Unlocked by Matt Landau

Latest Episodes:

EP77: Pierre Becerril of Transparent Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

Pierre Becerril is CEO of Transparent, a data intelligence provider for the short-term rental industry. Their analytics and dashboards help compare rates, improve pricing, analyse demand, supply and upcoming events and they recently released a free version you can try. Pierre and Matt sat down in person at last year's VRMA and dove deep into travel, hospitality and the vacation rental industry. This is a covid free conversation that is more relevant than ever for vacation rental businesses.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Vintory is the only sales and marketing agency in the vacation rental industry dedicated entirely to helping professional property managers add new homes to their programs. www.vintory.com/unlocked

PointCentral, the leader in business grade smart property solutions designed for rental properties. PointCentral's technology helps vacation rental managers increase property safety, reduce operational costs and improve guest satisfaction. https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Transparent: https://seetransparent.com/en/pricing/

Lisbon Episode of the Vacation Rental Show: https://youtu.be/as5pbKMiWNY

Altido: https://stayaltido.com

Dasheroo: https://www.dasheroo.com

EP76: Robin Craigen of Moving Mountains Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

Robin has spent a lifetime in adventurous areas of hospitality and now runs a luxury, mountain oriented vacation rental business with his family. In this episode, Robin talks to Matt about finding balance on the journey, company culture and the challenges and hopes for high-touch hospitality in the new Covid era.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Vintory is the only sales and marketing agency in the vacation rental industry dedicated entirely to helping professional property managers add new homes to their programs. www.vintory.com/unlocked

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Moving Mountains: www.movingmountains.com

Zipwhip: https://www.zipwhip.com

Breezeway: https://www.breezeway.io

Custom Puzzles: https://www.createjigsawpuzzles.com

EP75: Nathan Schneider of the Media Enterprise Design Lab Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Nathan Schneider is the director of the Media Enterprise Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is also a journalist and author who is currently exploring models for democratic ownership and governance for online platforms and protocols.

Nathan has a deep knowledge of cooperative business models, an age old, but oft overlooked concept that continues with great relevance in the modern world.

In this virtual sit-down, Nathan and Matt will explore the principles, definitions and history of Co-ops and how they just may unlock superpowers the vacation rental industry needs to survive.

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Media Enterprise Design Lab: https://www.colorado.edu/lab/medlab/

Ours to Hack and to Own: https://nathanschneider.info/books/ours-to-hack/

Other Books by Nathan: https://nathanschneider.info/books/

Filene Research Institute: https://filene.org

VRMB: www.vrmb.com

EP74: Sarah Franzen of Natural Retreats Aug 19, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Sarah Franzen of Natural Retreats gives us deep insight into the world of revenue management. This is a practice that includes much more than just dynamic pricing and it should be part of every successful vacation rental business.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

With over 1M Property Owners, Thousands of Property Managers, Hundreds of Software Partners and counting, RentalGuardian is one of the most complete and trusted travel and damage protection platforms in the industry. https://rentalguardian.com/

AirDNA is the vacation rental industry's leading provider of data and analytics. By tracking the daily performance of over 10 million listings on Airbnb and Vrbo, AirDNA delivers powerful insights to help hosts, managers, and investors thrive in their vacation rental markets. https://www.airdna.co

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Natural Retreats: https://www.naturalretreats.com/us

Franzen Music: https://www.facebook.com/franzenmusic/?ref=py_c

Key Data: https://keydatadashboard.com

PriceLabs: https://hello.pricelabs.co

Rented: https://www.rented.com

EP73: Margot Schmorak of Hostfully Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

Margot is CEO and Co-Founder of Hostfully which services more than 17,000 vacation rental properties worldwide. She is also an Apple veteran and her focus on community-driven products brings a unique perspective to the vacation rental industry. In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she covers everything from finding focus in difficult times to automation in the vacation rental experience.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Hostfully: www.hostfully.com

VRMB Keystone Awards: https://www.vrmb.com/keystone-awards/

On grief during a Pandemic: https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief

Maturity Model implementation and use: https://reports.hostfully.com/maturity-model

EP72: Jeremiah Gall of Breezeway Aug 05, 2020

Show notes

Jeremiah Gall is the founder and CEO of Breezeway and a true vacation rental industry veteran. In this interview, he and Matt explore how the current challenges facing the vacation rental industry may help it forge a stronger, safer, and more professional future.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Breezeway: https://www.breezeway.io/

Breezway's Free Covid 19 Resource: https://www.breezeway.io/covid-19

VRMB: www.vrmb.com

EP71: Casey Halloran of Namu Travel Group Jul 29, 2020

Show notes

Casey Halloran has built a travel empire selling custom, upscale trips across Central and South America and operating a boutique hotel in Costa Rica. He is also an early mentor to Matt and the reason Matt first came to Latin America and got into vacation rentals. In this episode we explore the evolution of Namu Travel Group from its humble beginnings to its pre-covid status and dive into the difficult time since. Casey and his business have traveled a tough road in the last several months and he shares his thoughts with us on keeping a business alive and the travel industry as a whole. Matt and Casey also reminisce about their past with some can't-miss stories.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Namu Travel Group: https://www.namutravel.com

Villa Buena Onda: https://www.villabuenaonda.com

VRMB: www.vrmb.com

Costa Rica Covid Travel Updates: https://www.visitcostarica.com/en/costa-rica/statement-costa-rica-tourism-board-covid-19

EP70: Christina Thoreson of Chattanooga Vacation Rentals Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

Christina Thoreson is an entrepreneur and self-described numbers person who runs Chattanooga Vacation Rentals with her husband Thor. In this virtual sit-down with Matt, she explores what makes a vacation rental business sustainable and looks at the future of drive-to destinations in the post covid world.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Chattanooga Vacation Rentals: https://www.chattanoogavacationrentals.com

The Site to Do Business: https://www.stdb.com

The Vacation Rental Show: www.youtube.com/vacationrentalshow

VRMB: www.vrmb.com

EP69: Shaun Stewart of Newlab Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

Shaun Stewart is a visionary and seasoned tech leader with a hospitality background from companies like Airbnb and Jetsetter. He is now CEO of Newlab, which applies transformative technologies to things that matter. In this episode he joins Matt to talk about innovation in times of crisis, evolving attitudes about tech, and give unique perspective on the vacation rental industry.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Breezeway's operations platform makes it easy to ensure quality, safety, and cleanliness across your properties so you can deliver an amazing guest experience. https://www.breezeway.io/

Other links and people mentioned in this episode:

Newlab: https://newlab.com

Shaun Stewart on social distancing tech: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/nyregion/new-york-reopening-coronavirus.html

Daversa (recruiting): https://www.daversapartners.com

X (formerly Google X): https://x.company

Waymo: https://waymo.com

VRMB's Reset Hub: https://reset.vrmb.com

EP68: Lynn Gallimore of Sinya on Lone Man Creek Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

An African tent safari led Lynn to find the epitome of a limited edition vacation rental business and incredible glamping experience in Texas Hill Country.

In this episode she talks to Matt about the experience she continues to perfect, reconnecting with her property during crisis, and why one is enough.

Please visit our sponsors, which made this episode possible:

Breezeway's operations platform makes it easy to ensure quality, safety, and cleanliness across your properties so you can deliver an amazing guest experience. https://www.breezeway.io/

Sinya: https://www.hillcountrysinya.com

About Lynn: https://www.hillcountrysinya.com/about-sinya

The VRMB Inner Circle: https://www.vrmb.com/what-is-the-inner-circle/

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