Unlocked by Matt Landau

Latest Episodes:

EP21: The Mood Board with Jean-Philippe Ramé of 2BeApart Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

Jean-Philippe Ramé of 2 Be Apart in Lyon France is something of a vacation rental icon: he's one of those entrepreneurs that sort of transcends industry and his management fleet is about as personality-driven as anything I've ever seen (check out the website if you don't believe me). It was in Barcelona, Spain at the KigoWorld event that Jean Philippe was sharing with me his strategy for baking flavor into each of his properties: this tactical strategy has become the big difference between his company and any others in the region. If you want to innovate like Jean-Phillipe, 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 that may or may not have been featured in the show: http://www.2beapart.com https://www.kigo.net/kigoworld/ http://www.2beapart.com/rentals/allrentals/apartment-lyon-1er-arrondissement-blue-dream-951/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP20: The Folio with Jeff Jensen of Utopian Luxury Vacation Homes Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

Jeff Jensen and his team of concierges at Utopian Luxury Vacation Homes believe that personalization is luxury: that placing your favorite newspaper or a hat from your alma mater in your vacation rental can convey thoughtfulness and win repeat business. But in order to personalize you need to know something about those guests — something personal. So from the moment of receiving the inquiry, Jeff's correspondence team embarks on an information gathering mission to learn as much as possible about the guests: data that then gets put to good use in curation of the actual stay. If you want to innovate like Jeff, 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 that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: http://utopianlvh.com/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP19: Saving Grace with Mike Harrington of Carolina Beach Realty Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

Mike Harrington was the de-facto head of VRMA up until a few hours after our conversation. He's also the President of Topsail Realty in North Carolina which was hit by a nasty hurricane in September. Almost 75% of Mike's properties had damage so this was a pivotal learning experience for him and his team. Mike's big saving grace was trip insurance. If you're the kind of person who thinks a natural disaster would never happen in your region, this episode will open your eyes. 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/ Here are some links that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: https://www.topsail-realty.com https://www.csatravelprotection.com https://www.travelguard.com https://redskyinsurance.com/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP18: The Alliance with Eric Bay of ANP Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

Eric Bay is a connector. He's the kind of guy that every neighborhood would be lucky to have: he shoots straight, he respects opposing viewpoints, and he's willing to work hard for the community. Pretty much a model small business advocate. He's also the President of the Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity, which, based in New Orleans, is one of the most influential short-term rental advocacy groups in the USA. In this episode, Eric walks us through the big learning point he made in this fight towards a fair and regulated short term rental ecosystem. If you want to innovate like Eric, 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 that may or may not have been mentioned in the episode: www.alliancenola.org

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP17: Listing Site Independence with Jeremiah Gall Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

Jeremiah Gall is a vacation rental pioneer: he was one of the founders of the listing site FlipKey, which was eventually sold to TripAdvisor. And not willing to leave the industry, Jeremiah's latest brainchild is Breezway which is an app that allows hosts to optimize the operations of their vacation rental businesses. After the Streamline conference in Phoenix, Arizona I got the chance to challenge Jeremiah with a pointy question that I had always sort of dreamed of asking a listing site executive. True to form, his answer flipped the next steps — the where do we go from here — back on me. The industry could use more honest and objective conversations like this. Please let us know what you think! Here are some links that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: https://www.breezeway.io https://www.flipkey.com http://vrmb.com/lsi/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP16: Follow The Wall with Durk Johnson of VRHP Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

Durk Johnson is a housekeeping guru. He's the director of the Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP) but he's also the consummate systems thinker: Durk is always looking for a way to systematize or temptatify or create a framework that can be followed and scaled: it could be argued that Durk's ability to do this has the potential to unlock the vacation rental industry as a whole.

This interview explores his "Follow the Wall" process, one step of his greater housekeeping methodology, one step to a more consistent and predictable vacation rental future.

If you want to innovate like Durk, 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 that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: http://www.vrhp.org

EP15: Diversified with Jeanne Dailey of Newman-Dailey Resort Properties Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

It's not often I meet a mastermind like Jeanne Dailey, she's the Founder and CEO of Newman-Dailey Resort Properties in Destin, Florida.

Like many vacation rental professionals, Jeanne is keen on the idea of diversification. But unlike many vacation rental professionals, Jeanne views this concept through an industry lens: having built several pillars in her business to avoid having all her eggs in the vacation rental basket.

In this conversation, Jeanne walks us through how each of these pillars help one another to create one of the most sustainable business models you'll find. Here are some links that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: https://www.destinvacation.com https://www.destinsales.com https://www.destinmanagement.com

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP14: Top-Grading with John Dean of Only Provence Jan 16, 2019

Show notes

John Dean of Only Provence is what I like to refer to as one of the most limited edition property managers in the world. His fleet of properties are widely recognized as the best properties in the Provence region of France. But this distinction does not happen by accident. I was in Barcelona, Spain at KigoWorld when John told me about this tactic. I asked him to step into the side room and we archived it for your listening pleasure. John has a very specific and disciplined practice he calls "top-grading" which is designed to keep his management fleet fresh, dynamic, and optimized. It's something every property manager out there should consider doing. And if you are a single property owner the "kaizen" approach John takes of constant improvement will kick your butt into gear. If you want to innovate like John, 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 that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: http://www.onlyprovence.com/ https://www.kigo.net/kigoworld/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP13: Collaborative Wisdom with Brad Stewart of Stewart Mountain Lodging Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

Brad Stewart of Stewart Mountain Lodging in Sundance, Utah is one of my best buddies in the industry. I think it's fair to say that I admire his work as much as he appreciates mine.

More specifically, I really admire how Brad thinks in systems and processes. And as a property manager, one of Brad's big turning points was with regards to his owners: like we'd strengthen any good relationship, he and Vicky created a way to close the communication gap with a conduit of communication.

This is a great lesson for anyone in the vacation rental industry looking to improve clarity with their team: think in benchmarks, standards, and common metrics: use technology to channel your voices into a central path.

If you want to innovate like Brad, 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 that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: https://www.stewartmountainlodging.com https://vrhp.org http://vrmintel.com/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

EP12: The Acquisition with Alex Barba of BCN Apartments Jan 02, 2019

Show notes

Alex Barba was the General Manager at BCN Apartments when we recorded this conversation -- it's a boutique vacation rental fleet in Barcelona, Spain. And while he's not there anymore, the way he helped change my perspective on start-ups, acquisitions, and problem solving in our young vacation rental industry still whispers at me regularly.

It's a creative solution for any property manager not satisfied with software solution, and perhaps a saving grace for any start-ups who are starting to doubt a spotlight exit.

Oh and if you want to innovate like Alex, 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 that may or may not have been mentioned in the show: https://www.bcnapartmentrentals.com/ https://www.bedloop.com/

Learn more about the host, visit https://mattlandau.com/

Get marketing strategies for vacation rentals, visit https://www.vrmb.com/

Collaborate with other professionals in https://community.vrmb.com/

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected