What company comes to an author’s mind after writing bestsellers about Starbucks, Zappos, Mercedes and Ritz-Carlton?  Airbnb! Joseph Michelli became highly interested in the company and authored a book "The Airbnb Way".  Joseph identifies the ways in which Airbnb engages with customers and builds brand loyalty.  He includes both the view from inside the company and the view from the individual hosts who provide hospitality to millions of travelers each year.

“The Airbnb Way” is a unique publication that is overdue - few businesses have been as disruptive as Airbnb and much of their positive impact has been under-reported. Debi Hertert met Joseph virtually in 2018 as Joseph began work on his book.  She introduced him to many highly experienced Airbnb hosts, some of whom are included in “The Airbnb Way”. 

Joseph reciprocated a year later, when the book was finished, by coming to Portland as the featured speaker at the Host2Host event “HostFest 2019”. In addition to being an author, Joseph is a TEDx speaker.  A hundred hosts got to enjoy his presentation, and you can get a sense of his thoughtful voice in this podcast interview that took place the day before the event.  Host2Host is a non-profit trade association based in Portland, Oregon.  It serves the short-term rental hosting community with a goal of speaking with one voice for the community of hosts.

Several hosts who are mentioned in the book also appear in HostingYourHome podcasts.   One of these is April Brenneman  who is featured in one of the very first episodes of the HostingYourHome podcast, "Josh's House in the Trees"

You can check out the links below, including one for a trip giveaway to San Francisco that is good through December 16, 2019

Joseph’s business website:  www.josephmichelli.com

Book contest through December 16, 2019:  This is a trip giveaway to San Francisco, no purchase necessary, at https://www.airbnbway.com

Host2Host "The Voice of the Host" short-term rental website:  Host2Host.org

Short Term Rental (STR) advocacy

Short Term Rental (STR) advocacy is difficult and time-consuming. But if you want STR regulation that is informed and fair, you need to work.  It's very easy for local government to spring into an over-regulated model, being saturated with negative news, so be proactive!  There is no single regulatory model that works for every municipality or jurisdiction, nor is there a single model that all STR hosts will embrace.  A city like Lake Oswego is completely different than a vacation destination resort area.

The "Social Model"

In his work in STR advocacy, Mark distinguishes between what he calls "social model" listings and "business model" listings.  He used this language to help commissioners understand:   He explained it as the difference between having the owner living in the home, earning money to offset taxes and maintenance, versus the owner being absent and expecting high returns.  Lake Oswego opposition to STRs had two big concerns.  First was the impact on long-term housing, and the potential for loud parties.  Mark was frank about not wanting to live next door to a house that had loud parties all the time.  He is also mindful that STRs, unchecked, can create financial incentives that would adversely impact long-term housing.  He told the City they could mitigate both of these problems  through his proposed requirement of having the owner live in the home.

The written word is important

The City planning bureau surveyed the entire City for their thoughts about short-term rentals. Surprisingly, a little over 50% of the responses were positive.  Mark notes the even higher approval from those who have used Airbnb in their travels.  I see this as a good sign.  It shows that as more people use the Airbnb model of travel, they become less fearful of it in their home towns.

All in all, the success Mark had in Lake Oswego, a wealthy and probably somewhat conservative city, shows that advocacy can work in what might seem like an unlikely place.  One of the most important tips Mark brought up for STR advocacy is the need to be able to clearly communicate your ideas in writing.  When he met with City officials he also left them with a document that explained his rationale and concerns. We will definitely follow his example and add this simple reinforcement when we meet with City officials.

See the actual regulations at www.lakeoswego.city/short-term-rentals

Mark is also a business coach and professional EOS implementer.  You can contact him at Mark@CoachRockwell.com

Debi Hertert of the Hosting Your Home podcast talks with FabStayz LGBTQ Listing Site founder Robert Geller, about his exciting, new STR platform. Robert has 10 years of experience with his gay travel company "Outings and Adventures".  Through his personal Airbnb hosting experience and Airbnb travel, he saw a real need for a travel platform that would be respectful and safe specifically for LGBTQ travelers.  He's inviting hosts to register, with the agreement that those hosts will be allies of LGBTQ travelers and make them feel welcome.  Robert listed some impressive statistics for the volume of LGBTQ travel that are included below in the show notes.

Robert expects the platform to be fully launched by June, 2019 in time for Gay Pride and the large amount of travel that goes with it.  Hosts are invited to register at FabStayz.com during the beta version. FabStayz has a process for incorporating  Airbnb listings into the FabStayz platform.  Hosts pay a subscription price to FabStayz to be listed and attract bookings.

2:00 -  6:00  Robert talks about his gay travel company startup that followed a corporate job layoff in 2008.  He started the company “Outings and Adventures” initially to offer activities for the LGBTQ community outside of a bar.  They did paddle boarding, kayaking, tree climbing, sushi cooking etc. It morphed into the travel company and now they do things like a riverboat bike tour on the Moselle river!.  He is also an Airbnb superhost and traveler.  With “air quotes”, Robert said the first “adventure” wasn’t very adventuresome.  It was attending the very first showing of the movie Sex in the City. He could only get 10 tickets, but those first 9 email addresses have grown into a travel company with 8,000 email addresses and 10,000 Facebook likes.

6:00 - 20:00 What was the origin of FabStayz? His experiences as a gay Airbnb host showed him the need for a hosting/traveling environment that is safe for both parties. His description of these experiences are compelling.  He saw an opportunity to elevate the experience of the guest and host for LGBTQ travel. He knows that many LGBTQ travelers wait with anxiety to learn how the host might respond to an exploratory email such as “my partner and I”...waiting and wondering and worrying. Robert doesn’t want this to be the way it is.  FabStayz is an LGBTQ brand, not a gay brand. Often a gay brand is hyper-sexualized, and FabStayz is not. Imagery, language etc on the platform speaks to everyone in the community, fun and uplifting. FabStayz is aligning with visitor bureaus and the LGBTQ chambers of commerce all over the country and are being well received.

20:00 - 25:00 An “Ally”  is defined on the FabStayz website as a person who helps this cause.  Debi mentions that crossing cultural gaps is difficult. Not everyone knows what to say or how to reach out.  She asked about an educational component. Robert also points out that this is an opportunity for hosts to differentiate themselves to market to this community.  He stated that LGBTQ travel accounts for $200 billion spent per year, 77% of the LGBTQ community have valid passports; and often travel to a Pride event outside their home community and stay an average of 4 days.

25:00 - 29:30 So how does FabStayz actually work?  Robert describes how in beta, people can go to FabStayz.com and register there.  The site hasn’t even launched yet but has support from the LGBTQ community of every ethnicity.  Every "acronym" and ethnicity is represented on his staff, helping making decisions.  What happens when you register? You are asked which platforms you are listed on, with Airbnb being the preferred platform to begin with. They discussed the possibility of direct bookings, as well as VRBO.   

29:30 -32:00  When are you going to launch?  Robert feels like they are just weeks away.  Beta 2 is even more beautiful than Beta 1. For sure, Robert wants his FabStayz LGBTQ listing site to be fully launched by June, 2019 which is Pride month.  It will be a great story to share around the world!

LINKS:

www.FabStayz.com

Debi Hertert talks with her friend and colleague Tyann Marcink about how Tyann got started in the vacation rental hospitality business, and the many hats that Tyann wears.  The two spoke in October, 2018 when Tyann participated in the Host2Host Vendor Fair in Portland, Oregon.  So listeners will find a wealth of information about vacation rentals, coming from a person who has now spent 10 years in the business and who teaches it in  bootcamp workshops.  Tyann is also the Community Ambassador for  the TouchStay Digital Guidebook product for short-term rentals.  Right after this interview, Tyann Marcink spoke at the international Vacation Rental Management Association on the Guest Experience, because it's a passion for her and she knows what she's talking about!  

1:45 Welcome Tyann!  – She talks about being from a large midwest family and says she began writing a historical romance novel about the family moving from Germany in 1860. One of her brothers just moved into the 1872 rock house built in Missouri – he’s the 6th generation of their family to live in the house!

How she got started, and how she copes

4:30 Tyann's hosting story starts in Branson, Missouri. Her aunt and uncle bought a small, 4BR house there to rent out, and did pretty well. Her parents saw the opportunity! They bought several houses there over a few years, selling their commercial real estate property to solely invest in vacation rentals. Tyann signed a contract to have a house built. She had her listing up with floor plans and photos from a model home. And four months (plus one newborn) later, the day it closed they had their first guest! It’s definitely a family affair: she and her family own 16 vacation rental houses and are building more.

8:30 Debi and Tyann talk about how Tyann manages her houses with all the other things she has going on in her life. The housekeeping business that she hires is the key, critical element because she lives a couple of hours away. She talks about the company, what they do, and answers Debi’s question about what it costs. She makes a special point of recognizing and remembering them. One of her housekeepers even makes sure the TV modes are set correctly. She sends him brownies.

Vetting guests,  security deposits, putting things in perspective

12:30 Vetting guests, security deposits, guest pictures.  She may surprise you, but she has years of experience.

15:00 The rare guests who didn’t work out…Tyann’s electronic lock sends her notifications of when the door is opened, and that helped trigger some alarm bells in her head, so she gave a heads up to her housekeeping company.  Cigarette and marijuana smoke inside the house, among other things.

20:00 So what happened when Tyann reported the cleaning costs to Airbnb?  Debi knows that Airbnb is increasingly supporting the guest, versus the host, even in some egregious situations. But Tyann still says that in 10 years, she’s only had to bill guests cards for damage twice, and the marijuana people. Because of this experience, she stopped taking same-day bookings, which is often an alarm for vacation rentals.

Tools of the trade

22:30 Using a Reservation Management System. Tyann avoids using Instant Book on more than one site to avoid double bookings. The Reservation Management System does update every 30 minutes. And she wishes she had used a system even way back when she had only a couple of properties – the system has automated emails that are personalized. There are many good companies providing these systems, with different prices. Tyann uses “Owner Reservations”. She recommends looking closely them to choose the best fit. This varies from a Channel Management System, which pushes out the rates to the various channels such as VRBO, Airbnb etc. These software systems do cost money, but she is a busy mom and business person and values her time.

29:00 So how does Tyann hold it all together? She manages 5 houses, is a professional photographer, has three teenagers, co-teaches the “VR Mastered” bootcamps, and is the Community Ambassador for TouchStay Digital Guidebook, a UK-based company that is now including community information in it's guidebooks. Tyann told Debi that in the case of The Little Elephant company, her line of room décor, she created the painted designs and taught a person how to do the painting, and that person now runs the little business for her. She and Alanna Schroeder of The Distinguished Guest have held three VR Mastered bootcamps. The sessions are 5 days long, only 25 people allowed, and it’s an intense 5 days of hospitality, newsletters, Facebook ads, Social Media, photography. Their participants have varied in experience from none to 10 years. Everyone learns at these camps.

TouchStay Digital Guidebook

35:00 TouchStay – Tyann went through the history of the product and described the company as super ethical, and has a great Digital Welcome Book. It’s completely web-based, don’t have to download an app. And after it’s set up, the guests love it and the host can easily print it out and bind it to keep in the rental space. Troubleshooting tips for the TV, coffee maker, good restaurants etc all go into the guidebook.

40:45 Ask for help when you need it! Form a team, don’t expect perfection, value the team. People remember how you make them feel, even if they don’t remember what you said.  Tyann spoke at the International Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) in Las Vegas in October, 2018, a week after this interview with Debi, along with Heather Bayer (Cottage Blogger), and Andy McNulty (Touchstay). The topic was the Guest Experience. The presentation was based on Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages, and practical ways to include all five when interacting with your guests. See the links at the end of the show notes if you want to see what your love languages are.

LINKS:

Tyann's links:

Love language quiz: tyannmarcink.com/love

Other links from the interview:

Andy McNulty, TouchStay Digital Guidebook:  touchstay.com

VR Mastered bootcamp workshops: vrmastered.com

Host2Host Portland Oregon:  host2host.org

Owner Reservations ("Owner Res") reservation management system: https://www.ownerreservations.com/

Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA): vrma.com

Heather Bayer, the Cottage Blogger: cottageblogger.com

Alanna Schroeder, The Distinguished Guest: thedistinguishedguest.com