Behind the Stays

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Welcome to Behind the Stays — a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and hospitality brands and the hosts, operators, and entrepreneurs who’ve brought them to life. Every Tuesday and Friday you’ll meet the military veterans, retired flight attendants, tech entrepreneurs, school teachers, single moms, hoteliers, and real estate investors who are all, in their unique ways, shaping the future of travel and hospitality. Discover how these visionaries — from all over the world — have built stunning landscape hotels in the mountains, designed bohemian bungalows on the beach, erected eclectic off-grid and nature-immersed escapes, and so much more. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more. Behind the States is hosted by Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance.

Episodes

Thursday Nov 16, 2023

How to Design The Right Marketing Strategy for YOUR Vacation Rental Business

Thursday Nov 16, 2023

Welcome to Episode 2 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing — a special Behind the Stays podcast series brought to you in collaboration with my friend, Conrad O’Connell, Founder and CEO of BuildUp Bookings, one of the most respected marketing agencies for vacation rental managers and hospitality entrepreneurs.

Conrad just published an incredible book "Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing" which serves as a strategic guide designed for vacation rental managers, hosts, and STR professionals eager to scale their business without becoming overly reliant on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com.

Over the next three weeks, you’ll get a sneak peek into the frameworks, case studies, strategies and data that Conrad shares in his book. If you’d like to purchase the book, you can do so via the Amazon link below OR if you’d like a digital copy of the book Conrad is offering a free digital version to Behind the Stays listeners (you can find a link to download the book in the show notes below).

Stream Episode 1 of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Buy Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing on Amazon

Download a free copy of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Connect with Conrad on LinkedIn

Learn more about how BuildUp Bookings can help you scale your business

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Wednesday Nov 15, 2023

How He Won Airbnb’s ”OMG!” Contest and Used the Cash to Build Bubble Retreats

Wednesday Nov 15, 2023

Meet Tim Harper, an innovator who left the digital marketing world to create Bubble Retreats, a unique hospitality experience in Victoria, Australia.

This episode takes you through Tim's inspiring journey from a memorable stargazing night in France to becoming a winner in Airbnb's OMG campaign.

In this conversation, Tim and I explore:

Tim's transition from online marketing to hands-on entrepreneurship in the hospitality sector.
The birth of Bubble Retreats: How a transparent tent in France sparked an innovative idea.
Overcoming the challenges of building a unique property with no prior construction experience.
The strategy behind choosing bubble structures for a standout guest experience.
Winning Airbnb's prestigious OMG competition and the journey from concept to reality.
Future plans for Bubble Retreats: Expansion, partnerships, and creating a sustainable business model.
And so much more

This episode is brought to you by Hostlabs — Say goodbye to the daily hassle of running your short-term rental business. Free up your time and watch your business thrive with Hostlabs. Learn more and qualify for an exclusive discount here.

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Friday Nov 10, 2023

How to Build a Supernatural Hospitality Company — The Story of Arcana

Friday Nov 10, 2023

Meet Jeremy Hill, Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana — a next generation nature resort complete with seasonally immersive science-based experiences that help guests feel nature’s true restorative powers.

Jeremy was working in banking and had climbed the proverbial and prestigious corporate ladder for years. But one day, as he was staring out the window of his beautiful corner office, the question “what the heck am I doing with my life?” assaulted his brain!

While he couldn’t have known it at the time, this moment would be the beginning of a major career pivot…it was this moment that would ultimately lead Jeremy to leave the corporate world behind, jump into entrepreneurship, and set out on a mission to build a supernatural hospitality brand.

In this conversation, Jeremy and I discuss:

How to build a truly experiential and multi-sensory hospitality brand
How Arcana is reimagining food and beverage for its guests in a truly innovative way
How much money he raised to get Arcana’s first site off the ground
And so much more

Learn more about Arcana

Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn

This episode is brought to you by Minoan!

Want to save 30-40% off West Elm purchase for your Airbnb? Or hundreds off of instagram famous mattresses from Bear or Purple? Then you'll want to create your free account with our partner Minoan.

Minoan provides hosts with a one-stop-shop to get hundreds of discounts on the world’s leading brands, and a system where you can manage all of the ordering, tracking, returns, etc. in one place. Saving you time and money! Sign up and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way.

If you liked this episode, you might also like:

1. He’s An Accountant, Artist, and Airbnb Superhost — Meet Isaac French the Creator of Live Oak Lake

2. How to Build a Portfolio of 100 Single-Family Airbnbs and Transform Them into Unique Experiences

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Wednesday Nov 08, 2023

Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing: A Special 3-Part Podcast Series with BuildUp Bookings

Wednesday Nov 08, 2023

Welcome to Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing — a special Behind the Stays podcast series brought to you in collaboration with my friend, Conrad O’Connell, Founder and CEO of BuildUp Bookings, one of the most respected marketing agencies for vacation rental managers and hospitality entrepreneurs.

Buy Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing on Amazon

Download a free copy of Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing

Connect with Conrad on LinkedIn

Learn more about how BuildUp Bookings can help you scale your business

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Tuesday Nov 07, 2023

The Business of Bill Faeth: A Look at His Content Business, STR Portfolio, and Events Company

Tuesday Nov 07, 2023

Meet Bill Faeth — one of the most popular and well-respected voices in the short-term rental industry.

Bill Faeth has been involved in real estate for almost 25 years with both commercial and residential investing. In 2015, he switched the majority of his residential portfolio to short term rentals from long term after seeing an opportunity to increase profit and reduce risk.

Bill currently has a multi-million dollar portfolio of short term rental properties primarily located in vacation rental markets with a focus on beach, lake, and mountain properties. In addition to his own portfolio, he hosts the popular STR Unfiltered podcast and he’s the co-producer of STR WealthCon, one of the hottest industry events for vacation rental entrepreneurs.

In this episode Bill and I discuss:

The story behind how he traveled to golf tournaments with Tiger Woods
How he built, scaled, and sold his first businesses
How much money he makes off of his content vs. his portfolio
How much money the STR Wealthcon makes and what the long term vision for the event is
What he’s recently changed his mind about
And so much more

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Friday Nov 03, 2023

He’s Built Businesses in Energy, Tech, and Media — Now He’s Building a Next-Generation Resort in Broken Bow

Friday Nov 03, 2023

Meet Max Gagliardi — founder of Mountain Fork Resort, a 140-acre waterfront development in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

Max is an entrepreneur who builds businesses across energy, real estate, & technology — he has a knack for finding opportunities in places others are convinced no opportunity exists.

After stumbling upon an incredible piece of land in Broken Bow, one of the hottest up and coming vacation destinations in the southeast, Max began dreaming about how he could build a next generation resort that would become a destination in and of itself.

In this episode, Max and I discuss:

What inspired him to start a hospitality brand
Some unpopular opinions he has about the current state of the short-term rental industry
The biggest opportunities you see to build thriving businesses in the space
And what’s he learned by hosting a popular entrepreneurship podcast called “Always Be Building”

Connect with Max on LinkedIn

Follow Max on X/Twitter

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Tuesday Oct 31, 2023

Vacation Rental Secrets: Lessons Learned from 50 STR Experts (with Brooke Pfautz)

Tuesday Oct 31, 2023

Meet Brooke Pfautz, founder and CEO of Vintory, the only sales and marketing platform on the planet exclusively dedicated to helping professional vacation rental managers grow their inventory.

Brooke is one of the industry's most respected experts, so it was an honor to get him back on the podcast to discuss his new book, Vacation Rental Secrets, which is a collection of the short-term rental industry’s top experts disclosing their biggest mistakes and sharing their hard-earned wisdom.

Brooke and I discuss some of the most meaningful lessons garnered from these interviews, some unpopular opinions he has about the current state of the industry, the opportunity he sees for entrepreneurs to build new businesses in and around hospitality, and some hot takes he has on the future of the industry.

Connect with Brooke on LinkedIn

Buy Brooke's book on Amazon

Learn more about Vintory

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Friday Oct 27, 2023

How They Built a Dome Micro-Resort on Top of a Waterfall

Friday Oct 27, 2023

Meet David and Andy Heyman — the two brothers who brought one of the newest and most unique glamping sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains to life, which they call Glamp Blue Ridge.

David has a background in finance and Andy is a graphic designer by trade. The guys had long dreamed of being able to work on a business venture of some kind together but the timing and the idea never seemed right…

That is, of course, until the idea of building a collection of unique Airbnbs on an actual waterfall in Cherry Log, Georgia began to percolate. David is the idea guy and Andy is the creative who brings the ideas to life.

The brothers purchased dozens of acres of land that will eventually be home to a number of unique units like treehouses, a-frames, and maybe even airplanes, but the first iteration of Glamp Blue Ridge is a collection of 7 massive domes that all have their own brand, character, and unique furnishings.

In this conversation we discuss:

Lessons learned trying to build unique Airbnbs on-top-of a waterfall
How they generated over 100k followers on Instagram in their first few months
Why they’re bullish on direct bookings
Why their occupancy rate is over 90% even as travel slows down a bit
And so much more

Visit Glamp Blue Ridge

Follow Glamp Blue Ridge on Social Media

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Tuesday Oct 24, 2023

The Future of Vacation Rental Management Companies — Stories and Ideas from a Former VRMA President

Tuesday Oct 24, 2023

Meet Mike Harrington, a true legend among vacation rental managers.

Mike’s career in hospitality started by accident. After graduating from business school, Mike received a call from a recruiter to join a vacation rental management company on Hatteras Island.

He learned the ropes of the industry at this first gig, grew to love the art of the business, and eventually decided that what he really wanted was to own and operate his own vacation rental management company.

After working at one of the largest vacation rental managers in the Outer Banks, Mike decided to take the leap and founded Carolina Retreats, a vacation rental management firm that would grow to serve nearly 400 properties across the state of North Carolina.

Along the way he’d answer the call to serve his colleagues in the industry by becoming the president of VRMA, the largest professional trade association for vacation rental managers, and serving in that role for over 6 years.

While Mike had no intention of selling his business, in 2021 he got an offer from V Trips, one of the world’s most respected vacation rental management brands, that he just couldn’t refuse.

Tune in to hear the stories, lessons and insights Mike has garnered throughout his career and get an inside look at the company he’s building next.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Friday Oct 20, 2023

He Built the World’s #1 Hotel Marketing Website — Now He’s Building the Hottest Community in Hospitality.

Friday Oct 20, 2023

Meet Josiah Mackenzie, Founder of Hospitality Daily — a community, podcast, and email newsletter that helps hospitality professionals stay informed and inspired in this ever-changing and dynamic industry.

Josiah has spent his entire career creating, innovating and building in Hospitality. He founded a company called Hospitality Marketing Strategies which went on to become the #1 hotel marketing website in the world.

Josiah then spent several years working for hospitality tech companies leading go-to-market strategies and helping these start ups get off the ground, scale, and in some cases even get acquired.

In this conversation, Josiah and I discuss:

What STR owners and operates can learn from some of the leading boutique hoteliers about brand building and marketing
The most interesting insights he’s garnered from hosting a daily podcast
Why he’s bullish on building his brand and the Hospitality Daily community on LinkedIn
The biggest opportunities he sees for hospitality entrepreneurs today
And so much more

This episode is brought to you by our friends at OptimizeMyBnB

I’ve been trying to find someone who I think understands the platform and marketing strategy better than me that I can refer you all to…

And I’m happy to say that I think I’ve found him.

Meet Daniel Rusteen — he’s a former Airbnb employee, full-time digital nomad, and author of “Optimize Your BnB” which has sold over 50,000 copies by word-of-mouth alone.

Daniel has lived on Airbnb for more than 2,500 nights and has helped hundreds of hosts via his consulting, his program, and his thought leadership, increase their listing’s rank on Airbnb.

If you’re newer to the STR space, or if your listings are starting to drop in rank, I want to encourage you all to do one of two things — if not BOTH — of the following:

Buy Daniel’s new book, “Profitable Properties: Airbnb Insider Secrets” — you can get it on Amazon for just $10
Join Daniel’s 9-week program and he’ll teach you everything you need to know about optimizing your STR for Airbnb, VRBO, Google Search, and beyond. You can use the discount code BTS for 40% off the program between now and the end of the 2023 calendar year.

Daniel will teach you what the top 1% of short-term rental owners and managers already know about how to fully optimize their STRs across OTAs and beyond.

Recent episodes you might enjoy:

Have you signed up for Ping yet?

Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings.

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.