Tips for Leveraging Opportunities in Your Short-Term Rental Business Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Katelyn asks: My husband and I own Stay Old Town Road in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s four small, […]

Reviewing Safety Standards for Airbnb Rentals in 2024 Today’s expert guest is Justin Ford, an international safety superstar when it comes to short-term rentals. Returning for his record thirteenth appearance on the show, the wisdom just never stops with Justin, as he’s become a close friend of the show – and hopefully, a trusted advisor […]

Fighting Back Against Wet Dog Smell In Your Vacation Rental Listing Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Samantha asks: We recently started our short-term rental business and we currently have two rentals down […]

Don’t Miss This Invaluable Advice for Managing STR Insurance Claims Today’s expert guest is Gwynne Beatty, a specialist in property damage claims, water restoration, mold remediation, maximizing your claim, and managing the repair process for residential and commercial properties. She’s here to pull back the curtain on the claims process and give you the knowledge […]

Differentiate Your Short-Term Rental Listing with Guest Services Francesca asks: I am looking for ways to enhance the guest experience through concierge services. As an example, I saw someone post that they’ll put away Instacart groceries for guests before they arrive. I’m looking for unique and creative concierge services to offer guests and differentiate from […]

Communication & Optimization Tips for Beginner Short-Term Rental Hosts Today’s expert guest is Lynn Smith, a short-term rental host and co-host for properties in Oklahoma City and the surrounding area. Informed by a mixed background in public health, event planning, and sales, Lynn started her hosting journey in 2020.  She’s a star member of our […]

Tips for Communicating Your Rental Agreement to Airbnb Guests Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Sandrine asks: I have a few questions regarding guest communication. How much is too much and how exactly […]

Tips for Amending Strict Short-Term Rental Laws in Your Community Today’s expert guests are Bob and Callie Karlen. A husband-and-wife investing team, they currently house hack their primary residence near Minneapolis, own and operate Bigwater Cove – their STR cabin in Northern MN – and are hoping to scale their portfolio in 2024 in the […]

Pro Tips for Training (and Retaining) Short-Term Rental Staff Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Holly asks: What systems and processes do you use to train virtual assistants and other staff members? Where […]

Tips for Setting Up (and Stepping Away From) a Motel Rehab Project Today’s export guest is Tanya Rooney, a creative real estate seeker, life guide and owner of BAFS Real Estate + Yay You’re Here Properties. We’re thrilled that she’s taken the time to join us today to talk about a very important, and very […]

Get the Basics on Parent-Child Short-Term Rental Hosting Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Whitney asks: Can I create a parent-child listing for two homes that are next door to each other? I […]

Pet-Friendly STR? Don’t Miss These Tips for Cleaning, Communication & Couch Covers Today’s expert guest is Sara Sokol. Sarah is the creator of the Dogs Welcome Facebook group and vacation rental listing website as well as owner/operator of her own very pet-friendly, and award-winning, vacation rental on the coast of Maine.  She created the Dogs […]

How Do You Quickly Scale a Short-Term Rental Business? Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Jennifer asks: I run Pepin Forest Treehouse in Wisconsin. How does growth become exponential and how do people […]

Retargeting Facebook Ads for a Better Conversion Rate & More Bookings Today’s expert guest is Tara Zirker. Tara is the owner and founder of Successful Ads Club, a high-touch support training platform where she teaches thousands of business owners, including hosts like you, how to rapidly scale their small businesses through the power of Facebook […]

Tips for Hosting & Collecting Rent From Mid-Term Rental Tenants Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Caitlyn asks: Midterm rentals are a really great option for a lot of us hosts. What do […]

Using Localized Data to Analyze Real Estate Deals in 2024 Today’s expert guest is Kenny Bedwell, in a session recorded at TFVCON2023 in Columbus, Ohio. Kenny founded STR Insights in 2021 as a tool to help investors find the most advantageous STR markets for their unique circumstances using advanced data analytics. We pulled Kenny aside […]

Pros & Cons: Should You Be Licensed as an STR Co-Host? Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Claire asks: My name is Claire and I have started managing a number of other Airbnbs […]

How to Combat Human Trafficking Through Education & Awareness Today’s expert guest is Catherine Ratcliffe. A vacation rental owner and host since 2018, she’s pivoted from a successful HR career to run a consulting business where she takes on tough subjects for employers and hosts – including today’s heavy topic, the global human trafficking crisis. […]

Offseason Operations: Recommended Improvement Protocol for Your Short-Term Rental Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Samantha asks: We are super slow right now. With the exception of trying to figure out how to […]

Financing with Family: An Open-Minded Exploration of Creative STR Financing Opportunities Today’s expert guest is Bill Allen in an interview conducted during TFVCON2023. Bill’s informative presentation inspired and empowered attendees to seek out creative financing outside of the typical bank structure. It may sound scary, but the logic behind this shift will surprise you! Amid […]

Leveraging Etsy & Local Artists for Creative Decor in Your STR Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between. Daisy asks: I’m looking to refresh my property and I want to stay on a budget. […]