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
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
You've been asking what we've got planed for 2024 — so here's a sneak peak!
I'm calling this episode our "Winter Housekeeping" pod so if you’re just here for the guests I bring onto the show and don’t care too much about what we’re building at Sponstayneous or the community we’re cultivating through Behind the Stays, I am not offended, just ignore these episodes when they pop-up into your feed.
But, if you ARE cheering us on and curious about what’s been happening behind the scenes of Behind the Stays, then lend me your ears for the next few minutes.
We'll chat about:
- Hitting 1,000 subscribers to our YouTube Channel — if you haven't watched our videos, you can do so here.
- A big update to Sponstayneous
- StayWatch — Google Flight Alerts but for Airbnbs
- How hosts are using our Ping product to increase their nightly rates
- The expansion of our host partner program
I want to hear from YOU! Send me an email at Zach@sponstayneous.com with your ideas on how we can take the show up a couple of notches in 2024!
Friday Dec 01, 2023
Friday Dec 01, 2023
Meet Jake Pontius — Co-Founder of Nook, a collection of North America’s most remarkable landscape hotels and outdoor accommodations.
After working as a business analyst at a timeshare company, Jake left the corporate world to pursue his passion of brewing craft beer and it was during this season of his life where he first fell in love with hospitality.
Now while Jake fell in love with the industry while working in food and beverage, his family is no stranger to hospitality. Jake’s father, David, actually spent his career working in executive capacities at RCI, Hilton, and Bluegreen Vacations.
In this episode, Jake and I discuss:
- Why he and Michael Goldin from Storied Collection and building Nook
- The value of building soft brands in hospitality
- What his predictions on the future of experiential travel are
- Why he’s bullish on landscape hotels and outdoor accommodations
- And so much more
This episode is brought to you by Summer.
Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home.
What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”
Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works:
- You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental.
- Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy.
- When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment.
- Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one.
So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way.
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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 28, 2023
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Meet Margot Schmorak, Co-Founder and CEO of Hostfully — one of the hospitality industry’s leading technology companies.
Margot started her career working in marketing at Apple during one of the company's most pivotal eras. She remembers the launch of the very first iPhone quite vividly since she was the only person on the marketing team to NOT receive a phone since she was just an intern at the time.
In this conversation, Margot and I discuss:
- The lessons she learned about marketing, startups, and company culture during her time at Apple
- Where the idea for Hostfully first came from
- How Hostfully grew from a digital guidebook to a full-fledged property management platform
- How much money Hosttfully has raised so far
- Why she started a community for venture-backed founders who are also moms
- The gaps she seems in the hospitality tech space
- And so much more…
Learn more about Hostfully here
Listen to Margot's Episodes of The Pitch Podcast
This episode is brought to you by Summer.
Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home.
What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”
Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works:
- You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental.
- Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy.
- When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment.
- Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one.
So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way.
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Welcome to Episode 3 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
Stream Episode 2 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:
- The Future of Vacation Rental Management Companies — Stories and Ideas from a Former VRMA President
- A Panel Discussion on the Future of Short-Term Rental Investing with Wander, Techvestor, and Arrived
- How They’re Building a New Hotel Brand from Scratch
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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 17, 2023
Friday Nov 17, 2023
Meet Paul Kromidas, an industry trailblazer who transitioned from a strategic role at Airbnb to founding Summer, a company revolutionizing the vacation rental space.
This episode delves into Paul's insights on the shifting dynamics of property management and his innovative approach to vacation home ownership.
Tune in as we explore:
- Paul's key learnings from his tenure at Airbnb and their influence on Summer's vision.
- The concept behind Summer: Empowering aspiring vacation home owners with a risk-free trial of property ownership.
- The unique 'gradual ownership' model: A gateway for hesitant investors to step into the vacation rental market.
- How Summer addresses the quality versus quantity debate in property management.
- The challenge of balancing brand consistency with local uniqueness in vacation rentals.
- The future of vacation rental management: Predictions and strategies from a seasoned insider.
This episode is brought to you by Summer.
Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home.
What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”
Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works:
- You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental.
- Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy.
- When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment.
- Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one.
So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way.
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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.
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
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:
- The Future of Vacation Rental Management Companies — Stories and Ideas from a Former VRMA President
- A Panel Discussion on the Future of Short-Term Rental Investing with Wander, Techvestor, and Arrived
- How They’re Building a New Hotel Brand from Scratch
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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
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:
- The Future of Vacation Rental Management Companies — Stories and Ideas from a Former VRMA President
- A Panel Discussion on the Future of Short-Term Rental Investing with Wander, Techvestor, and Arrived
- How They’re Building a New Hotel Brand from Scratch
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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
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
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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
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.
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).
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
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
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
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:
- The Future of Vacation Rental Management Companies — Stories and Ideas from a Former VRMA President
- A Panel Discussion on the Future of Short-Term Rental Investing with Wander, Techvestor, and Arrived
- How They’re Building a New Hotel Brand from Scratch
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.
Sign up today at bnbping.com
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.