Get Paid For Your Pad | Airbnb Hosting | Vacation Rentals | STR Revenue Management

The best business strategy is a satisfied customer. And if you host one or two short-term rental properties, it’s fairly easy to earn five-star reviews on Airbnb. But how do you maintain a high-quality guest experience at scale? How do you rack up 2,000-plus reviews and keep a 4.99 rating?Sean McGregor is the Founder and CEO of Stay Work and Play Co-Hosting, otherwise known as SWAP Lofts. Sean and his wife Lindsey have been hosting on Airbnb since 2012, garnering 2,212 reviews and a 4.99 rating overall. Sean pivoted to the cohosting model during the pandemic, and so far, he has built a portfolio of 15 listings in five states. He is also an active member of our Legends X community.On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Sean joins me to explain how he pivoted his STR business during COVID, sharing what he did to connect with property owners and build his management portfolio. He discusses using Thumbtack to find good team members in a new location and walks us through his plans to scale SWAP. Listen in for Sean’s top four strategies for maintaining a five-star guest experience—even as you grow your STR business!Topics CoveredHow Sean got his start with short-term rentalsHelped then-girlfriend Lindsey host on AirbnbManaged remotely during family trip to EuropeHow Sean pivoted to cohosting during COVIDDraw on experience managing family property Find property owners in Facebook groupsHow Sean uses Thumbtack to find team membersHire photographer, cleaners, handyman, etc.Narrow down by reviews, they bid on jobWhy Sean pays for a photographer to do a 3D tourMakes it easier for cleaners to bid on jobHelp guests and team members find thingsHow Sean maintains a high guest satisfaction scoreMake it as easy as possible to check inPersonal connection via text throughout stayMake it right when things go wrongSean’s top strategy for getting a 5-star reviewWrite detailed, friendly review for guestText screenshot and they reciprocateSean’s plans to scale SWAP Co-Hosting Document processes through Legends XBuild team so business can run without himWhat Sean did before he got into short-term rentals College VIP discount cards for studentsGolf VIP (access to/discounts on courses)Why Sean recommends the Legends X programAccountability pods to stay engagedCommunity going through similar thingsConnect with SeanStay Work and Play Co-HostingResourcesThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss‘Alive Time or Dead Time. What Will It Be?’ in the Daily StoicThumbtackMatterport Virtual 3D Real Estate ToursStarlinkJulie George on ClubhouseLegends XGet Paid for Your Pad on YouTubeEmail jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com SponsorHostfully [Discount Code PAD] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, you don’t quite make enough money to support yourself as a short-term rental host. But you know you need to spend more time on the business if you want to grow. Do you wait and try to save more money? Or do you take a leap of faith, quit your job and go all-in on Airbnb? Sergio Castaneda is a part of our Legends X community and the founder of Jungle House, a short-term rental company out of Columbus, Ohio. Sergio was running two successful Airbnb units on the side while he worked full-time. But after a particularly stressful week on the job, Sergio quit to run his STR business full time. Today, he supports himself fully with the revenue from four listings and Jungle House was recently named one of the top 18 vacation rentals in Columbus. On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Sergio joins me to explain why he quit his job to go all-in on Airbnb, describing how it felt to walk away from his 9-to-5 and what the transition to full-time host looks like. He offers advice on how to attract bookings, challenging us to tell a story through photos and build trust with prospective guests in our listing. Listen in for Sergio’s insight on increasing your STR revenue and find out what he has planned for the future of Jungle House! Topics Covered What inspired Sergio’s interest in AirbnbPassion for real estate and hospitalityWay to give back to travel industry How Sergio got his start in short-term rentalsLease small studio for test runUse money to buy first homeRent spare bedroom to cover mortgage How Sergio felt about quitting his jobConfident (other STR units doing well)Didn’t want to look back with regret Sergio’s advice on how to attract bookingsInvest in professional photosTell story with picturesBrag about listing in descriptionBuild trust with About Me What Sergio does to increase his revenueUse dynamic pricing toolsOffer late checkout, early check-in Sergio’s plans for the future of Jungle HouseCreate systems that don’t need meFocus on brand and growing companyPartner with likeminded investorsAdd units (some in other locations) Connect with Sergio Jungle HouseEmail hello@junglehouse.org Resources PriceLabsWheelhouseBeyond PricingStayFiArthur Colker on GPFYP EP386MailChimpLegends XGet Paid for Your Pad on YouTubeEmail jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com  Sponsor Hostfully [Discount Code PAD] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To scale a short-term rental business, you need more properties. And the best way to expand your portfolio is to build relationships with the right people. People who can help you find new units to manage. So, who should STR operators be connecting with? And how do we go about building those relationships? Liam Carolan is the short-term rental expert behind Ginger & Gold, a property management company out of Norwich in England’s Norfolk County. Liam started hosting on Airbnb in January of 2019, and today, he and his partner have a 10-unit portfolio of master lease and management properties. Liam is also a member of our Legends X community. On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Liam joins me to explain how he builds rapport with letting agents, challenging STR operators to get out of our comfort zone and provide value before we go for the ask. He explores who to build relationships with as you scale and how to build trust by considering what’s important to the other person and following up on what you say you’re going to do. Listen in for Liam’s insight on being clear about what you want and learn how to leverage relationships to find new properties and scale your STR business! Topics Covered How Liam got into short-term rentalsWanted to spend more time with sonFound mentor doing master leasing How Liam builds rapport with letting agentsDrop into office multiple timesExplain how you can help them Who to build relationships with as you scale Letting agentsLocal property networking groupsOther local STR operators How to build trust in a business relationshipFollow up on what you say you’ll doDemonstrate competencePut yourself in their mindsetLean on transferable skillsTell stories, real world examples The value in being clear about what you wantEasier for letting agent to help youCreate preferred investment area map  Why Liam joined the Legends X programHelp with focusStrategies to scale up business What Liam has learned in Legends XLeverage values to make decisionsBuild detailed playbook of processesPower of bold brand promise Connect with Liam Ginger & GoldLiam on LinkedIn  Resources Google My MapsMark SimpsonJulie GeorgeLegends XGet Paid for Your Pad on YouTubeEmail jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com  Sponsor Hostfully [Discount Code PAD] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you manage one or two properties on Airbnb, it’s fairly easy to keep track of your communications with cleaners and maintenance personnel. But as you grow a STR business, it gets more and more challenging to oversee quality control and keep up with routine maintenance on multiple listings. So, what can you do to streamline your cleaning and maintenance processes and maintain a high-quality guest experience—no matter how many properties you manage? Jeremy Gall serves as CEO of Breezeway, the leading property care and operations platform for short-term rentals. The Breezeway software helps coordinate, communicate and verify detailed work, supporting STR hosts in delivering the best possible guest experience across a portfolio of properties. Jeremy got his start in the STR space in 2006 as the cofounder of vacation rental marketplace FlipKey before shifting his focus to management and founding Breezeway in 2016. On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Jeremy joins me to explain how Breezeway helps hosts scale a STR business, facilitating communication with cleaners and other service personnel and automating as much of the turnover process as possible. We explore the role cleaning and maintenance staff play in helping us build a brand and tailor the guest experience as we grow. Listen in to understand how the Breezeway guest messaging product works and learn how Jeremy’s software is tailored specifically to YOUR vacation rental business. Topics Covered What inspired Jeremy to build BreezewayHost needs around property maintenanceHigher guest expectations for experience How a STR cleaner’s job goes beyond cleaningSupport host in delivering guest experience Manage inventory, identify maintenance issues How Breezeway helps hosts scale a STR businessSmart technology to manage cleaning schedulePlan recurring maintenance, quality controlAutomate as much of turnover as possibleCoordinate with all external service providers Jeremy’s insight on how the Breezeway system worksConnect with main marketing channel or PMSSet up workflows (tailored to your business)Deploy with existing service providers How the Breezeway messaging product functionsText guests shortly after arrival Offer guests concierge service Communicating with service personnel on BreezewayCreate task in system, sends auto alertService personnel provides feedback Connect with Jeremy BreezewayEmail vip@breezeway.io  Resources STR Profit AcademyLegends XGet Paid for Your Pad on YouTubeEmail jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com  Sponsor Hostfully [Discount Code PAD] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are two ways to get more direct bookings: You can either find new customers or get current customers to return. And when you try to recruit brand new guests, you’re competing with the marketing budgets of well-known OTAs like Airbnb. But past guests are much easier to market to and sending an email is free. The question is, what’s the best way to collect our guests’ email addresses? Arthur Colker is the Founder and CEO at StayFi, the premiere provider of Wi-Fi marketing services for vacation rentals. Founded in 2018, StayFi is on a mission to help short-term rental managers seamlessly collect guest information, build brand awareness and drive more direct bookings. Arthur also serves as the editor-in-chief of  VRM Insider, a content platform for the vacation rental business. On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Arthur joins me to explain why it’s important to collect guest emails and describes how StayFi can help us build a stable of return customers. He offers suggestions for content to send during and after a guest’s stay, challenging us to provide value and keep customers engaged with our brand. Listen in for insight on how StayFi impacts the guest experience and learn how YOU can benefit from using Arthur’s Wi-Fi marketing tool. Topics Covered What StayFi does for vacation rental operatorsWi-Fi marketing tool built for STRCollects emails when log in to internet Why it’s important to collect guest emailsBuild brand separate from OTAEfficient way to do rebooking business Arthur’s strategies for marketing to prior guestsTraditional newsletter or 1:1 emailsTargeted digital advertising What content to send during a guest’s stayWelcome email and link to house guideSuggested restaurants, local activities What content to send after a guest’s stayOffers to book again with discountIntro to multiple propertiesUpcoming events in areaPersonalized 1:1 peer text email Why most guests don’t mind using StayFiLogin common in airports and hotelsPromos in exchange for email address How hosts benefit from using StayFiCollect ALL guest emailsAutomated and efficientGuest agrees to terms of serviceIntro guests to STR brandSee status of Wi-Fi networksOccupancy alertingConsolidate internet subscription How hosts can start using StayFiPlug device into home Wi-Fi routerInstruct guests to join network Connect with Arthur StayFi [Promo Code PAD]Arthur on LinkedIn Resources MailChimpRueBaRueHostfullyTouch StaySTR Profit AcademyLegends XGet Paid for Your Pad on YouTubeEmail jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com  Sponsor Hostfully [Discount Code PAD]   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Travel is back in a big way, and people are hungry for unique experiences. And Wil Slickers contends that you can differentiate your short-term rental brand and attract guests through destination creation. But how do you take an average apartment or single family home and transform it into a destination? Wil is the Hospitality Expert and Destinationaire behind Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast, a show dedicated to all things hotels, hospitality and business. He is also the Cofounder of Recreation Rentals, a new boutique STR management company based in Seattle and a member of our elite Legends X short-term rental business accelerator.  On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Wil joins me to explain what he means by destination creation, discussing what he does to make a property so special that the guest doesn’t have to leave. He offers advice on turning a regular apartment or home into a destination, challenging you to tap into your local community and build amenities around your ideal guest. Listen in for Wil’s insight on designing themed STR units learn how to build a thriving vacation rental management business by making your property a destination. Topics Covered Wil’s background in hospitality and vacation rental managementFell in love with hospitality working for MarriottShift to boutique hotel, became youngest GM in areaQuit day job in 2019 for vacation rental management What Wil means by the term ‘destination creation’Make property so special guest doesn’t have to leaveHone into uniqueness of property and/or brand How to turn a regular apartment or home into a destinationTap into community, support small businesses in areaTell story with amenities made locally How to turn your space into a destination for your ideal guestCater listing to type of traveler you want to attractThink about guest needs (e.g.: standing desk, Wi-Fi) Wil’s insight on designing themed units for your STR guestsCan be expensive to create up frontIncredible ROI, earn up to 3X that of competitors Wil’s top lessons learned from hosting a hospitality podcast Guests became most valuable resourceStay in contact and build community Wil’s top advice for aspiring STR business owners1.     It’s not just about making money2.     Be willing to learn technology3.     Tap into your local community Connect with Wil Slick Talk the PodcastSlick Talk on LinkedInSlick Talk on InstagramSlick Talk on Facebook Resources CNBC Interview with Brian CheskyHow to Market to the Work-From-Home Traveler on GPFYP EP349Loma Homes Legends XGet Paid for Your Pad on YouTubeEmail jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com  Sponsor Hostfully [Discount Code PAD]  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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