93 - What Hotels Understand About OTAs That STR Hosts Don’t

In this episode of The Co-Host Bros Podcast, Matt Codd and Austin Spitzenberger sit down with Simon Seroussi, founder of SuiteOp, to talk about distribution, OTAs, and what short-term rental operators can learn from the hotel industry.

Simon brings nearly a decade of experience from the hotel software world, including time at TravelClick before it was acquired by Amadeus — one of the largest travel technology companies globally. His background gives him a unique perspective on how booking platforms, reputation, and distribution systems actually work behind the scenes.

The conversation explores how early experiences in New York experimenting with Airbnb evolved into deeper strategic thinking about optimization, positioning, and platform dynamics.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Simon transitioned from hotel tech to short-term rentals
• What OTAs are really optimizing for
• Why reputation matters more than ever in hospitality
• Lessons the hotel industry learned that STR operators often miss
• Early Airbnb adoption and platform evolution
• The future of distribution and positioning in short-term rentals

This episode is ideal for operators who want to understand the mechanics behind booking platforms and build smarter, more resilient businesses.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds TikTok: @creativecodds Facebook: @matt.codd.3 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz TikTok: @austin_spitzz Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/