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 Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
About the Episode:
Meet Melissa Hessney Masters — the founder of Tanglebloom and the creator of the Tanglebloom Cabin.
Melissa has always been creative.
Growing up in the fingerlakes region of New York, she found herself mesmerized by natural beauty — whether it be wildflowers or waterfalls, Melissa was transfixed by the innate purity of the natural world.
She started her first business when she was in high school, selling hand-sewn clothes on the internet and in the parking lots of Phish concerts.
And while she couldn’t have guessed it then, this was the first stepping stone in her journey to become a flower farmer and short-term-rental entrepreneur.
Tune in to hear the enthralling story of how Melissa brought her wedding and event flower business, Tanglebloom, as well as Vermont’s most wish-listed Airbnb, to life.
Book a Stay at the Tanglebloom Cabin
Follow the Tanglebloom Cabin on Instagram
This episode is brought to you by our friends at AirDNA.
I receive questions ALL the time from listeners who want to get started in STR investing and or who want to scale their portfolio on what resources I recommend they tap into.
Here are three reasons I always recommend an AirDNA subscription:
1. AirDNA offers the most accurate data platform in the industry and is trusted by small- and large-scale investors across the globe.
2. Their easy-to-use tools unlock access to millions of data points on any property, anywhere, so you can start your journey to financial freedom with confidence.
3. You can even enter any address in the world to find out how much it’d earn as a vacation rental — how cool is that?
If you’re interested in getting into the STR game or taking your game a bit more seriously, I’ve got some exciting news for you.
AirDNA is giving Behind the Stays listeners 20% off their first 3 months of any MarketMinder subscription or an additional 20% off any annual MarketMinder subscription.
Use the discount code BTS20 at checkout!
Behind the Stays Subscriber Survey — please take 5 minutes to complete this survey so that we know how we can make the show even better!
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 Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Meet Connor Gross — an entrepreneur in his mid-twenties who is currently focused on building a portfolio of self-storage units across the state of Texas.
Connor graduated from Northeastern University in 2020. As a part of a co-op program at Northeastern, he was able to spend a semester building his first start-up, Cardly, with his co-founder Giovanni, which was a snazzy looking credit card holder that attaches to the back of your iPhone.
After selling the start-up in early 2020, Connor began learning about real estate investing. While the idea of investing in a short-term rental was attractive, in Connor’s mind, being responsible for a place where folks actually lived or vacationed was a bit too much of a headache. So, he decided to start with self-storage.
Tune in to an energetic, idea-producing conversation where Connor and I discuss:
- How he convinced the host of a luxury Airbnb villa in Bali to let him stay in their home for free
- How he founded, built, and sold his first e-commerce company
- Why you’re never too young or too old to start your entrepreneurial journey
- Connor’s hot takes on the future of travel and hospitality after living out of a suitcase for 2 years and traveling to more than 30 countries.
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
In just a moment, you’ll meet Natalie Palmer — an Airbnb Ambassador, a 17x superhost, and the creator and host of the popular No Vacancy podcast.
Natalie was never really sure what she wanted to do when she “grew up”...but she was always quick to say “yes” when opportunities to step outside of her comfort-zone surfaced.
So, after spending a couple of months learning about short-term rental investing and hosting, Natalie asked her parents if she could try her hand out at turning their family’s vacation home in the mountains into an Airbnb.
While skeptical, they agreed to give her a shot…and within one ski season, they had made enough to pay the mortgage on the home for the entire year!
This early win inspired Natalie to further immerse herself in learning everything she could about how to deliver an exceptional guest experience while also growing a profitable business.
Natalie and I discuss the power of networking and why more hosts should participate in STR industry events, frameworks for how to structure your time as a hospitality entrepreneur, and why she’s throwing a women’s only STR hospitality event in Scottsdale, Arizona called the “Level Up Your Listing Summit.”
You’ll learn more about this event towards the end of the interview but I want to highly encourage all the ladies tuning into today’s chat to check out Natalie’s event.
Natalie is also giving all Behind the Stays listeners a 10% discount when they use the code BTS10 at check out. Learn more about the Level Up Your Listing Summit here.
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Meet Alexis and Skeeter — the creators of The Kingdom A-Frame, a quintessential New England escape in Burke, Vermont.
Alexis and Skeeter love mountain biking and have traveled to Northeastern Vermont to traverse the Kingdom Trails for years! These trails are known as the crown jewel of East Coast mountain biking.
Alexis and Skeeter have three dogs and struggled to find an Airbnb that both allowed dogs and offered an inspirational aesthetic.
After doing some back-of-the-napkin math, the couple realized that, given the frequency of their travels to Burke, they might actually be better off buying a place then continuing to book stays on Airbnb.
Tune in to hear the fun story of:
- How Alexis and Skeeter found and refurbished The Kingdom A-Frame
- How an instagram post landed their A-Frame in Vogue
- How they’ve balanced increasing their nightly rate (as their insta-fame has grown) with their original mission of creating a beautiful, accessible, and unique escape for all
Follow The Kingdom A-Frame on Instagram
Book Your Stay at The Kingdom A-Frame
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Meet Damian Sheridan, founder of The Book Direct and Scale Rentals Shows — a couple of the leading events for short-term rental hosts and property managers interested in building their direct booking strategies.
Growing up, Damian wanted to be a professional footballer…but, he quickly learned that in addition to passion for the game, you needed the skill as well!
Years later while working at a travel agency, Damian developed an affinity for Search Engine Optimization — also known as SEO.
The idea that, with the right set of strategies and tactics, you could rank #1 on Google for a term like “best vacation rentals in Miami” fascinated him…and before too long he became something of an expert in SEO!
Tune in to hear the motivational story of how Damian parlayed his SEO skills into a full-time gig and what inspired him to build a collection of niche, in-person events for hosts and operators interested in growing their direct bookings.
Connect with Damian on LinkedIn
Learn More the Book Direct Show
Learn More about the Scale Rentals Show
Rate and Review this Episode on Apple Podcasts
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 29, 2022
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Meet Janice Smith, the creator of the Cozy Rock Cabin (@cozyrockcabin), a 750 square-foot cabin on 3 acres of wooded land in Freeport, Maine.
Janice has always had a knack for project management — and this skill has served her well as she led an ed-tech startup, launched her own video production agency, and brought not one, not two, but three cozy Airbnbs to life.
Now Janice has used instagram to promote all of her homes, but one in particular, the Cozy Rock Cabin, has become what some might call “insta-famous” having garnered over 70k followers.
Tune in to hear the moving story of why Janice wanted an Airbnb in Freeport, how she DM’d the creator of The Raven House — one of the OG insta-worthy cabins — and convinced him to help her develop the plans of her own cabin, and her theory on why Jimmy Kimmel follows the Cozy Rock Cabin on Instagram.
Book Your Stay at the Cozy Rock Cabin
Follow the Cozy Rock Cabin on Instagram
Rate and Review this Episode on Apple Podcasts
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 22, 2022
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
Meet Sara Roitman, the creator of Field and Lake, a new collective of boutique vacation rentals on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Sara is an attorney by trade and lives in Chicago with her beautiful family. A few years back, Sara and her husband had purchased a vacation home on Lake Michigan so that they could escape from the city with the kids for long weekends and a couple of weeks each summer.
When COVID hit, the home next door to their lake house became available…and, upon hearing this news, a bold idea began to form, and ultimately take residence, in Sara’s mind.
And that idea? Well, it was to buy this home, launch a hospitality brand, build a portfolio of beautiful yet casual escapes, oh — and leave her job!
Tune into the fun and inspiring story of how Sara ideated, planned out, and ultimately launched Field and Lake.
Follow Field and Lake on Instagram
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Meet Ethan Abitz — one of the OG Airbnb Instagram Influencers.
Ethan first started using Instagram in high school to promote an apparel line he started. This was when Instagram let you upload a photo and select from just a handful of filters before posting your shot — no stories, reels, etc.
In college, Ethan thought he wanted to work on Wall Street. He was interested in finance and investing and was always good at spotting opportunities.
But around this time, Ethan began to further explore his creative abilities — especially in the context of photography. And he soon realized that his love of capturing moments and telling the stories behind them outweighed whatever affinity he had for buying low, and selling high.
Tune in to hear the inspiring story of how Ethan pursued his love for adventure and photography and grew his following to hundreds of thousands across Instagram and TikTok.
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
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 15, 2022
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
Meet Spenser and Marcy Kernea, the creators of the Retreat at Fall Branch Falls, a pristinely crafted escape in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Spenser has always been a big dreamer. And while Marcy is fond of big ideas herself, she often has to counterbalance Spenser’s idealism with just a smidge of realism.
Spenser once had this grand idea of opening up an authentic Italian gelateria in Tennessee, and Marcy had to remind him that he didn’t know the first thing about making ice cream or running a restaurant!
So, after Spenser’s dream of becoming the Guy Fieri of gelato were tabled, he and Marcy began discussing a dream they both shared — and that was to be able to create welcoming spaces where people of all backgrounds might feel at home.
Tune in to hear the somewhat miraculous story of how Spenser and Marcy found the perfect piece of land, created a magical Airbnb on that land, and grew their Tiny Houses’ following to over 30k across Instagram and TikTok.
Book your stay at the Retreat at Falls Branch
Follow the Retreat at Falls Branch on Instagram
Follow the Retreat at Falls Branch on TikTok
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts (as in, Behind the Stays).
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 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
In just a moment you’ll meet Jamie Lane, Vice President of Research at AirDNA.
- How savvy STR hosts should be using pricing strategies to increase their occupancy rates
- How STR hosts should balance OTAs and the building of their own brands
- As well as his hot takes on the future of travel and hospitality
Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn
Stream Jamie's podcast, STR Data Lab
This episode of Behind the Stays is brought to you by our friends at Touch Stay.
Learn more about a plethora of other features they have, and start your free trail at touchstay.com/bts(as in, Behind the Stays).
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.