Unlocked by Matt Landau

Latest Episodes:

EP41: Technology's Point Person with Sean Miller Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

Sean Miller is the President of PointCentral, the sponsor of this podcast. And I just want to say up front that including him in the series was not required or part of the sponsorship contract or anything: Sean's just a really interesting and smart guy...someone I was really curious to learn more about.

I had the chance to sit down with Sean in Barcelona Spain at the Kigoworld conference. And he possesses this really unique perspective on the intersection of technology and vacation rentals: and as a father, husband, and entrepreneur, he shared some really noteworthy opinions about where things are going and how we should stay attuned.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

https://www.kigo.net/kigoworld/

The Inner Circle: http://vrmb.com/the-vault/

EP40: Short Term Rent, Long Term Win with Matt Hoffman Aug 14, 2019

Show notes

I've known Matt Hoffman for what feels like an eternity. I remember talking to him back when I was running my vacation rental business in Panama in 2008 and his passion and enthusiasm for vacation rentals has not faded since...if anything they've sharpened. Matt is the Senior Vice President and Product Leader at Kigo, which is a vacation rental management software company. Our conversation about Matt's childhood, education, and entrepreneurial spirit is jammed packed with useful insight: we examine the exciting and historic crossroads of real estate, technology, and hospitality. It's fair to say I left significantly smarter than when we started.

If you want to innovate like Matt, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page): https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Mentioned in this episode: Kigo: https://www.kigo.net/ Kigo Marketplace: https://www.kigo.net/marketplace/ Real Page: https://www.realpage.com/ Abstract City Maps: https://www.icanvas.com/canvas-print/abstract-city-map-of-amsterdam-jbl87#1PC6-26x26 Dana Young: https://www.vrmb.com/podcast/ep-37-voice-activation-with-dana-young/ Lynn Gallimore and Sinya on Lone Man Creek: https://www.hillcountrysinya.com/

EP39: The Noise Captain with Christine Saba Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

There are certain people in our industry who, when you meet them, you just kinda get excited about everything. Christine Saba is one of those people. Christine is technically the Head of Growth at Noiseaware, which is the fire alarm for noise. But her roles and responsibilities tend to spill over into all kinds of areas. I had the chance to visit NoiseAware's headquarters in Dallas, Texas and the irony that we had noise challenges in the recording was only surpassed by the fact that we solved them.

If you want to innovate like Christine, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Mentioned in this episode:

Noiseaware: https://noiseaware.io/ NoiseAware's Booking.com Partnership: https://join.booking.com/lp/noiseaware/?utm_source=NA&utm_medium=inflG Heather's Vacation Rental Success Summit: www.vacationrentalsuccesssummit.com Dallas Pets Alive: https://dallaspetsalive.org/ One Million Cups: https://www.1millioncups.com/dallas Rent Responsibly: https://rentresponsibly.org/ Lyric: https://www.lyric.com/ Sonder: https://www.sonder.com/ The Guild: https://theguild.co/ VRMA International: http://www.vrma.org/page/international-conference

EP 38: Vacasa Buys Wyndham Vacation Rentals Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

In this experimental podcast format, I am to address one subject matter that has the industry buzzing and break it down for our listeners.

[Note: Our normal interview podcast schedule sponsored by our friends at PointCentral will not be interrupted.]

This episode addresses Vacasa's recent acquisition of Wyndham Vacation Rentals, effectively doubling their inventory to more than 20,000 homes.

Here are some links mentioned in the post:

Jeremiah Gall's post on VRMIntel

https://www.vrmintel.com/riding-the-next-wave-of-vacation-rental-consolidation/

Andrew McConnell's post on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/biggest-vacation-rental-deal-what-means-you-andrew-mcconnell/

EP37: Voice Activation with Dana Young Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

Dana Young is one of those people who is just unyieldingly passionate about technology. But so are a lot of people. What makes Dana unique is the way he is applying that obsession -- specifically with voice activated devices -- to the vacation rental space. He got started in our industry managing a property with his mom. But the ramifications of his singular and relatively straightforward "Unlocked" tactic reach far beyond any set of walls. If you want to innovate like Dana, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links referenced in the show:

https://www.virtualconciergeservice.com

http://www.vrma.org

Amazon Alexa

Google Home

EP36: A Theater of Growth with Cliff Johnson Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

Cliff Johnson was the first icon interview I ever recorded: it's fair to say that Cliff was the reason behind the whole icon series...I was talking to him at lunch, fascinated by his background and his attitude about life, and basically just really curious to learn more about him. Cliff is one of the more recognizable names in the vacation rental industry. He can be seen at most of the top conferences on panels and on stage talking about big trends: deep currents beneath the travel and business worlds that lead him to make his predictions, business decisions, and personal moves. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Cliff in my living room in New Orleans with a glass of bourbon. If you want to innovate like Cliff, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links referenced in the show:

https://www.rented.com/

https://www.vacasa.com/

EP35: Non-Perishables with Lee Zeller Jul 17, 2019

Show notes

Lee Zeller is one of my besties in the vacation rental space. Her company Vacation Telluride is a mainstay in Colorado and her position on how to utilize each property for good is equally forward-thinking. This concept could be applied to pretty much any vacation rental business -- in fact, if you're not doing it, you're missing out on lots of goodwill. If you want to innovate like Lee, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links mentioned in this episode:

https://www.vacationtelluride.com/

EP34: No Time to Waste with Megan McCrea Jul 10, 2019

Show notes

Megan McCrea is one of the most impressive leaders in the vacation rental industry. I get the chance to meet a lot of experts and ambassadors and people who are really good at what they do -- but Megan has one of the most unique blends of vision, standards, discipline, and hard work that I have ever come across in vacation rentals. Really, in any industry: she is just a veritable rockstar. I flew to Nashville, Tennessee specifically to interview Megan-- that's how great I think she is.

Her vacation rental business Nashville Vacation Homes eventually led into a consulting business the Hospitality Creator, and her advocacy contribution to our industry as the president of Nastra (the Nashville short term rental alliance) is historic and courageous. And here's a chance to learn a bit more about the woman behind the progress. If you want to innovate like Megan, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

Here are some links mentioned in this episode:

https://www.staynashvillevacationhomes.com/

https://thehospitalitycreator.com

https://nastra.org

EP 33: Picking the Lock with Guglielmo Scarpa Jul 03, 2019

Show notes

Guglielmo Scarpa is a young Italian businessman who embodies the vacation rental pioneer spirit for me. He fell into the business somewhat accidentally, has successfully build a brand around his company Canguro properties in two countries, and he looks at everything through a realistic yet optimistic lens: if something works, he does more of it. If something doesn't work, he considers carefully whether or not he wants to try it again.

Today's unlocked episode is a bit different from the other tactical episodes in that the experiment that Guglielmo tried sort of failed. In aiming to make his business more efficient with technology, he realized he was actually losing some of the very essence that made Canguro special in the first place. I got a chance to sit down with Guglielmo in Barcelona Spain at the Kigoworld conference and archive this conversation for you all.

If you want to innovate like Guglielmo, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

EP 32: The Keystone Awards with Terry Whyte Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

A keystone is the architectural term for a wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch or bridge that locks the other pieces in place. We believe this is the perfect metaphor for the right property management software in a vacation rental business.

Using data from 100+ hours of demos, 750+ completions of our Property Management Software Selector Tool and qualitative feedback that has come in by the droves, wanted to share the top performers with our first VRMB Labs™ Keystone Awards Series.

If you want to innovate like Mike, consider a demo with our friends at PointCentral (free HVAC Analytics included from this landing page):

https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/

You can read the full post revealing our suggestions here:

https://www.vrmb.com/keystone-awards/

And here is Terry's post about 'Choosing The Right Software' from years ago that stands true today:

https://www.vrmb.com/choose-software/