Airbnb Damage Claims 101: A Host’s Guide to Getting Reimbursed (Without Losing Your Cool) Accidents happen. Sometimes it’s a wine glass, sometimes it’s a chandelier (true story)—but either way, damage is part of the short-term rental business. The question is: how do you handle it? In this post, we’re diving into the essentials of Airbnb […]

Are You Managing TVs and Streaming Services the Right Way in Your Short-Term Rental? In this Hosting Hotline episode, listener Amy from Canada brings up an increasingly important topic for short-term rental hosts: how to handle TVs and streaming services in a way that enhances the guest experience while staying secure and easy to manage. […]

Building a Scalable STR Brand Without Losing the Guest Experience What does it take to scale a short-term rental business from one listing to a full-blown hospitality brand? For Taylor Gates, it started with one favor for a neighbor and a borrowed golf cart. What followed was over a decade of intentional growth, operational discipline, […]

Should You Use PriceLabs If You Only Have One Seasonal Property? If you’re a short-term rental host with a seasonal property, you’ve probably found yourself wondering if dynamic pricing tools like PriceLabs are really worth the investment. After all, if you’re not booking year-round, can a $20/month software really move the needle? This week on […]

Content Shoots at Your Airbnb: What to Ask, What to Charge, What to Avoid That DM in your inbox says:“Hi! I’m a local photographer and your space is gorgeous. Can I use it for a quick shoot?” Before you say yes, hit pause. Hosting content shoots at your Airbnb can be an amazing way to […]

Should You Trade Free Stays for Influencer Content? Here’s How to Decide Influencer collaborations can be a smart marketing move for short-term rental hosts—especially for highly themed or photo-worthy properties. But are they worth it? And how do you protect yourself from wasted time, awkward interactions, or unclear ROI? That’s exactly what listener Julia asked […]

How This Host Rebuilt Her Business—and Her Systems—After a Hurricane Catherine Morris didn’t expect a hurricane to hit her mountain. As the owner of Edenwood NC—a pair of thoughtfully designed vacation rentals outside Asheville—Catherine had built a hands-on, full-time hosting business from the ground up. She managed everything herself: cleaning, messaging, inspections, guest prep. But […]

What Airbnb’s New Messaging Rules Mean for Direct Bookings What Airbnb’s New Messaging Rules Mean for Your Direct Booking Strategy As short-term rental hosts, many of us have relied on a simple tactic to encourage repeat guests: sending a friendly post-stay message through the Airbnb platform. It’s been common to include a review request and […]

The Future of Direct Bookings with Phil Kennard of FutureStay Independent hosts are the backbone of the short-term rental industry—but many are still building their businesses on someone else’s platform. If that’s you, you’re not alone. But it’s time to think bigger. In this week’s episode of Thanks for Visiting, we sit down with Phil […]

Should You Offer Guests an Extra Night? Here’s When (and How) to Ask Gap nights—also known as adjacent or in-between nights—can be a goldmine for hosts, but only if you know when and how to offer them. Joanna called into the Hosting Hotline with a question we hear more and more: what’s the best timing […]

Unlocking the STR Tax Loophole with Amanda Han, CPA If you’ve been on social media for more than a few minutes, you’ve probably seen some version of this advice: “Want to pay less taxes? Buy a short-term rental!” But is it really that simple? In episode 465 of the Thanks for Visiting podcast, we sit […]

How to Confidently Handle Security in Your Short-Term Rental If you’re launching your first STR, figuring out how to handle security can be a little overwhelming. Do you need a camera? How do you handle smart locks without annoying your guests? In this Hosting Hotline episode, we hear from listener Winn, who’s preparing her very […]

A Global Perspective on Hosting from the Thanks for Visiting Team This week’s episode takes us across the pond to Knowsley Hall, a 600-year-old estate now offering five-star hospitality experiences—and the backdrop for one of the most inspiring short-term rental gatherings we’ve attended. Surrounded by international founders and operators, we sat down with four leaders […]

Is Your Airbnb Midterm-Ready? A Beginner’s Guide to 30+ Day Rentals Wondering if it’s time to pivot your short-term rental strategy? Midterm rentals—stays of 30 days or longer—are gaining serious traction, and in this week’s episode, we unpack why. Whether it’s to deal with seasonality, local STR regulations, or just burnout from constant turnovers, more […]

A Deep Dive with California Design Den Founder Deepak Mehrotra As a host, you probably don’t spend your nights thinking about sheets—but your guests do. From wrinkled beds to stained pillowcases and scratchy duvets, the bed is one of the first places guests notice if something’s off. In this week’s episode, we sat down with […]

How to Furnish Your Short-Term Rental (Even If You Have No Eye for Design) This week’s Hosting Hotline question comes from Joanna—a new host who describes herself as design-challenged but eager to make her short-term rental look professional, cohesive, and guest-ready. If you’re staring at an empty space and wondering if you should hire a […]

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to walk away from a stable career and build a short-term rental business from scratch—this story is for you. This week on the podcast, we’re featuring one of our Hosting Business Mastery members who made a bold leap from chemical engineering into the world of Airbnb. What started […]

What Sheets Are Best for Airbnb Hosts? A Practical Guide from the Hosting Hotline If you’re tired of snagged sheets, wrinkle-filled beds, and lint rolling every turnover, you’re not alone. This week’s Hosting Hotline question comes from Sarah in Redwood, Mississippi, who’s hosted over 30 stays in just six months—and wants sheets that actually hold […]

From Design Firm to Direct Booking Success: How Janice Built a Thriving STR Brand with Resilience and Smart Marketing When Janice Thayer launched her short-term rental business, Curated Properties, she wasn’t just starting a new venture — she was reinventing her entire career. After decades of running an interior architecture and design firm, Janice found […]

Should You Add a Safe to Your Airbnb? Here’s What Hosts Need to Know Valerie called into the Hosting Hotline with a great question: she’s looking for a programmable guest safe—like the kind you find in hotel rooms—that guests can use to secure their valuables during their stay. But when she tried to find one […]

Pricing Isn’t Just Math—It’s Strategy: Wendy Doris on Revenue Management That Works If you’ve ever second-guessed your Airbnb pricing strategy or felt like dynamic pricing software is a mystery you’ll never solve—you’re not alone. This week on the podcast, we sat down with Arizona-based co-host and STR educator Wendy Doris of Mostess, who shared how […]