Behind the Stays

Latest Episodes:

From Hops to Hospitality: Crafting a Curation of the World’s Top Glamping Sites Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

Meet Jake Pontius — Co-Founder of Nook, a collection of North America’s most remarkable landscape hotels and outdoor accommodations.

After working as a business analyst at a timeshare company, Jake left the corporate world to pursue his passion of brewing craft beer and it was during this season of his life where he first fell in love with hospitality.

Now while Jake fell in love with the industry while working in food and beverage, his family is no stranger to hospitality. Jake’s father, David, actually spent his career working in executive capacities at RCI, Hilton, and Bluegreen Vacations.

In this episode, Jake and I discuss:

Why he and Michael Goldin from Storied Collection and building Nook
The value of building soft brands in hospitality
What his predictions on the future of experiential travel are
Why he’s bullish on landscape hotels and outdoor accommodations
And so much more

Connect with Jake on LinkedIn

Learn more about Nook

This episode is brought to you by Summer.

Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home.

What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”

Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works:

You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental.
Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy.
When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment.
Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one.

So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way.

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

From Apple Intern to Hospitality Tech Entrepreneur: How Margot Schmorak Built Hostfully Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Meet Margot Schmorak, Co-Founder and CEO of Hostfully — one of the hospitality industry’s leading technology companies.

Margot started her career working in marketing at Apple during one of the company's most pivotal eras. She remembers the launch of the very first iPhone quite vividly since she was the only person on the marketing team to NOT receive a phone since she was just an intern at the time.

In this conversation, Margot and I discuss:

The lessons she learned about marketing, startups, and company culture during her time at Apple
Where the idea for Hostfully first came from
How Hostfully grew from a digital guidebook to a full-fledged property management platform
How much money Hosttfully has raised so far
Why she started a community for venture-backed founders who are also moms
The gaps she seems in the hospitality tech space
And so much more…

Learn more about Hostfully here

Listen to Margot's Episodes of The Pitch Podcast

This episode is brought to you by Summer.

Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home.

What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”

Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works:

You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental.
Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy.
When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment.
Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one.

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

How to Build the Next Generation of Great Vacation Rental Businesses Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 3 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing — a special Behind the Stays podcast series brought to you in collaboration with my friend, Conrad O’Connell, Founder and CEO of BuildUp Bookings, one of the most respected marketing agencies for vacation rental managers and hospitality entrepreneurs.

Conrad just published an incredible book “Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing” which serves as a strategic guide designed for vacation rental managers, hosts, and STR professionals eager to scale their business without becoming overly reliant on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com.

Over the next three weeks, you’ll get a sneak peek into the frameworks, case studies, strategies and data that Conrad shares in his book. If you’d like to purchase the book, you can do so via the Amazon link below OR if you’d like a digital copy of the book Conrad is offering a free digital version to Behind the Stays listeners (you can find a link to download the book in the show notes below).

Stream Episode 1 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Stream Episode 2 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Buy Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing on Amazon

Download a free copy of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Connect with Conrad on LinkedIn

Learn more about how BuildUp Bookings can help you scale your business

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it’s the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

How a Former Airbnb Employee is Reimagining How to Buy a Vacation Home — This is the Story of Summer Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

Meet Paul Kromidas, an industry trailblazer who transitioned from a strategic role at Airbnb to founding Summer, a company revolutionizing the vacation rental space.

This episode delves into Paul's insights on the shifting dynamics of property management and his innovative approach to vacation home ownership.

Tune in as we explore:

Paul's key learnings from his tenure at Airbnb and their influence on Summer's vision.
The concept behind Summer: Empowering aspiring vacation home owners with a risk-free trial of property ownership.
The unique 'gradual ownership' model: A gateway for hesitant investors to step into the vacation rental market.
How Summer addresses the quality versus quantity debate in property management.
The challenge of balancing brand consistency with local uniqueness in vacation rentals.
The future of vacation rental management: Predictions and strategies from a seasoned insider.

Learn more about Summer

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

This episode is brought to you by Summer.

Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home.

What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”

Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works:

You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental.
Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy.
When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment.
Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one.

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

How to Design The Right Marketing Strategy for YOUR Vacation Rental Business Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 2 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing — a special Behind the Stays podcast series brought to you in collaboration with my friend, Conrad O’Connell, Founder and CEO of BuildUp Bookings, one of the most respected marketing agencies for vacation rental managers and hospitality entrepreneurs.

Conrad just published an incredible book "Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing" which serves as a strategic guide designed for vacation rental managers, hosts, and STR professionals eager to scale their business without becoming overly reliant on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com.

Stream Episode 1 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Buy Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing on Amazon

Download a free copy of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Connect with Conrad on LinkedIn

Learn more about how BuildUp Bookings can help you scale your business

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

How He Won Airbnb’s ”OMG!” Contest and Used the Cash to Build Bubble Retreats Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Meet Tim Harper, an innovator who left the digital marketing world to create Bubble Retreats, a unique hospitality experience in Victoria, Australia.

This episode takes you through Tim's inspiring journey from a memorable stargazing night in France to becoming a winner in Airbnb's OMG campaign.

In this conversation, Tim and I explore:

Tim's transition from online marketing to hands-on entrepreneurship in the hospitality sector.
The birth of Bubble Retreats: How a transparent tent in France sparked an innovative idea.
Overcoming the challenges of building a unique property with no prior construction experience.
The strategy behind choosing bubble structures for a standout guest experience.
Winning Airbnb's prestigious OMG competition and the journey from concept to reality.
Future plans for Bubble Retreats: Expansion, partnerships, and creating a sustainable business model.
And so much more

This episode is brought to you by Hostlabs — Say goodbye to the daily hassle of running your short-term rental business. Free up your time and watch your business thrive with Hostlabs. Learn more and qualify for an exclusive discount here.

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

How to Build a Supernatural Hospitality Company — The Story of Arcana Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Meet Jeremy Hill, Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana — a next generation nature resort complete with seasonally immersive science-based experiences that help guests feel nature’s true restorative powers.

Jeremy was working in banking and had climbed the proverbial and prestigious corporate ladder for years. But one day, as he was staring out the window of his beautiful corner office, the question “what the heck am I doing with my life?” assaulted his brain!

While he couldn’t have known it at the time, this moment would be the beginning of a major career pivot…it was this moment that would ultimately lead Jeremy to leave the corporate world behind, jump into entrepreneurship, and set out on a mission to build a supernatural hospitality brand.

In this conversation, Jeremy and I discuss:

How to build a truly experiential and multi-sensory hospitality brand
How Arcana is reimagining food and beverage for its guests in a truly innovative way
How much money he raised to get Arcana’s first site off the ground
And so much more

Learn more about Arcana

Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn

This episode is brought to you by Minoan!

Want to save 30-40% off West Elm purchase for your Airbnb? Or hundreds off of instagram famous mattresses from Bear or Purple? Then you'll want to create your free account with our partner Minoan.

Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Sign up and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way.

If you liked this episode, you might also like:

1. He’s An Accountant, Artist, and Airbnb Superhost — Meet Isaac French the Creator of Live Oak Lake

2. How to Build a Portfolio of 100 Single-Family Airbnbs and Transform Them into Unique Experiences

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing: A Special 3-Part Podcast Series with BuildUp Bookings Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing — a special Behind the Stays podcast series brought to you in collaboration with my friend, Conrad O’Connell, Founder and CEO of BuildUp Bookings, one of the most respected marketing agencies for vacation rental managers and hospitality entrepreneurs.

Buy Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing on Amazon

Download a free copy of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Connect with Conrad on LinkedIn

Learn more about how BuildUp Bookings can help you scale your business

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

The Business of Bill Faeth: A Look at His Content Business, STR Portfolio, and Events Company Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Meet Bill Faeth — one of the most popular and well-respected voices in the short-term rental industry.

Bill Faeth has been involved in real estate for almost 25 years with both commercial and residential investing. In 2015, he switched the majority of his residential portfolio to short term rentals from long term after seeing an opportunity to increase profit and reduce risk.

Bill currently has a multi-million dollar portfolio of short term rental properties primarily located in vacation rental markets with a focus on beach, lake, and mountain properties. In addition to his own portfolio, he hosts the popular STR Unfiltered podcast and he’s the co-producer of STR WealthCon, one of the hottest industry events for vacation rental entrepreneurs.

In this episode Bill and I discuss:

The story behind how he traveled to golf tournaments with Tiger Woods
How he built, scaled, and sold his first businesses
How much money he makes off of his content vs. his portfolio
How much money the STR Wealthcon makes and what the long term vision for the event is
What he’s recently changed his mind about
And so much more

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

He’s Built Businesses in Energy, Tech, and Media — Now He’s Building a Next-Generation Resort in Broken Bow Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Meet Max Gagliardi — founder of Mountain Fork Resort, a 140-acre waterfront development in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

Max is an entrepreneur who builds businesses across energy, real estate, & technology — he has a knack for finding opportunities in places others are convinced no opportunity exists.

After stumbling upon an incredible piece of land in Broken Bow, one of the hottest up and coming vacation destinations in the southeast, Max began dreaming about how he could build a next generation resort that would become a destination in and of itself.

In this episode, Max and I discuss:

What inspired him to start a hospitality brand
Some unpopular opinions he has about the current state of the short-term rental industry
The biggest opportunities you see to build thriving businesses in the space
And what’s he learned by hosting a popular entrepreneurship podcast called “Always Be Building”

Connect with Max on LinkedIn

Follow Max on X/Twitter

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

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