Walton on Good Morning Hospitality NoiseAware mentioned by Wil Slick Talk Website & Socials

Tejal Patel is a 3rd generation hotelier by choice and a strong leader in the hospitality industry! It was a breath of fresh air to talk to her about her journey as she has grown through many challenges, victories, and struggles a like! Tejal and I both discuss our mental health and how to avoid burn out but then also dive into the qualities of an affective leader.   Tejal also went from hotel employee to hotel owner! You will hear her talk about how she plans on bridging that gap of the employees and ownership!   Mentioned in this episode:   Hotel.School Course Giveaway! First 50 people to redeem the code "GMH2020" with get their course for FREE from Hotel.School Tejals Website Tejals LinkedIn Tejals Blog Slick Talk Website & Socials

Juliana Hahn is a content creator and copywriter specialized in writing for the hospitality and tourism industry. Before diving into the world of copywriting several years ago, she studied hotel management and worked in hotels around the globe. Today she leverages her industry experience to craft engaging content for hospitality tech companies, hotels and online publications. You can find her at  www.hospitality-copywriting.com   This episode is sponsored by Hostfully, a digital guidebook and property management platform that was created to help short term rental property managers optimize their operations and profits! Use my code SLICKTALK20 for 20% off their digital guidebooks! Mentioned in this episode:   Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://linktr.ee/Slicktalk  Julianas Website: www.hospitality-copywriting.com   Julianas LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianahahn/

Travis is the Head of Business Development for US & Canada regions for Marriotts Homes & Villas program and we discuss some of the outcomes during 2020 with COVID19 in the Vacation Rental market and what we both "hope" for in the future to come in this next year!   Mentioned in this episode:   Marriott Homes & Villas (https://homes-and-villas.marriott.com/)  Slick Talk Website & Socials (www.slicktalkthepodcast.com)

David Lund has been helping hotels understand their financials for a while now and in this exclusive interview on the podcast, he gives the top insights on how to interview a hotel GM in order to make sure they will not only be good leaders for the hotel but they will be financial leaders and lead the charge by making sure all departments understand the importance of proper budgeting, forecasting, and operations! Mentioned in this episode: Financial Coach Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

It's one thing to have a seat at the table but it's completely another thing to always be dragging your chair around with you to put at the table when the time comes. Do you have your chair? You should because you don't want to miss this episode as Dana Lubner, Head of Advocacy at Rent Responsibly, sits down to talk with me about the importance of advocacy in the short term rental industry and what it looks like to be actively living it out! I also want to give a big thank you and shoutout to the shows sponsor, Hostfully! Thank you for helping make all of this possible! I love you guys! Mentioned in this episode: Rent Responsibly NoiseAware Return on Rentals Virtual Event Effortless Rentals Group How To Save Your Vacation Rental Business Podcast 

A man that needs no introduction to the show, Jeremy Gall has joined me to talk about trends from the year and not only that but the rise of quality control when it comes to property standards, maintenance, and upkeep as it will be something that leads us into 2021 and the forever rise of professionalism in the short term rental industry. This episode is sponsored by Hostfully and they have nothing but amazing things to say about Breezeway as well! Thank you Hostfully for supporting the podcast and everything Slick Talk! Mentioned in this episode: Breezeway Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

I chat with Patricia from Hotel.School! We talk about the importance of brain-based micro learning and hospitality re-skills & up-skills! Make sure to listen because there is also something going on for both of my hotel and vacation rental audience! Patricia has an extensive background in hospitality and brings her amazing experience and management skills to light when we discussed the creation and overall impact Hotel.School has had during the times of national lockdowns and stay at home. Mentioned in this episode: Hotel.School Website Hotel.School Instagram Hotel.School LinkedIn Slick Talk Websites & Socials  Patricia's email for anyone wanting to find out more: patricia@hotel.school

Hannah Smith is a Senior Consultant at STR (I am a huge geek/fan of STR from my hotel management days) and she was able to join me to discuss all the data and findings they are discovering over at STR! In this episode, you will hear us talk about what the road to recovery looks like, key things hotels are doing in order to get occupancy, short term and long term trends and the newest Q3 Updated Forecast! Go to the Slick Talk blog to see the PDF Data Deck that Hannah put together for all of you to see while you listen! Mentioned in this episode: STR Website STR Twitter Slick Talk Website & Socials Slick Talk Blog with Data Deck Provided by Hannah! Slick Talk Audience Survey

I wanted to put this on Slick Talk because I love including you all in what else is going on with me and other things that I am involved in! I don't know how many of you know this yet but, I have a 2nd show/podcast called Good Morning Hospitality! It goes live every Monday morning with my two co-hosts, Michael Goldin from NoiseAware & Michael Ros from Bidroom.com! I would love your support (thank you all for those who already follow everything going on!) by liking the socials and subscribing on YouTube! I put together an audience survey as well! It only takes two minutes to answer these six questions and it means the world to me to be able to update and enhance the content for you all! Good Morning Hospitality Slick Talk Audience Survey Slick Talk Website & Socials NoiseAware Bidroom.com Guardhog

Cindy has been a serial entrepreneur since she was 19! A true go-getter! She was the first to develop a new kind of residential hospitality and co-founded Niido and Natiivo residential communities designed for homesharing which resulted in a first-ever partnership with Airbnb, Brookfield Property Partners & Citibank.  Now Co-Founder of Orion Haus, Cindy and her team are changing the landscape of how we look at the housing & vacation rental market by providing a solution that encourages their renters to list their unit on marketing sites like Airbnb, VRBO, and others!  Mentioned in this episode: Orion Haus Website Orion Haus Instagram Slick Talk Website & Socials  Slick Talk Audience Survey

As you see above in the title of this episode, Michael Tingsager from Hospitality Mavericks Podcast and myself dive in on his incredible journey in the industry. We talked about his upbringing in the industry and how his career evolved over the years and what jumping into the podcast world did for him and his businesses. Michael & I are both apart of the Hospitality Game Changers Group with Josh Kopel from Full Comp, Adam Knight from Proven Principles Podcast and Shaun De Vries with Open Pantry. All of these guys have been on my show and vise versa and we are honored with the ability to team up and join forces from all walks of life and experience in the hospitality industry! Join our community with over 250 Hospitality Game Changers today! Mentioned in this episode: Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Slick Talk Website & Socials Slick Talk Audience Survey

Heather Richer & myself talk about the creation and purpose of ASTRHO (Association For Short Term Rental Homeowners) and the important role this platform and community provides to this segment of hospitality and why it's important for homeowners, as a stakeholder in the industry, to have these tools, resources, courses, and a community. There is so much to cover in this episode, so I highly recommend that if you're a short term rental homeowner, that you sign up and join the platform to learn more. If you're a property manager, get your owners connected so they can be more involved and to understand the roles they play in the short term rental industry. Mentioned In This Episode: ASTRHO Website Slick Talk Website & Socials

As promised, we are back with Part 2 of the Data Driven Recovery series featuring Tanya Pratt from Oracle Hospitality! In this second episode, Tanya and myself focus on taking the data we saw from Oracle's Data Driven Recovery Report as discussed in episode 1 and how it will carry on into the upcoming years as hotels, travel, and hospitality as a whole recovers from COVID19 and what trends we see being apart of a long term solution leading into 2021 and so on. Mentioned in this episode: Oracle Hospitality Website Data Driven Recovery Report Skift Oracle Hospitality Facebook Oracle Hospitality LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials

Tanya Pratt from Oracle Hospitality and I discuss the data they found in their recent survey in partnership with Skift about the recovery of the hospitality industry. In this first episode of a two part series, we will dive into the findings of their Data Driven Recovery Report and how the impact COVID19 has shaped the drive to destination market! This is a two part series so make sure you subscribe to Slick Talk on whatever platform you listen on so that you don't miss the exciting episode(s) to come! Mentioned in this episode: Oracle Hospitality Website Data Driven Recovery Report Skift Oracle Hospitality Facebook Oracle Hospitality LinkedIn Slick Talk Website & Socials

When I think of the term "setting standards" I think back to the days of Army basic training and school with my platoon sergeant saying those words to me multiple times a day... "we set the standard and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're in control of what standards you live up to so set your standards higher than what anyone or anything could set for you" Robin & Heather Craigen are setting standards with how they have built and displayed Moving Mountains. In this episode you're gonna hear the most influential words that you could find today. The amount of knowledge and passion Robin has for what he and his team do on a daily basis is just incredible and exactly the reason why he was declared a Destinationaire earlier this year. Mentioned in this episode: Moving Mountains  Slick Talk Website & Socials Destinationaire Award Article

Back in April I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica for a different series I was working on. Unfortunately I never published that series but little did I know that she would pop up on my radar once again for the Destinationaire Award!  Jessica and her two daughters run Barefoot Vacation Rentals based in California! We first met through the Rent Responsibly team and I love getting to see their story play out! In this episode we will talk about professional management, industry advocacy, and what Jessica and her team did to get through these hard times during COVID19! Mentioned in this episode: Barefoot Vacation Rentals Rent Responsibly NoiseAware Cleaning Certification by VR Scheduler Slick Talk Website & Socials Destinationaire Award Article

Bob & Ian are the creators of Casal dei Fichi and are a great example of what the power of creative freedom can do for your life, community, and industry! As one of the first recipients of the Destinationaire Award earlier this year, in this episode you will find out what make Bob & Ian fit the Destinationaire standards and how you can make a difference by implementing simple eco-friendly changes to your business! Mentioned in this episode: Casal dei Fichi The Book Direct Show Slick Talk Website & Socials The Destinationaire Award Article

We have talked about them and the awards on many episodes leading up to this but I am excited to officially introduce you all to three of the Destinationaire Award winners from this year! Their episodes will go out individually so watch as they publish and get ready for some amazing content from these three! Thank you Bob, Jessica, and Robin for doing what you do in the industry and setting the standard! Slick Talk Website & Socials!

A topic that isn't talked about a lot (in my opinion) and so when Dr. Judy reached out to me about doing this episode, I agreed immediately because I wanted to learn more about this topic and some actionable takeaways. To learn more about the course and other resources use the following links below. Mentioned in this episode: Trafficking Awareness Trafficking Course for SB- 970 Compliance  Slick Talk Website & Socials

If you haven't heard already, I have a second show called Good Morning Hospitality with my two amazing co-hosts, Michael Ros from Bidroom and Michael Goldin from NoiseAware! Both of these guys have been on Slick Talk and we hit it off and decided we wanted to bring a new show to the industry! We go live every Monday morning at 7am PST on Facebook & YouTube! You can also grab the audio directly on any podcast platform just like Slick Talk! Here is a glimpse into how the show goes and what we talk about each week! Your top hospitality news, stories, and thoughts are now in one amazing show and one hell of a way to start your week! Grab your coffee and sit back! Mentioned in this episode: NoiseAware Bidroom All Good Morning Hospitality Links Slick Talk Website & Socials

On the show we have discussed so many things that managers and operators can do in order to build direct brand, direct bookings, and of course how to use specific tools for revenue strategy. StayFi is now one that has proven to help independent and big managers do that for their business! Tune in as Arthur, CEO and Co-Founder, and I discuss how they put it into action with their clients! A full demo is soon to come on the Podcast website as well!  Mentioned in this episode: StayFi Website StayFi Facebook StayFi LinkedIn StayFi Promo for Slick Talkers Simply South Haven Vacation Homes Hospitality Game Changers Group

Simone Puorto is a former hotel General Manager, consultant, author of two best-selling books on hotel marketing, contributor for the major blogs in the industry, and MBA lecturer for schools such as Les Roches, ESSEC, and LUISS. He is the founder and CEO of Travel Singularity, the consulting firm whose vision is to solve the growing needs for connecting the dots between digital disruption and existing technologies in hotels. Over his career, spanning across over 20 years, he consulted for international hotel groups such as Divani Hotels Collection in Greece, Library Hotels Collection in New York, and The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts in Asia and Europe, helped to consolidate one of the largest hotel chains in Italy, and he advised for countless travel tech companies worldwide. In this episode we talk about the current things happening in the hotel world and what Simone will be speaking on at the I Meet Hotel Virtual Event that is on October 29th and is free to ALL! I have it linked here in the show notes and on my socials! Please tune in to the Destination Italy event! You wont want to miss it! I've "opened up my doors" to any audience members that want to have a chance to talk to me one on one! 2020 hasn't been easy for us in hospitality but we have a solid community and I want to get to know you all! You can book a time to chat with me by clicking this link! If you just wanted to talk about this episode or anything under the sun, just book your time! Mentioned in this episode: Simone LinkedIn Travel Singularity Website Simone's Podcast, Digital I Meet Hotel - Destination Italy Virtual Event! (FREE!) Slick Talk Website & Socials Hospitality Game Changers Group!

Why Real Estate? Why Virtual Assistants? Why property managers should get leverage this in their business? Dan Ramsey, CEO of MyOutDesk, tells me about his experience with running a business and how the moment he brought on virtual assistants, his business and life changed for the best.  I've "opened up my doors" to any audience members that want to have a chance to talk to me one on one! 2020 hasn't been easy for us in hospitality but we have a solid community and I want to get to know you all! You can book a time to chat with me by clicking this link! If you just wanted to talk about this episode or anything under the sun, just book your time! Mentioned in this episode: MyOutDesk Website MyOutDesk Facebook MyOutDesk Instagram MyOutDesk "Scaling Your Business" Book Return On Rentals Online Event Slick Talk Website & Socials Hospitality Game Changers Group!

I love that the phrase "This is how we've always done things" is no longer a term that is being used and it's now transformed to "We've never done this before but we can make it work one way or another." The Chicago Gray Hotel has been demonstrating this new phrase since the beginning of COVID19 on such a limited amount of staffing but just as much heart and passion to continue to serve their guests, team, and community. I sat down with Joel Contor, the Director of Sale & Marketing, and discussed whats been the biggest take aways from all of this and what they've done to keep their doors open. Day use rooms/whole floors of the hotel, hybrid meetings and out door spaces are all coming together to create a whole new experience! I've "opened up my doors" to any audience members that want to have a chance to talk to me one on one! 2020 hasn't been easy for us in hospitality but we have a solid community and I want to get to know you all! You can book a time to chat with me by clicking this link! If you just wanted to talk about this episode or anything under the sun, just book your time! Mentioned in this episode: Chicago Gray Hotel Website Chicago Gray Hotel Instagram Slick Talk Website & Socials Hospitality Game Changers Group! Return On Rentals Virtual Event Sign Up!

Fülhaus, a design and furnishing service for hotels, apart-hotels, and short-term rentals in Canada, the USA, and Europe, has launched a new concept as Montreal’s first direct-to-consumer furniture rental service. Andria and I had a great discussion on how now more than EVER, design plays such a huge role in what guests are looking for when staying at a property. The standards of a clean and functional place to stay are no longer the only things travelers are looking for as almost all of us are spending way more time indoors than usual. I also wanted to say that I've "opened up my doors" to any audience members that want to have a chance to talk to me one on one! 2020 hasn't been easy for us in hospitality but we have a solid community and I want to get to know you all! You can book a time to chat with me by clicking this link! Mentioned in this episode: Fullhaus Website Fullhaus mentioned in ShortTermRentalz.com Fullhaus Instagram Slick Talk Website & Socials Good Morning Hospitality Live Morning Show! Hospitality Game Changers Facebook Group! Return On Rentals Virtual Event with my friends at NoiseAware!

Blanche is an award winning certified Interior Designer with over 24 years of experience in residential, hospitality and commercial design and is the owner of B. garcia Designs based in Montclair, New Jersey. She is a “Green Design” LEED Accredited Professional through the United States Green Building Commission. She is also a “WELL AP” design professional which utilizes healthy concepts to promote human health and wellness within the built environment. Blanche was also the principal designer featured in the popular Travel Channel reality series, “Hotel Impossible” for five seasons, where she helped tackle the job of revamping hotels along with host, Anthony Melchiorri. Mentioned In This Episode: Blanche Garcia Slick Talk Website & Social Medias Anthony Melchiorri from Hotel Impossible

Are you ready to change how you play the game? The hospitality industry rises to the challenge and we want you to join us. Learn more here on the Slick Talk Blog!

Andrew Bates and his team saw sophisticated homeowners leave a second home empty for 48 weeks each year because they did not want Internet strangers sleeping in their bed, and using their dishes. This makes complete sense to us. They began studying this Internet stranger anxiety to help our friends earn income from an asset they already had. How can we use our expertise in travel distribution, technology, and data science to improve the chance of a safe stay? Tune in and find out what it takes to improve vacations and making them safer for ALL stakeholders! Mentioned In this episode: Safely.com Safely Facebook Slick Talk Website and Socials Happy Hour Q&A Virtual Event

Moriya Rockman, founder and CMO of Smiling House Luxury Switzerland, managing over 2.500 properties in 65 destinations in 24 countries. As a Media creative and PR expert, Moriya was involved in the Business Development of many companies. 4 years ago, together with her husband Ira, they founded Smiling House and Smiling Flats Holiday Rentals. Both companies are busy with creating a bridge between Legacy Travel Players and holiday rental professionals, especially in the luxury and premium segment. In this episode we talked about how her business has actually seen a rise in booking and revenue during these times of COVID19 and how they've been able to stand out by working with many others in the industry!  Mentioned In This Episode: Smiling House Luxury Moriya's LinkedIn Book Direct Show Slick Talk Website & Socials Q&A Happy Hour Virtual Event

Dustin is a wild adventurer at heart from childhood and all the way to the current day. On this episode we talk about his natural love of being in the trees and his passion for building treehouses that are more than just a play area for kids but is truly a destination for all the wanderers and travelers around the globe! We talk about his mission and concept with the newly launched Treewalkers brand under O2 Treehouse and how launching a Start Engine funding campaign in the middle of the pandemic actually gave them more drive and unexpected results than initially anticipated. Do you want to invest in an amazing hospitality concept that is going to be more than a trend by becoming a sustainable way of travel, hosting, and innovation for generations to come!? Click here to see their funding campaign and become a real stakeholder today! Also, sign up for the virtual Q&A Happy Hour happening via Zoom and the first 10 people to sign up, I will purchase your drink of choice! It's free and I will bring on past guests from the show to chat with us! Mentioned in this episode: O2 Treehouse Website O2 Treehouse Instagram Treewalkers Funding Campaign Slick Talk Website and Social Media   Virtual Happy Hour Q&A Event via Zoom!

Marcus Cornelious - Director of Sales and Marketing at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Chicago.  What a guy to have on the show. He brings so much insight to how a bigger hotel like his (with over 1200 guest rooms) has been impacted by the COVID19 virus and even though they are still closed, he mentions something that is key for the outcome of all of this...  "We are no longer able to say that this is how things have always been and how we've always done it. I try to put systems in place and I can't because things are changing everyday and I have to throw out our playbook and constantly try new things. It's like we're not a corporate business anymore, we're really independent entrepreneurs of our own independent hotel. It's really quite exciting!" Mentioned in this episode: Sheraton Grand Hotel Website Sheraton Grand Hotel Instagram Slick Talk Website Slick Talk Socials

The man who was my first industry guest on the podcast has joined me again to talk about whats going on in todays world and how maybe hotels can learn something from the vacation rental industry. Adam Knight also has this episode on his podcast since it was a crossover so go give it some love and check out the Proven Principles Podcast! Mentioned in this podcast: Adam Knight Proven Principles Podcast Slick Talk Website Slick Talk Social Media Pages