Synta Keeling is an Airbnb superhost and lawyer living in Washington DC. Debi interviewed her two days after the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol.  Synta was previously interviewed in 2016 by the NPR podcast "Hidden Brain" for an #AirbnbWhileBlack episode that dealt with bias with Airbnb hosts and guests. Synta lives in the Capitol View neighborhood which is almost completely African-American. She is a black Filipino woman herself and has a lot of insight into fear that many people feel.

Synta explains that she bought her house and was facing a stigma of living on the poor side of the Anacostia river in  Washington, DC.  She couldn't find a roommate.  Some friends recommended Airbnb, with guests being from out of town who didn’t have the built in stigma about her neighborhood.

 Synta describes DC as majority-minority.  People would tell her that no tourists would want to be in her neighborhood because of its location. When Airbnb started to grow, hosts began to make a lot of money and more hosts wanted to join.  She sometimes hosted foreign guests who arrived with bias.  Most were wonderful, kind, and polite, but sometimes there were unfortunate incidents.

One of Synta's guests was a young man from Europe.  He was headed to somewhere in the south for a semester.  He was very opinionated about Americans, just off the get go, complaining and asking about American flags, guns, etc. Synta is a lawyer, so she is able to have educated discussions on an academic basis.  Her guest didn’t like her answer, a long discussion about the complicated cultural aspects of the US.  She always suggests that her guests take the Metro because it's faster than the bus, but this particular guest took the bus instead.  When he got home he looked like a ghost.  He said at one point the last of the white passengers had left the bus and it was all black except for him.  He was scared and alarmed that he might get hurt. He slowly realized they are just sitting there, they are not going to hurt me. By the time he got back to Synta's place he was clearly struggling with these feelings.

As a host of color, encounters like this are inevitable.  She emphasized that it’s no one’s job to teach us about bias and what to do, but she says if you take advantage of teachable moments, it can last a lifetime.  It comes up all the time when you’re hosting.  For some people it’s crushing to realize that they could fit into a racist mold.

Synta's Facebook group often addresses racist reviews and she often helps hosts deal with them.  One those Facebook friends got a review that  complained about a guy hanging around the yard.  It turns out that the guy "hanging around" was the host's husband, doing landscaping in their yard. The guest just hadn't met him yet.  

Another host had a couple of young women guests from France.  Synta says its normally hard to get police to come out to their area, but the cops will do all kinds of things for Airbnb guests.  The two women were trying to get directions to the hosts’ address and asked a cop.  He said "you do not want to be in that area at all".  The cop gave them a ride there.  And then the host had to deal with the guests feelings, being there at night, hearing what the cop said.  It turned out ok but the host offered to refund their money. The guests stayed but it was a rocky start.

The difference between hosting and a hotel, Synta explains, is that your home is very personal. You need to step back and think about what might impact the guest.  She makes sure people know where she lives, no restaurants nearby, all the potential problems so guests can make accurate decisions.  Debi added  that some hosts state on their listings what a guest will and won’t like about their listings.  Synta also uses Airbnb as a guest traveler.  She hates to read dense listings and suggests if you look at some hotel listings, they are less dense.  Use captions on the images!

 Synta said 3-4 years ago the US government liberalized rules for Chinese nationals.  All of the sudden, there was a giant tourism boom.  Coming from a part of the world that is homogeneous compared with the US, it's made more difficult that their exposure to black people is just from movies, mostly bad.  When guests arrive and see the host is black, there are cultural issues or opportunities.  And that’s what hosting allows us to address.

Debi and Synta discussed the Capitol insurrection, which happened on January 6, 2021, just two days before their interview.  She said that it’s been crazy.  She’s been to the Capitol building a lot says  and said the Capitol police do not play around.  She found it terrifying when there were three people in the line of succession in the building and for hours no one knew their status.  Synta hadn’t been hosting because of Covid, but also there was a lot of back and forth in the host community about not hosting because this particular rally was going to happen.  There was a lot of traffic about hotels not taking reservations, so they made Airbnb reservations. Debi added that Airbnb cancelled a lot of reservations. Synta said that because DC isn’t a state, you can’t bring the national guard, you have to wait for the federal government to act.  She lives 2 miles from the Armory, which was mobilizing. 

Debi asked  Synta about #AirbnbWhileBlack, and her interview with the NPR podcast Hidden Brain.   They began by messaging her about discrimination against guests, but Synta brought up  discrimination against hosts.   They picked up on this and came to her kitchen for an interview.  Synta told the story about a young woman Quirtina Crittenden  who wanted to travel on Airbnb but was getting rejected.  At her friends' suggestions, she changed her picture (she’s black) and shortened her name to her nickname Tina, and suffered no more rejections.  She tweeted out this experience with the hashtag  #AirbnbWhileBlack that went viral.  

 Synta told Debi about her own picture on her profile, and then about her brother’s.  He’s a host too, but appears more African American.  Synta is part Philipino.  She had a photo taken with the two of them together, like a family photo, to reduce the unfortunate reality of adverse impact to his bookings.  

At the end of their interview, Debi asked how she could be a better host, to be more aware of things I could do better.  Synta advised her: "when you get a booking, and you have a feeling, a gut reaction to decline, particularly if they are under-represented, ask yourself objective questions, whether you would react the same way if the guest is white.  And if you screen your guests, be sure to ask everyone the same questions."

LINKS:

Synta Keeling's Airbnb listing

Synta on Twitter and Instagram is @myneckofDC

NPR Hidden Brain podcast on bias, with Synta Keeling

Other interviews in the Hosting Your Home Under-represented host series:

K Rhea

C L Reed

Anthony Gannt

I want to give a shout-out to Feedspot, for inclusion  in their article titled: Top 15 Airbnb Podcasts

Thank you to Carla Chicarro of Lodgify for mentioning me in the post,  29 Women Who Are Making Waves in The Vacation Rental Industry

Thank you all so much for the recognition and the attention!  It makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile with this podcast, and with Host2Host. 

Debi

 

 

UPDATE!  July, 2021: Anthony just won a $100,000 entrepreneur award!

Anthony Gantt and the birth of At Ease Rentals:  Anthony is a smart Marine Corps officer  who saw an opportunity and jumped on it. He was changing duty stations (in military terms, “PCS” or permanent change of station) and when he turned in his reimbursement request, it was denied.  Why? He had stayed in an Airbnb instead of a hotel.  Anthony had made several PCSs before and never had a reimbursement be denied, and this really burned him up.  So he began the process of getting the rules changed.  We hope you will find this interview along with interviews with   Kevin Rhea and CL Reed to be educational. 

He began the paperbound process of changing government regulations and had a breakthrough.  After a surprising meeting with some government travel officials, he notified the military that he was going to work on a platform that would be an OTA (online travel agency, like Airbnb) for the military.  This platform would be one that meets all the various rules for military and civilian government travel.  It would allow federal travelers to stay in short term rentals if they so choose.  And the other side of the platform works by inviting vacation rental managers and individual STR hosts to list on the platform.  The result is his platform At Ease Rentals.

Debi asked him about new hosts on his platform, and about safe travel.  Anthony says that bookings are difficult for travelers of color.  Hosts would often reply that the dates were not available. Frustrating. And looking out of place in a given neighborhood, for example.  But of all the cities he’s traveled to, he finds Orlando to be the model for a good vacation rental experience.  He feels that it’s not so much about safe travel as just having to deal with prejudicial bias. Debi asked if Anthony knows about Airbnb’s changes such as not showing the picture until the reservation is made. She also made the point that it seems like no other OTAs besides Airbnb seem to address the issues of discrimination and bias, and while Airbnb hasn’t cracked the code altogether, they at least make earnest attempts to solve the problem.  

Anthony spoke about his four daughters, teaching them to be proud and that the only thing that can bring us down is divisiveness.  Anthony made the point that diversity just adds higher returns on the investments.

From his standpoint, Anthony sees us as Americans first, like I’m American, African descent. American, Italian descent etc.  He doesn’t really like the term like Black American.  American first. What can I do to be a contributing member of society? We need to be the beacon and the role model for the rest of the world.  

Debi asked, how can we make guests feel more comfortable?  Anthony's response:  You can’t fix stupid. If I told you no green eyed person could stay in this house on the lake, you’d be upset.  It’s like that. Everyone wants the same thing and be able to book a place without worrying about anything. Debi  brought up Krhea’s comment that it’s weird when people say they “don’t see color”.  Anthony said it would be like “I don’t see women.  I see everyone as a man”.  We just want to go to a booking platform and book.  

Debi mentioned her picture on her listing websites that says “all are welcome here, no matter your…..”  Anthony recommends to look at stock photo site PEXEL. Stock photos of everyone. His point is, use these pix of diverse people with your listing, which is a GREAT idea. 

Anthony  just got goosebumps.  Wanting to reach different travelers, he went to groups on Instagram - black people travel a lot. Anthony talks about spouses of military being 95% women; he looked at their Pinterest and came to a realization of how to market: PINTERIST!

Anthony talks about how hard he’s working on the company, and said he’s acting like it's one of the 20 hour deployments he knew of from previous military assignments, to work on At Ease while he's a full time marine.

Deb asked about the meaning of “walking when black”. His answer was that you have different concerns depending on the situation, like if you're in a mall, high end store, there are eyes that automatically come to you about shoplifting. Traveling while black, you can’t wear sweatshirt and hoodie, and at work while black, is it ok to let hair naturally grow out or is is non professional or not serious.  He went to a golf thing, one of the guys had an NBA mask, but none of them are basketball athletes, one of the ladies asked if they were from the NBA, even though most were not exactly athletic anymore...

Talking to his kids:  Anthony  tells them to be aware of what's going on.  If it’s negative, figure out how to get out of the situation.  The one thing that can protect you is education. You have to be aware of the situations you’re in.  Strive to be an American first, who happens to look like that.

LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/ATEASERentals/

At Ease Rentals

C L Reed is one of the many hosts of color and an entrepreneur who has expanded from her first room rental to now hosting her own 3 properties and co-hosting several other Airbnbs.  She shares with Debi how she initially got started via her daughter's prodding.  C L discovered that her home was exactly in the right spot for skydivers, and she has hosted skydivers from all over the world.  She found her niche and works it with professional skill!

C L expanded into Facebook, which is how Debi and C L met.  See the Links at the end of the show notes to join her Facebook groups.  She also published a book: "Short term rental success stories from the edge", also at the end of the show notes.

CL offers that as a Black host, she has not experienced overt prejudice.  Her photo is on her Airbnb profile and she believes that if a guest has any issues with her race, they would self-filter and simply not choose her listing.  When it comes to traveling, CL pointed out how vulnerable a woman traveling alone can be, and that women of any color must be diligent about their safety.  She gives several examples.  Add to that being of a minority race, the discussion expands into recognizing a basic inherent fear that Black people live with, of which White people are unaware.  We appreciate her woman's perspective which brings additional depth to the conversation.

Hear another Hosts of Color interview, this one with Kevin Rhea.

LINKS:

www.asuitecbnbs.com

(951) 599-8123  (PST) California, USA

Social Media:

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/ASUITEC/

  Pages:        https://www.facebook.com/groups/InlandEmpireSTR

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PSSTVRCOMMUNITYNETWORK

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/strhomesharehosts

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asuitecbnbs

Twitter:        https://twitter.com/aSuiteCollab

Tumblr:        https://tumblr.com/asuitecollaboration

Amazon:       Author, CL Reed – Short Term Rental Success Stories From The Edge

To Book A Suite Collaboration's Short Term Rental Listings:

www.asuitec-bnbs.com

www.ps-iluvubnb.com

www.airbnb.com/h/ps-memories

Debi Hertert of HostingYourHome interviews Kevin Rhea ("Krhea") of Portland, Oregon, a fellow member of Host2Host. Debi reached out to Krhea because he is one of the few hosts of color in the Portland area, and he is kind, candid, and willing to teach. Debi is starting this series on Hosts of Color to further her own and her listeners' understanding of the issues involved.

Krhea  claims title to being the proud father to a wonderful daughter, lucky husband to an incredible entrepreneur wife, cyclist and founder of Portland Velo Cycling Club, photographer, real estate investor and 20+yr resident of Portland, OR.

Krhea says his wife is an impassioned traveler who has used Airbnb and VRBO a lot.  In his previous career of performance shoe designer, Krhea traveled over 200,000 miles a year but always used hotels. A couple of years ago he and his wife visited a Seattle Airbnb and had a great experience.  She had been encouraging Krhea for some time to consider having an Airbnb in their home, and with some "negotiating" after the Seattle trip, they remodeled their basement and began hosting on Airbnb. They instantly had bookings in the Portland west hills.

Krhea describes his experiences with guests and  Airbnb.  As a host, he had no problems at all with any of his guests.  Part of that might be that he made a point of having a picture of himself and his (white) wife on the listing so that guests could decide if they accepted that or not. He made a point of shaking everyone's hand when they arrived.

He had nothing but great guests and connections with them as a host.  But he gives us a tiny glimpse of what it feels like to be a black man traveling. As a traveler, he describes having car trouble and traffic, and having to call their host along the way to explain their late arrival.  But despite the phone updates, upon arrival at midnight, he found himself unable to knock on their host's door, solely because of his color.

Even though they had perfect guests, Krhea and his wife stopped hosting.  Why?  Several blatantly racial incidents were reported in the press that made them wonder whether Airbnb was doing enough to protect under-represented guests from these situations.  His reaction was to withdraw altogether from the platform. Although Debi and Krhea didn't discuss the specifics, some high profile examples include a neighbor calling the police when a black traveler showed up at the Airbnb next door;  A host canceling a reservation with "One word says it all:  Asian"; and a research study  that found a complete difference when various last names were used in reservation requests. Airbnb has tried for years to eliminate discrimination but it is hugely complex.

Most hosts would likely be truthful in saying they are not racist, or feel racists.  We may view our hospitality as being excellent, but is it enough to just feel like we are being welcoming?   How many hosts have any idea of what goes through their guest's head when the guest has had a lifetime of bad experiences? We hope that this series "hosts of color" can be an opening for some hosts.

The goal of the Hosts of Color podcast series is to help teach those hosts who are receptive, and possibly to reach some hosts who don't yet understand.  Debi recognizes her own limited understanding of the universe of racial issues and is using these interviews to learn for herself.

LINKS:

Color of Change:  This is the largest online racial justice organization in the country. 

Airbnb's "Project Lighthouse" is trying to eliminate discrimination, working with multiple groups such as Color of Change, AACP and others.

Host2Host is the Oregon-based non-profit trade association "for hosts, by hosts".

Hosting Your Home is the website for the podcast about hosting with Airbnb.

 

We had an AWESOME photo shoot in Portland, Oregon directed by FabStayz founder Robert Geller, featuring airline flight attendant Danny Lee Cabrero as drag queen “Liquor Mini”, named after the little booze bottles on planes.

It could not have been more fun! Robert was working on a publicity campaign for FabStayz and wanted it to be fun and attention getting. It worked! Danny visited 10 locations dressed in flight attendant drag, and photographer Carlos Camarena caught it all. The greater Portland area, with its supportive trade organization Host2Host, is the principal launch city for FabStayz. The PR campaign is soon to be released!

Some highlights of the day:

Michelle Boyle’s Tiny House Village in Sherwood, where Danny was definitely larger than life.

Nectar, a friendly marijuana dispensary

Blue Star Donut shop in Multnomah Village, where Danny’s blue dress was a color match and the donuts were delicious

Danny doesn’t drink but still made a splash at the Sasquatch Brew Pub in Hillsdale

Olympia Provisions Melty & Meaty food truck at Pioneer Courthouse Square
Travel Portland’s Visitors Center
Powell’s City of Books - the largest independent bookstore in the World!
Sunset was at the eTukride at the end of the Tillikum bridge

FabStayz’ mission is serving LGBTQ travelers by connecting them with hosts whom Robert terms “Fab Allies”

All hosts list on his platform with the specific understanding of acceptance for all and fostering welcoming inclusive accommodations. FabStayz travelers know ahead of time that they do not need to explain or justify or do anything but enjoy being on vacation. When Debi asked Robert and Danny if they’ve ever been discriminated against during travels, Robert gave a nuanced answer that is helpful to understanding the issue. He also mentioned the site “Destination Pride” that gives travelers an acceptance measure of a city they are considering visiting.

As FabStayz continues to evolve

Watch for the addition of bed & breakfasts, inns and properties such amenities of spas and wedding facilities. Poised for continued growth FabStayz has been featured in over 40 articles, blog posts, tv podcast appearance.

Not to be missed is the FabStayz demo video starring drag flight attendants Danny aka Liquor Mini and Esme Russell filmed on location at Tampa International Airport. Totally campy and so much fun! The demo video features launch destination: greater Portland, Oregon.  You can also read about FabStayz press coverage.

Making your listing more inclusive:

Robert invites listeners to look at his listing and consider “stealing” his first few lines that include his pronouns (just tells prospective guests that you are aware of pronouns as an important issue) and include an image of a poster or welcome mat with accepting language. He correctly notes that most guests don’t read everything in our listings, so put it in as a picture!

Robert and Danny met each other through a “chance” discussion that Robert had with his hairdresser, and everything just clicked. In addition to Danny’s work as a flight attendant, in his fun but important side gig as “Liquor Mini”, he has helped raise over $500,000 for the Wings Foundation to support flight attendants in need. He is now also the Resort Director for Vacaya, an international LGBTQ travel agency that leases entire cruise ships and resorts. In that job Danny gets to show the world the charismatic leader he really is!

List of all links mentioned in the podcast:

FabStayz LGBTQ listing site
FabStayz 2019 podcast episode with Hosting Your Home
Host2Host, the Portland-centric STR non-profit trade association
Danny Lee Cabrero’s FaceBook page

Portland Photographer Carlos Camarena’s podcast episode with Hosting Your Home
Tiny House Village
Nectar dispensary
Blue Star Donuts in Multnomah Village
Sasquatch Brew Pub in Hillsdale
Olympia Provisions food truck
Travel Portland visitors center
Powell’s City of Books
Robert’s personal listing showing example of inclusive language
eTuk Tours
Destination Pride, the LGTBQ international rating guide
Wings Foundation
Vacaya, the LGTBQ travel extravaganza provider

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

 

Download Episode! Airbnb Hosts love what we do - the hospitality, meeting travelers, interacting with happy people, and showing off our places.  There are problems, ranging from rude guests, messes, animals, noise etc.  But physical safety isn't a common part of the experience. This episode addresses two incidents around the same time in Portland involving guns.  No one was physically hurt, but this is a good lesson about people who don't see guns as part of their world, and people who don't see the world without guns.   0:00 – 4:00 Introduction and discussion about the upcoming Host2Host.org Vendor Fair in Portland, October 20, 2018. 4:00-8:40 Dan Cohen has been a host for 2 years in the Laurelhurst neighborhood in Portland and instantly found he liked hosting.  Dan has two listings that are short-term rentals. He enjoys the communications with travelers and providing hospitality.  Wife Jacki, with Dan cater to people who are visiting children and grandchildren as well as those visiting Portland. They mostly get couples or single people. Dan is a co-host, helping out friends who want to be involved in short-term hosting but who don’t want to do the work. He takes care of 7 listings, managing the advertising and most of the cleaning. [At the time of the interview, Airbnb still had a specific co-hosting option.] 08:40 – 13:00 Dan finds a gun. Dan describes the situation he encountered while cleaning after a guest checked out. He and Jackie went in on a Saturday morning with their 6-year old daughter. After an hour or so, he noticed that something had been left on the nightstand. It turned out to be a gun in a holster. He has little experience with guns but wanted to disarm it. His daughter was still in the room on the couch. He removed the magazine and thought he’d disarmed it but didn’t know for sure. He went onto the Portland Area Facebook Site and posted a picture and asked for advice. He received instant response. Most responses said to contact the police. The guest who checked out was a woman and was a good guest (other than the gun) so he didn’t want to call and turn her in, but was just really concerned. After he called the police, he got an email from the guest saying that she’d left behind her gun. 13:00-17:00 Dan’s guest emails him about the gun: “I need to let you know that the nightstand by the bed contains my Celtic 32 pistol that I travel with for protection. It is loaded, with one in the chamber, it has no safety, so please be careful…I’m very sorry about this, we are almost home … I don’t think you can ship it, so I will need to come back and pick it up from you… I just remembered now or I would have called you earlier …if you can please keep it somewhere safe and I can arrange to pick it up next weekend, I would be grateful.” At this point, Dan began feeling angry because of her nonchalance. The police were on their way, and when the officer came in, he pulled back the sliding piece at the top and a bullet flew out. It was loaded even without the magazine. The officer seemed a little confused about what to do, and told Dan that he could either give the gun back to the owner or the police could do it. The officer then called the guest and spoke with her directly, and then took the gun and left, saying that the guest would come and pick it up from the police. 17:00-22:00 Dan emails his Airbnb guest. Debi and Dan discussed the response he got from the Portland Area Airbnb Host Facebook group. He was very impressed. Most were supportive, some argued for guns in support of the guest, but he began to feel more and more upset. He realized how dangerous the situation was. “Kathy – we are more upset and angry than you can imagine. We are not “inconvenienced”. We return forgotten items to our guests all the time. It’s part of our job. Yesterday morning, we all went into the studio together, Jacki and I and our 6-year old daughter. We were there an hour before I found your loaded gun. 24 hours later and I am still shaking. What if my daughter had found it? What if we were a statistic right now? Me dead, my wife dead, my daughter dead. Any combination of those things could have happened because of a scared, irresponsible, truly unforgivable gun owner who left a loaded gun behind with no safety, a bullet in the chamber, in reach of a child. Before you apologize for our inconvenience, please consider what you actually did. The risk you put us in, and the fear and dread we still feel…thank you for reading this, and I hope this wakes you up…. “I’m terribly sorry, it was irresponsible and I have never done that before. I am so glad to know you are all safe and definitely wanted you to know the second I had remembered. It definitely has been on my mind that not everyone has a comfort level with guns. My dad is a police officer and so my comfort level with them is different. I understand your side, and again I am terribly sorry.” 22:00-25:30 Dan’s recommendations: Debi and Dan continued discussing his feelings about this, and what he might do differently. He said the guest was an older woman, a real estate agent who might go into unsafe areas, lots of reasons to justify having the gun but no excuse to forget it where she did. He recommended that if anyone experiences this, they should not touch the gun if possible, call the police right away, and should ahead of time put it in their house rules disallowing weapons. Debi asked if it might make us less safe in some way? Dan still wants to put a house rule of no guns. And he thanked Debi for her work on Host2Host.org. 25:30-29:00 Another incident - Tamara Goldsmith: Debi wraps it up with Dan, but says that there was another incident about the same time, and begins a new interview, talking with Tamara Goldsmith, a Portland host and shop owner. Tamara renovated a church about 8 years ago to be her home, and converted part of the back to be an ADU in 2014. She and a friend wanted a big, odd place to renovate, and she and Debi discussed Tamara’s Airbnb, how far back off the street and quiet it is. She has one bedroom and can accommodate 4 people maximum. She has met lots and lots of travelers. 29:00-38:30 The cleaner had a gun pulled on her. Just a week after Dan's incident, she got a text from her housekeeper who said her employee got a gun pulled on her. It was a chaotic, confusing time and she tried to get back with her but couldn’t get through – she offered what support she could over text, but pieced together that her employee claimed she had a gun pulled on her and was not coming back. Tamara went over to the apartment, the guest was a young woman with her husband and sister and baby. It was the sister who pulled the gun and explained that the cleaner walked in on them. Tamara asked if they were aware it was 2 hours past checkout time, the guest wrongly thought they were checking out the next day, and Tamara showed them proof they were to check out today. Tamara said she’d help them pack up, the house was a wreck and the guest launched into the story in a defensive manner and that it wasn’t unusual in Texas for people to carry guns. Tamara tried to listen to both sides, and wrote to Airbnb the next day saying that the guest or guests’ sister should have a flag on their account for these actions. Airbnb responded with the policy “express permission must be stated before ever bringing a firearm into another person’s home”. The guest was out within an hour after helping them pack up. The Airbnb employee also recommended that Tamara also add “no weapons” in her house rules. Also Airbnb recommended the cleaners need to knock on the door loudly and announce loudly “Housekeeping”. Airbnb ended up terminating the guest’s account, and the guest contacted Tamara to ask if she could intervene. Tamara did think Airbnb's response was stronger than needed, as it was her sister’s actions, but it was Airbnb’s call. Tamara also told Debi that all of her cleaners are African Americans and told her that when you see a gun, you run. It really was humbling to Tamara.  Debi mentioned that Airbnb recently sponsored Implicit Bias training for Host2Host, but this goes so much beyond that. 38:30-43:36 What to do differently? Tamara now reminds guests that their checkout is in the next morning. She sends a note the night before and says hope you have had a great visit, and about checkout at 10:00. She also has housekeeping knock loudly and announce they are housekeeping, and addressing it in her house rules. Debi discussed the cultural differences between Portland and other areas that have more guns. Tamara also expressed her appreciation for the Portland Area Airbnb Host Facebook group for the discussions there when she needed support. 43:36 Debi’s final comments, including reading Airbnb’s rules about weapons. LINKS: Tamara's Airbnb listing:  https://abnb.me/EVmg/uzxl8Ba10N Tamara's shop:  http://reduxpdx.com Dan's listings and his co-host listings: The Studio: https://abnb.me/EVmg/xve1WOxkeK The Laurel: https://abnb.me/EVmg/WUpoPOc3iK The Laurelhurst: https://abnb.me/EVmg/VOR9Ncv3iK Co-Hosting The artFlat: https://abnb.me/EVmg/h1coTYf3iK The Oasis: https://abnb.me/EVmg/z20EzXj3iK The Nest: https://abnb.me/EVmg/1TVAfxm3iK The Daydream: https://abnb.me/EVmg/Tj2hKFo3iK

Download Episode! Kati and Brian Greene are two long-time travelers who produced an eBook of interviews with vacation rental industry “thinkers and do’ers”. Now, they have created a structured video course, teaching smart phone photography to vacation rental owners. There are good reasons to use professional photographers, but there are also good reasons to learn to take our own pictures to manage property updates and pictures of surrounding neighborhoods. Those pictures have to be good enough to blend in with the other professional pictures on our listings. And, it turns out, they can! 0-3:30 Debi describes how she met Kati and Brian, through a book interview. 3:30 – 9:00 The two are living in New Zealand but also Italy and France – they try to find longer term vacation rentals to base out of. They called themselves Superguests before Airbnb did, and are really into the guest experience. Their company, “overlooked2overbooked.com” provides photography training so that hosts can learn to do their own photography using cell phones. During their years of travel, they found that something like half of the sites they’ve considered staying in lacked good quality pictures. Sometimes they’d book a place on another continent and really wanted to see the photo quality match the quality offered in the written description. 9:00 – 12:45 Discussion of why hosts would want to learn these photography skills, in addition to using professional photography. Kati says is more about the photographer than the high-end camera tool. 12:45 – 16:45 Kati and Brian’s Course: Kati describes the content of the 3-hour video course, broken up in three parts. First is getting to know your phone camera, lighting, all the technical stuff, then walking through an Airbnb looking over Kati’s shoulder, then editing the pictures, selecting the right photos and how to sequence them. The videos are mostly 4-5 minutes, with the longest being 10 minutes. The course is $197. They have a second level, which includes phone consulting prior to the shoot, and Kati will edit up to 20 pictures because she knows that a lot of people might be uncertain about editing. 16:45 – 18:00 Brian discusses the value of learning these photography skills. One example is that you can also take good neighborhood photos, something you don’t usually get from your professional photographer, because it takes too much time. 18:00 Kati & Brian’s Book: They interviewed 28 people who they feel are resources in the industry – an hour of Skype interview boiled down after editing to 5 or 6 pages, which are the best 2 or 3 minutes of the hour. They plan on doing a podcast that will utilize the original full interviews. They interviewed Matt Landau, Heather Bayer, Wheelhouse, Andrew McConnell, Logify, Party Squasher, Erica Muller, and many others including lots of Airbnb experts. They asked a set of questions focused towards a hypothetical new owner. They didn’t want it to just be a list of companies. The book is being offered free on their website. 23:30 Brian noted that 70% of people don’t entertain the thought of hiring a professional photographer. But whether you use a pro or not, there is a value of learning to do this yourself, being true to your rental offering with pictures that are realistic and good quality. Most of the modern smart phones, whether iPhone or not are fine for taking solid pictures. They originally thought the course would focus on the actual details of the photograph, but have evolved to teaching about the emotional appeal of the pictures. In her wrapup, Debi laughs about not intending to do an info-mercial but found the course to be really useful and recommends it. (Debi has no financial connection with Kati and Brian) LINKS http://overlooked2overbooked.com/ And remember to check their free e-Book offer on the website

Download Episode! Kim Boaz is the owner of Back to Basics Bookkeeping in Portland, Oregon.  Debi Hertert from the podcast “Hosting Your Home” talks with Kim in this short, upbeat interview.  Many short-term rental owners who use Airbnb, VRBO, or their own website don’t consider their businesses to be large enough to warrant professional bookkeeping or CPA support.  Listeners who frequent Facebook groups such as the Portland Area Airbnb Hosts know that questions constantly arise about occupancy taxes, income taxes, which IRS schedule to use, what are legitimate expenses etc.  And people try to answer them as best they can, but if you are not sure about what you’re doing, a professional bookkeeper and CPA combination might be the answer.  Kim has 20 years of bookkeeping experience, and has five short-term rental clients at the moment.  She is also a business member of Host2Host, the nonprofit association with the goal of being “By Hosts, For Hosts”.   0:00-2:00 Debi introduces Kim, and then goes into a series of questions: 2:00

• Why would a host want a bookkeeper?

Kim:  To be compliant with the IRS and the State; become sure of how your business operates

• What kind of trouble could a host get into?

Kim: The most common problem is mixing business and personal income in the same account vs having a separate business account. And many people will report the gross income without including their expenses that would help them.

• How many Airbnb hosts do you take care of?

Kim: Five hosts now.  I’ve been doing Airbnb’s for 3-4 years, and have learned as we went along.  I have also worked with CPAs who are also learning their way along.  And, I have been learning hosts’ needs. 7:00

• What are some best practices?

Kim:  Keep accounts separate; keep receipts (don’t throw away that paper receipt); and use some sort of record keeping software, like QuickBooks.

• If you’re keeping digital records instead of paper records?

Kim:  There are lots of apps out there to use to scan in receipts. 9:00

• What about mileage?

Kim:  There is an app called “Mile IQ” that has a 14 day free trial and allows you to swipe left or right for business or personal as you begin a drive, and you get a monthly report.  Hosts can only deduct either Auto expenses or mileage; you can only report one, not both. 10:45

• Cost of QuickBooks?

Kim:  That has ranged a huge amount in the past five years, and currently has four different packages, from $20 - $60/month.  But as a client with a bookkeeper who has the software, you can pay wholesale by using their subscription as the base. 12:14

• What’s the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA?

Kim:  A bookkeeper does the daily duties, tracks all the receipts, and enters data into accounting software.  A  CPA takes the information from the bookkeeper and prepares the tax return.  There are some bookkeepers who are also Licensed Tax Preparers, but they don’t go through the more extensive training that CPAs do. 13:15:

• What would it cost someone to hire a bookkeeper?

Kim:  That also varies widely.  It depends on how many accounts a client has, and how many transactions each account has.  Typically, at the beginning there is a higher cost as the bookkeeper gets all the entries caught up for the year.

• What if you start out at the very beginning, with an Airbnb host who has just one listing? Ballpark?

Kim:  Getting them set up on QuickBooks might cost $250-$350.  That would be to organize and set up, implement the Chart of Accounts etc.  Then I give clients the option of the client doing the data entry, or me doing it, or some combination.  If a host feels like cash flow is an issue, I go through baby steps with the client. 16:42

• Have you dealt with any audits?

Kim:  Not as far as rentals are concerned, but I have been involved in other audits. If a client gets audited, their bookkeeper can join them.  The more organized you look, for example if you have a system, the more they will leave you alone. 17:15:

• Any horror stories to share?

Kim:  No horror stories, but I’ve seen everything!  I’ve been doing bookkeeping for 20 years.  The biggest challenges are clients who bring a giant tote of receipts and haven’t filed taxes in several years.  But I actually enjoy tackling these super-challenging problems. I work out a game plan with the client, set up the accounting software, all the steps needed to get back into compliance. 19:13

• You wrote articles for the Host2Host website, correct? And do you have anything else you’d like to share?

Kim:  Yes.  My biggest advice to hosts is to not be afraid to reach out to bookkeepers.  And, I created a non-profit called All Star Accounting Professionals – the association has all kinds of professional members. Hosts are welcome to reach out to me via email with questions. 20:35

• Thank you!!

  LINKS Kim’s articles on the Host2Host.org website (H2H.org members can read both articles, non-members just the summary):  https://host2host.org/Linked-Content Kim’s business:  www.backtobasicsbookkeeping.com Kim’s nonprofit professional association:  http://allstaraccountingprofessionals.com/

Download Episode! Matt Landau         To many hundreds of independent vacation rental owners and VR managers, Matt Landau is the guru of the vacation rental market.  He translated his remarkable experience in Panama into a valuable VR knowledge base that continues to expand within the large, virtual community that he has created.  Matt’s experience, his sense for kind and appreciative personal relations, and his drive for professionalism make him a natural leader for other VR entrepreneurs.  Matt talks with Debi about his background, creation of his VR community Inner Circle, and why he involved gang members in his vacation rental business.  It was a triumph of conversion from a severe, dangerous  humanitarian loss into a unique asset. Debi finds out how Matt found Costa Rica, Panama, New Orleans, how he got his start, what his mistakes have been.  Despite Matt’s experiences and position at the center of the Inner Circle, he is a humble, genuine person who earns people’s trust honestly. Debi Hertert encourages Matt to share some of his experience with her audience. The following show notes are a full transcript, with time markers. LINKS: Matt’s heartwarming article in VRMB about the gang conversion https://www.vrmb.com/hope/ Matt’s Vacation Rental Marketing Blog:  https://www.vrmb.com/ Sense of Place TV show (also can find via the VRMB.com site):  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=matt+landau+sense+of+place [00:45] Debi Hertert introduces the audience to Matt Landau, his “Inner Circle”, and his YouTube TV series “A Sense of Place”. [05:00] Finding Costa Rica:  Using Matt’s Inner Circle members’ questions, Debi asked Matt about the “back story” – how’d he get started?  Matt studied economics in school – but might not have been that enamored with the major.  He chanced upon a story about a University of Richmond graduate who moved to Costa Rica and started an online travel agency, Costa Rica Vacations.  Casey happened to be in Charlotte, VA when Matt called him, and agreed to meet.  He made a 6-month job available to Matt in Costa Rica in 2006.  Casey asked Matt to write a book for Costa Rica Vacations that would be informative for guests, and not be available from any other source.  Matt traveled around Costa Rica to see the various partners that Casey worked with and was jazzed with the experience of traveling in the country, staying sometimes at vacation rentals, sometimes hotels and immediately knew he loved the vacation industry. [09:00] – Finding Panama:  Everyone he met in that first six months encouraged Matt to check out Panama – coincidentally, Casey was at that time interested in possibly opening a branch of his travel agency in Panama, so they checked it out together.  Matt started a blog “The Panama Report” which was one of the first Travel and Investment blogs for Panama, and he found a taste for the life.  On that very same visit, he found the tiny historic district of Casco Viejo: Matt: “I met two gentlemen from Holland, Paulus and Eric who were running the only accommodations in all of Casco Viejo.  It was called ‘Los Cuatro Tulipanes’ (The Four Tulips).  And it was a revolutionary experience for me.  I went into it nervous and uncertain and curious not only about the rentals but the neighborhood.  And it just blew my mind and I decided that this was a neighborhood in which I wanted to live.   Almost within the next 6 months, a series of events happened that I could have never planned but that ended up setting me up for where I am today.  It was a combination of the travel agency that Casey was opening up doing really well, and needing to place people in the evolving historic district of Casco Viejo, and Paulus and Eric determining they were going to leave Panama for some reasons that are probably worth a separate day. And they said to me ‘we are going to shut this business down unless we can sell it to one person and that's you”. Debi: you had you had not spoken to them about it? Matt:  “Not at all. I was helping them a little bit with their marketing after I had stayed. I was living in Panama in the downtown area but I just felt like it was an alignment of stars. And I found a small handful of business partners who were already involved in the neighborhood and on the real estate side of things and others were coming from the United States and we put together a little team. And next thing you know we are running a vacation rental business in Panama.  It was the only place to stay in town and if you had come to Casco Viejo between 2009 and 2013 there was nowhere to stay but with us. We just learned everything on the fly. Fantastic and there was nobody to take our place.” [13:00] Birth of the Vacation Rental Marketing Blog: Debi: and then while you were there you started the vacation rental marketing blog? Matt:  “So that was a really hilarious pivot in all of this in that we learned everything on our own in very much the same way all our colleagues have. I felt like I had a really good notebook of information of stuff that worked because I keep copious notes and I structured it a little bit and made it into the form of an eBook. And it was essentially like the best ways to market your vacation rental business but I wasn't sure that vacation rentals were the right demographic to buy the eBook. So I made four.  I've actually never shared this.  I made four websites: HowToIncreaseHotelOccupancy.com; HowToIncreaseResortSales.com; Bed and BreakfastAdvertising.com and VacationRentalMarketingBlog.com.  One page on each website; the same book for sale on each website with a different title.  The same price. It was an ultimate control versus variable experiment. I pumped probably like 200 bucks worth of add words into that experiment. I was driving traffic from Google to these four sites to see which ones worked.  And one of them blew the others out of the water: Vacation Rental Marketing Blog.   I dropped all the others and I said okay I guess this means I should focus on the vacation rentals.” Debi: Holy cow! On my computer I have a file folder that says ‘The Vault’ Matt:  “Yes!  Those were the original documents; like How to Boost Occupancy. And I refer back to those fairly often to see if they’re still good or not, has the industry changed, and most of the advice was pretty solid”. Debi: Can I ask you how old you are?  (35) So you started this when you were 25 years old? Matt:  “Yeah – right out of college” I would say it's fearless but it's really what everybody in our industry does at the beginning.  It’s just winging it. Debi: Honestly, all the dominoes falling in the right place all the right people came. The universe just looked after you beautifully! Matt: “and I think that's true. A lot of people got into this business. If it wasn't an accident it was some bit of alignment of stars adversity whatever you want to call it that brought this opportunity in front of them and they ran with it.” [15:30] “The Inner Circle” Debi: So what was your thinking when you started the Inner Circle? What was your goal then, and how do you see that you might have met or not met that? Matt:  “Well, before the Inner Circle I was creating one-off Learning Materials eBooks video courses, guides, things like that and I realized that I was putting myself at a bit of a disadvantage because even if someone absolutely loved my work and purchased the book or the video course or whatever, I needed to go and create more in order to sell to them and that was like a bit of a spinning wheel. So I decided to pivot the business model instead of selling one-off learning materials to build a small fee, monthly membership Community where you would have access to all the learning materials that are created on a regular basis but also get this community element that has that's kind of proven to be so unique.” Debi: Have you been in a community like that before? (No) So you really didn't know whether or not it was going to go. Matt:  “Virtually speaking, no. But guess where I was? Physically located in a community called Casco Viejo that was developing from scratch. We were solving our own trash problems, crime problems, we were dealing with like every type of neighborhood building challenge you can imagine.  And I all the sudden start seeing all these overlaps.  Like wait a minute, this is how we do it in real life, why shouldn't that work virtually? And what we have now I think in the Inner Circle is a very tight-knit Community. People who stand for the same thing but who happen to be located everywhere throughout the world. It's a cool thing to compare real life community building and virtual community building. It's a private community, so that kind of immediately rules out anyone who's not serious. The fact that you have to pay means that you will need to be committed to learning. It's one part learning materials, eBooks, courses, workshops. One part open forum - ask questions and get answers from people who have been through it before. And the Inner Circle membership also includes real life meetups. Last year we hosted 26. And you attended one yesterday and those are a chance to bring the virtual sides of our lives down to earth and actually meet each other in person and learn. That’s the value proposition but in general it's owners and managers who are serious and who want to grow.  And it's a very small minority of the general vacation rental population but we're okay with that.” Debi: You also have grown immensely in the last few years. How many members are there now? Matt: “842 - not that anyone's counting” [ [18:45] From Gangs to Esperanza (Hope):  Debi:  Rick Oster wants to know why you started the charity with the gang members? Matt:  “Necessity. This neighborhood that I had fallen in love with had a very serious problem which was prohibiting me and others from contributing, and that was gang violence.  And we had specifically 4.5 almost five street gangs who were constantly at one another and that made walking to the grocery store in the morning a bit of a challenge.  It also made running a hospitality business a little daunting. I wasn't even comfortable with guests walking to certain areas for fear that they would get robbed. So the first, real reason that we put together the program was safety. That's the number one thing about any community. If it's not safe nothing else can happen.” Debi: And did that ever happen? Did anyone get robbed? Matt: “Yes, on a regular basis. In the early days we had a map and we would draw very clearly where it was okay to walk and where was not okay to walk.  And of course, the adventuresome traveler who doesn't like to listen to instructions would venture off the beaten path and almost like clockwork get robbed. It was never a violent crime it was almost always petty stuff. But we had plenty of gunshots. The specific impetus for Esperanza was when we lost a little neighbor of ours named Kevin, who was eight, on the block right outside Tulipanes. I would say that was the breaking point.  We realized this is something needs to be done and no one else is going to solve this problem.  I also had the wonderful guidance of another mentor whose name is also KC, who had a vision. And that was to not only demobilize these gangs but to give their members a real opportunity to participate in the community. And that was something so fascinating to me it was almost beyond my comprehension. But I knew where I could be helpful. I knew how to mobilize the neighbors, all of whom were ready to be helpful. Again, ‘Community 101’. And once the program picked up steam it was almost just this epiphany of realizing that we could take a problem and actually make it part of a solution. And that ended up benefiting everybody in the neighborhood to the point that the very same gang members that were robbing my guests in the early days were at this point offering walking tours to the same tourists and being featured in Travel, and Leisure, and GQ, adding value to the community where they were formerly taking it away. It got started out of pure necessity but picked up momentum because of hope. And I think those are probably the two little factors that start most of these revolutions that are happening in neighborhoods around the world.” [listeners/readers – please do yourselves a favor and follow the link at the end of these show notes] Debi: So where do you see yourself going now? Matt: “San Francisco…my mom is going to receive an award and my whole family is going to celebrate that with her. But what I always like to say is that I know I'm not exactly sure where this is all going but I do know that I'm doing it with the right people. 23:30 New Orleans: Debi: And you're in your next phase, you’ve sold Los Tulipanos and you’re now living in New Orleans.  You’re renting so you're not quite settled Matt:  “Home base will be New Orleans and people ask why I chose New Orleans.  One, because I like the idea of spending some time in the States after almost 12 years living in Panama. Two, I wanted warm weather. I'm big on that. I’ve spent plenty of cold winter months in New Jersey. And, I wanted to be central to where most of my travel and my colleagues are located which is North America. And in some cases South America and perhaps most importantly I wanted to be somewhere with character. Which New Orleans has. That's my home base for the moment and I'll keep going back there in between my trips and I'll begin you know writing my address on Decatur Street on forms and things like that. I have a license plate. So I guess that qualifies as a home for the moment but I'm not sure where I'm going. I do know that I'm doing it with a lot of people that I admire.” [24:30] A Sense of Place Internet TV Show: Debi: Well in your phase includes the TV show or, would you call it a TV show? Matt: “Jessica Mosel just said it's an Internet TV show. It's a travel show that features vacation rentals.” Debi: And you got your blog still and you got your podcast that you say you’re reviving and the Inner Circle. So do you have to have plans for the Inner Circle?  I mean what I'm seeing you do is kind of pull all of this together into kind of one overarching support activity. Matt:  “The inner circle is certainly critical to my livelihood because it's where I generate dollars like that's my salary income. The other stuff tends to be a way to ultimately get someone to join the Inner Circle even though maybe only a small percentage of the people actually will.  But there's a general direction through the podcast through the blog through the show after most of the events that I like to support like this one where we are right now, the Vacation Rental Success Summit. To get my brand out there and my brand is primarily education and empowering these owners and managers with all the right tools and resources to do their own great work. And I believe that that kind of positive energy that style of help don't sell marketing will ultimately trickle back so we are indeed looking to grow the Inner Circle but slowly and surely and I think that's a nice recipe. You’re very much of a founding member there and people think I exaggerate but I consider all of my inner circle colleagues very much my mentors and my friends and we all bring to this community something so different from our former lives. And they were all looking to improve and grow.” 27:00 So what about Airbnb?   Debi: It’s just so charming to watch you grow! I remember not too long ago you were like really down on Airbnb, you didn't think Airbnb was ever going to make it or be a presence in this industry. What do you think now? Matt:  “They most certainly are I'll tell you that much if you close your ears off to reality you don't grow one bit that's for sure. That's a survival tactic!” Debi: So you’ve now stayed in Airbnb’s? (Many) Okay and so what do you think? Matt: “I think Airbnb is probably the most important thing to happen to this industry. I say this industry because they are very much synonymous with what we do. The gentleman in the lobby of this hotel asked ‘are you here for the Airbnb thing?’ (Oh dear) Of course I didn't correct him, I know exactly what he was talking about and that represents the general public.  Airbnb is synonymous with short-term rentals. I think that that kind of awareness is incredible.  I mean you could not have asked for a better explosion in this movement. That being said, I think with that comes a whole lot of responsibilities that Airbnb is still trying to figure out. And I also constantly go back to this question what is best for the greater vacation rental industry. And sometimes it will frustrate an independent owner because they don't think that we’re actually including them personally, but it also goes for Airbnb.  And when decisions are made that impact the greater industry, one bad apple in an Airbnb could affect a greater population. And I think there are plenty of challenges that come with that role in the community. It's changed a whole lot of people's lives. I think there's a huge gamut of players in the Airbnb ecosystem there's people that are as professional as any of the other vacation rental owners and managers we have here. I stayed in an Airbnb in Amsterdam two weeks ago that was one of the worst hospitality experiences of my life and it was 500 bucks a night. So I think again not unlike the greater industry, plenty of room for improvement but what you can't ignore is the scope of their role in all of this. And people like you, who just adopted the role of community leader and with the help of Airbnb, very much using it almost to get on the shoulders of giants in a way. I think that's a pretty amazing thing.  And really fun watching you go through that process. And I will just add this: I have also got to watch everyone in our community grow too. This is a relatively new industry only been around for 10 or 15 years. Some of us for more but the majority of us have started within that time. And I've had the pleasure of watching them become incredible vacation rental professionals just in the past five ten years. I think that's a really cool thing about our industry we've all got to watch one another grow and evolve and those of us that are still here doing something right.” Debi: And you know the home share [hosts] that I connect with, a lot of them don't really feel like they're part of the vacation rental industry.  They think ‘I'm just retired sharing this room.’  [They often deliver great hospitality, but] they don't really identify with the industry aspect. Matt: “I'm pretty sure they will because I believe the moment you're accepting someone's hard-earned dollars that could otherwise be spent at a local hotel, you’re accepting that you are entering the hospitality industry.  And if you don't, recognize that you're leaving open a lot of room for issues.  This place I stayed in Amsterdam it was a two-bedroom place. We had three people staying there, two people in one bedroom and me in the other and there was only two towels. There was hair in the bathroom and we weren't allowed to check in until 7 in the evening. It was not a lovely experience by any means and I knew that this person didn't necessarily do it as a business more so as a hobby. For that reason I get it. But I do think that if the greater industry again is to involve, every single stakeholder needs to understand that this is indeed a Hospitality business. If you feel like doing someone a favor or doing a little side gig do it on the side don't call yourself a professional vacation rental host, because you’re not. 31:30 Have you ever failed? Matt:  “Oh yeah I feel pretty much every day.” Debi: What is the is one of your biggest failures? Matt: I think I made a pretty sincere failure when I started and I entered with a partner who I was very much simply friends with at the time. We went to the same University. And we had our roles and responsibilities; I was more in charge of the marketing and the sales and branding. He was more in charge of the accounting and the operations side of the business but we never actually clarified it. We never actually wrote it out. Which seemed just like a silly formality”. Debi:  It sounds like a marriage. Matt:  “It was.  And we got divorced. If I had done that all over again I probably would have established roles and responsibilities up front. As well as a timeline just so that the communication was crystal clear. And it wasn't that one another's character or values or anything was being compromised but it became a relationship that wasn't working. In hindsight, I don't think necessarily it could have saved it or made it any different but it would have made it certainly clear and we would have had one less variable to worry about. So now when I go into any kind of partnership, I decide to be very upfront about who's doing what and sometimes it feels weird like even if it's a super close friend or someone at work with for many years. It feels strange to sit down and say you're responsible for this and that's so many hours and if you go over this hours you responsible for this.” Debi: And that's what makes you a good leader too because you know where your boundaries are. Matt:  “And I've seen plenty of spouses and couples in this industry learn this one too. And I'm not married nor am I engaged, don't even have a girlfriend but I hear that relationships are best when there's great communication.” 33:50 “Help, don’t sell” Debi:  Okay, I have a question for you here.  It’s from Terry from the Inner Circle. Where does your penchant come from to help people where you're nurturing nature comes from by continually putting people in a position to succeed? Which you do over and over well. He's a sweetheart. Matt: “He is a sweetheart” Debi: But you do help people. The whole ‘help don't sell’, recognizing people in their success mode, where does that come from? Matt:  “Probably the general generosity comes from my parents. My dad is probably the most generous person that I know. He never ever looks out for himself always someone else first. But I also think it's the path of least resistance when it comes to business. ‘Help, don’t sell’ and generosity in your marketing when it comes to business is the path of least resistance. And it's the most enjoyable path because no longer are you going against anything, trying to break down anything, trying to win over somebody. Rather it's a very passive style you're putting out there helpful things. Most of us have this helpful information within us already so it's merely the act of documenting it and distributing it. And being incredibly open about all of that and just giving it away. What ends up happening is it becomes almost addictive because you've got this momentum about your work and the most grateful people or the people who resonate with that bubble up to the top. And they say ‘you know like that I think I'd like to align myself with this business’. And that goes for all of our business vacation rentals. It is a great example, if you're giving away tons of helpful information about your area and not really caring whether or not the person takes it and runs off and does it on their own at your competitors vacation rentals on the street or not. It's less stress. It’s just like feel free to take this and run if what I'm saying resonates I'd love to speak with you further. It's just more lovely and I think that that common denominator of generosity of giving instead of trying to take. Like they say, all of philanthropy gives you back much more in spades.” 36:30 Vacation rental owners/managers as leaders:  Debi: Thank you so much for doing this with me. Is there anything else that you’d like people to know about you, about your business? Matt:  “Thanks for having me! But I know for a fact that I went through this process the exact same way that all of us have. And I may have been fortunate to stumble into a neighborhood that happened to be evolving, and I happened to have the opportunity again to find vacation rentals in a country that was exploding and these are all convenient factors. But at the end of the day the people who make up this vacation rental movement are all leaders. And I think recognizing that I try to remind people that all the time. The fact that you are very much a Pioneer in this industry, you represent the very cutting-edge, you are the Trailblazers of what has happened in the history here recognizing that and taking on that leader role that you so deserve. And that sometimes means helping others, sometimes means stepping up and taking risks. Whatever that means to you I think we all have it inside of us. I was very humbled just to be sitting here with you sharing my story. I feel a little bit awkward, because you could be interviewing one of the 250 people out there [at the VRSS conference] they all inside of them have a very similar Journey. I think the magic right now is about recognizing that. We have a number of Inner Circle members who are presenting at this conference, hosting panels, who are sharing their wisdom. I even if you go home and you're sharing your advice with other local competitors I think that is something that is truly special and I think it's what makes vacation rentals different from everything else.” Debi: Thank you Matt Landau. Matt: “Thank you Debi Hertert!”

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LINKS: Matt’s heartwarming article in VRMB about the gang conversion https://www.vrmb.com/hope/ Matt’s Vacation Rental Marketing Blog:  https://www.vrmb.com/ Sense of Place TV show (also can find via the VRMB.com site):  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=matt+landau+sense+of+place    

Download Episode! Mark Sheel is a Google Android developer and Airbnb host in Colorado.  He has long used Meetup.com to organize his large developer group in Denver, and leveraged that experience to create a 500-member   Colorado Airbnb Hosts Meetup. Debi and Mark have been exchanging info and tips for the past couple of years.  Colorado is an exceedingly desirable tourist destination, so it’s no wonder that there is a high interest in Mark’s group in Denver.  This discussion can provide listeners with some ideas of how they might organize groups in their own areas.  The show notes cover much of the conversation.  Airbnb, if you’re reading, Mark wants you to listen to the very end (57:30) or check the show notes to learn Mark’s pet peeve about your calendar software! Links are included at the end of the show notes. 0:00 Debi updates us about Host2Host the Oregon trade association by hosts, for hosts. 3:00 Debi talks about how she and Mark met, and introduces Mark. 4:30 How Mark got started renting on Airbnb and progressed to own two ski condos that he rents out, plus occasional rental of his home in Denver. 13:22 Mark talks about his real profession as a Google Android developer and creating a 600-person meetup group in Denver.  He then goes into starting the Airbnb Meetup group.  He remembers being at the Airbnb Open in San Francisco in 2014.   He was presenting at another conference with Android work, and took advantage of being there.  He said he was blown away with the hospitality of Airbnb and its employees.  So the next year, he attended the Paris Airbnb open and had such a great time there, he realized you couldn’t  explain to people who weren’t there just how fabulous it was.  He traded snowboarding tips with a host from the Middle East, who in turn shared camel riding tips with Mark! 16:50 On his way back home from Paris, Mark found himself a little melancholy over the prospect of not having any more contact with other Airbnb hosts for an entire year until the next Open, so he decided to create a local group.  So – this begs the same question that happened to Debi the year before:  how to reach other hosts when the Airbnb platform blocks it?  This was November 2015.  He was the only attendee at his first Meetup, and the next month he had three.  Now they have over 500 members.  He did have a stroke of luck, in that just then, Airbnb had scheduled a marketing event to recruit more hosts but a blizzard prevented the Airbnb employees from getting to Denver.  Airbnb somehow found Mark and asked him if he’d take over MC’ing the event at a bar they had already rented, and of course he said “Yes”!  Airbnb sent out emails to existing hosts and invited them to come to the bar to meet with Mark and the first drink would be on Airbnb.  Ever since, they’ve had good attendance.  Mark sends out a monthly newsletter with pretty good info about local and even international info. 20:00  Debi asked Mark what his membership requirements are, and he told her that anyone can join, and now he’s getting people to join from outside of Denver,  probably for access to the newsletter and info in it.  He does not have a Facebook account.  He said that he finds leading the Airbnb Meetup to be so easy compared to his Google Meetups, because they can just talk.  He just finds a venue, tells people they can have one free drink, and then the attendees can just mingle and talk.  They do have some curated events and have had some very good speakers, covering taxes, legislation, bedbug-sniffing dogs, etc. 22:00 The site Denver.gov/STR is the repository for Denver short-term rental rules.  Basically, you can only do short-term rental of your house if it’s your primary residence.  You have to be licensed and include the permit number in your listing.  Each host has to collect occupancy tax and two other taxes.  All the hosts there are not opposed to the tax, but they want the City and Airbnb to work out tax collection to be done by Airbnb, so the hosts don’t have to do it.  Denver also allows the host to rent their entire house, part time.  Mark talked about a small part of Denver called Glendale that doesn’t currently have rules about short term rentals. 27:30 Debi asked Mark about an interview in the New York Times that he appeared in.  Mark was contacted by Katie Benner, a reporter for the Times who at the time lived in San Francisco covering Apple and startups in Silicon Valley.  She reached out to Mark in part because of the Colorado Airbnb Hosts Meetup Group.  He laughs about having several hours of interviews with Katie that was reduced to only three sentences in the final article.  During the interview, Mark encouraged Katie to contact Jill Bishop, another Denver host who has lots of great stories and was involved back in 2008 when Denver played an important role for Airbnb.  That was the same time as the Democratic National Convention.  Ultimately, Jill ended up hosting Katie at her home and there ended up being a great article in the Sunday New York Times. Mark knew the article was going to be printed on June 17, 2017 on Father’s Day and tells a cute story about the article and his dad. 32:00 Debi asked if Airbnb gave Mark any recognition over it and he said just some individual employees that he knows did reach out to him.  He said Airbnb supports him when they need something, but not so much in a financial way and he doesn’t really need anything from them.  He thinks that Airbnb’s “Host Clubs” sort of compete with other groups like his and he’s happy that his Meetup pays for itself.  He finds the hardest thing is to find the venues – he knows that the best thing is to have a regular meeting day, like the first Monday of the month, but that just doesn’t work for his travel schedule.  He tries to schedule them 6 weeks ahead. 36:30 So now he uses the same venue, Blake Street Vault, which he began using with his Google group, and the venue likes that he brings in 30 or 40 people on a slow Monday or Tuesday, and all of them have at least one drink (which the sponsors pay for) and a lot of them have food.  Their latest sponsor is “Noise Aware” which makes a product that monitors noise level, without invading guest privacy.  He reached out to this vendor through their website. Sponsors: Mark tries to add photos to each Meetup for interest [ed note: the photographs are private to the meetup, for members’ privacy].  He has a process to onboard new sponsors, where his group tries out the product first, and if they approve of it, they invite the sponsor to give a talk that’s 80% hosting advice and maybe a slide or two at the end that is about their product.  Noise Aware got back to Mark immediately and is now one of their newest sponsors.  Other sponsors include Slice, a Home Sharing insurance company;  Wheelhouse, a dynamic pricing company; Notion, a Denver-based startup making home sensors; LockState, a Denver-based smart lock company;  and Properly, the San Francisco-based company that produces software for managing operations such as cleaning. He really feels strongly about helping the sponsor’s businesses because the hosts end up having better tools. Debi wondered if the sponsors are able to get feedback from hosts – Mark has a private Slack group of 50 members and uses that group to validate products and has provided useful feedback to the vendors.  Slice has been a great vendor and was one of their first sponsors.   They have had some products that didn’t work out.  They don’t use Facebook. 44:00 What does Mark get out of the Meetup?  He describes the level of support and warm feelings that come out of the group.  He says their primary engagement of hosts is at the Meetup face-to-face meetings, and then outside of the in-person meetings there is a limited amount of discussion on Meetup, but 90% of the online conversations are on Slack.  He said there is a constant influx of new members.  He is really excited at how well Denver is growing and thriving.  He considers himself mostly as a matchmaker at the meetings and tries to direct the person to the expert that he knows will have the answer. 49:30 The two begin talking about expanding the Meetup into other areas outside of Denver.  He’s mindful of his time commitment, and can’t put a lot more time into it.  He gives a good rundown of how much time the Meetups take each month, and notes that he really enjoys that time spent. He knows there will be a payback eventually in the form of an answer or help when he might have a critical issue that he doesn’t know how to solve. 53:30 What is Mark passionate about in the Airbnb space?  Airbnb Opens! He recommends everyone attend if another Open is in our future.  He’s also passionate about smart homes.  In his properties he has Google Nest thermostats, Google Home devices (some of his properties use those to turn the lights on and off, music etc).  He uses smart locks and set them to the last four digits of the guest cell number.  He uses Nexia as his lock provider, and the underlying lock is Schlage.  (and he writes his own software for setting the codes).  He uses Nest video cameras for his driveways and feels that these cameras have been very helpful in assisting good guest compliance with some house rules. 57:30 What Mark finds most annoying about Airbnb software?  #1 Pet Peeve:  in the calendar, if he has a five-day minimum stay rule, and if there are two days between stays, in the host view, it shows those days as available; but they’re not available, by rule.  He wants the calendar to show the host the days that are not available if they are not available by rule – and then he wants to be able to easily convert them to be available without going through an elaborate configuration. 59:30 Debi wraps up the conversation. LINKS: Sponsors: Noiseaware:  https://noiseaware.io Lockstate:  https://www.remotelock.com/ Wheelhouse:  https://www.usewheelhouse.com/ Slice Insurance:  https://www.slice.is/ Proper Insurance:  https://www.proper.insure/ Mark's Listings, Meetup info, and NY Times article: vailspot.com airbnb.com/rooms/805030 (vail original) airbnb.com/rooms/14155149 (vail new) airbnb.com/rooms/9512789 (denver) meetup.com/colorado-airbnb-hosts meetup.com/gdg-denver  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/17/technology/airbnbs-hosts-professional-hotels.html

Here is a fun, short talk from just Debi, about the new Host2Host association.  It is a natural outgrowth of the Portland, Oregon community of hosts and the result of three years of community building through the 41 monthly Meetups Debi has organized, and the great success of the Portland Area Hosts Facebook group.  Debi mentions in her talk that Portland has been told by Airbnb that we have the highest per-capita ratio of Superhosts in the world.  It certainly could be that our community, which tries harder to support than compete, is better for all the communication and has learned to be even better hosts. Moving to a non-profit trade association allows us to afford a website and some other recurring costs, and do an even better job serving the educational and business connection needs of our community. A complete transcript is below, followed by some web links.  If they don't show in your podcast show notes, please go to hostingyourhome.com and read them there!

Transcript 

[0:34] Welcome to Hosting Your Home, this is Debi. Thanks for being here. Our podcasts are usually about hosting experiences.  I love to interview local hosts (and host from all over the world) about their experiences and to help tell their stories. This week is a little different.   This week you've just got me.  I want to tell you about our new nonprofit organization called Host2Host.  [1:04] You may know a little bit about me; I'm going to tell you a little bit more so that you’ll get the full scope of what we're doing here. My background:   my husband and I have some vacation rentals on the Oregon coast, which I have been managing since 2009, as an ‘accidental’ vacation rental manager.  I didn't know what I was doing and was very hungry for information and connection. I found Matt Landau’s Vacation Rental Marketing Group, and learned a lot from the Inner Circle there.  At some point (I believe it's 2014) Airbnb came to Portland [and Portland began allowing short term rentals as a permitted activity, for the first time]; I had already been renting on Airbnb  since 2010, so I was pretty familiar with the platform and their rental philosophy. After the wonderful exposure with Matt’s group and the Inner Circle, I wanted to connect more with our local hosts.  As a result, I created a Meetup Group [through Meetup.com]  This was in 2014 and the Meetup group has since flourished. 300 members at the date of this podcast.  At some point we decided to create a Portland Area Host Facebook group, and that group has just gone gangbusters, with 910 members at this date]  [2:40] I have always wanted to have a little conference here in Portland and after I started the podcast, I was interviewing some of our local hosts, I started asking them questions like:  “What do you think?  Do you think we could have a conference here? Do you think the people would like it? Do you think that we have the skills and the wisdom here to be able to share who we are and what we do?   Before I knew it, we were organizing a fantastic conference that happened in April 2017.  We were blessed with about 15 core committee organizers who have become fixtures in all of our development after the conference. The public response was overwhelmingly positive with around 140 attendees.  We had educational breakout sessions and some fantastic speakers, keynotes and vendor support.  It was just really, really, really fabulous.  After the conference that it was obvious to us that our community wanted more. We started talking about how we could deliver, and if we could deliver.  We reorganized the Host2Host Conference to support a Host2Host nonprofit membership group. [trade association]  [3:56]  Next month on February 12, 2018 we're going to be rolling out our full offering of Host2Host support services and membership to our local community and to the world at large.  I want to tell you a little bit about what we have planned for that:

•  We will have will have the education piece.  You know that's really important to me, that's what I do and that's what I love.
•  We will continue with having conferences and vendor fairs, classes, and meetups. Since 2014, we have hosted 41 monthly meetups!
•  We will be having workshops.

 Our membership consists of  people who have come to this business from all kinds of backgrounds.  We've got professional photographers and lawyers and event planners. You name it, we've got it all. It's very cool to see these people coming forward to share what they know and help us organize into a group that helps to support our community.    Our “Members Only” section will offer a variety of informational articles, such as:

•  The importance of Photography
•  Why Hire a Bookkeeper.
•  Service Animals.
•  Anatomy of a Lawsuit (oh my goodness!) and
•  Insurance

  There are going to be many, many, more as we continue on.  We will be we will be adding more as we grow, expanding in areas that I'm sure I can't foresee.  [5:32] You also may have heard that in Portland we have had some issues with our city government.  You also probably know if you're an Airbnb host or a host on any platform that there are advocacy issues everywhere in the world right now.  Part of our energy is focused on advocacy, our own permitting process, politics and policy.  In fact just yesterday I was invited to a meeting at City Hall with policy makers.  It was was a fabulous experience!   We want our local government to hear us as a group. We don't need somebody else speaking for us; we want to do our own speaking and be heard and seen for who we are which is, as you know: Members of the community; taxpayers; supporters of local businesses and neighborhoods. There is a there's a lot of work that can be done around that.   [6:42] We also will have a Business Directory so that we can gather support from our local businesses and from Global businesses.  Businesses are invited to include a special offer for members.   I anticipate that not only will we have businesses that come to us because they sell to us but there will also be businesses coming to us, because of what we can offer them. We direct our guests with recommendations to our local businesses.  Membership is going to go live next month with a Grand Reveal gala. We will be having that catered and we’ll have what we're calling fondly the VOTH Hour (Voice Of The Host) featuring a few short inspirational stories from hosts.  Following our VOTH hour, a panel discussion will offer information about the organization and we’ll have Questions and Answers.  The Portland Host Community is the focus for the face-to-face kinds of activities that we have.  We expect that we will have people from all over the world interested in the online part of what we will be offering and we're purposely keeping our subscription rates ridiculously low.  [8:15]  I thought we should be charging more but honestly we really want to cover expenses. None of us are being paid, we are 100% volunteers, but we have a few expenses in hosting the website and various other things.

•  The host membership is $50 a year.
• Small businesses with one to five employees will be $75 a year and
• The larger businesses over 5 employees is $195 a year.

 I don't know of any other other membership group that has such low cost and we want to make it available to everyone. We feel that the education of what we do is what makes our industry better and better and better.  I can tell you that Airbnb tells me that our Portland Community per capita has the highest number of superhosts in the world.  And I think that's because of our community and the way we interact with each other.  I hope that you are interested in Host2Host.org and that you will check us out.  Our website will go live February 12th and we would be happy to accept your membership.  [9:51] If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.    I'm available and I respond. You'll find the show notes as always at HostingYourHome.com. Leave me a message, ask a question, make a comment, offer your skills.  Any of the above!  Our next podcast will be back to our normal interview style. Take care, and have a great week!   Oops I forgot a couple of things! Our website Host2Host.org -  on and after February 12, 2018. You will get an “under construction” note if you go now. https://www.facebook.com/host2host/   [11:15] Website:  Hostingyourhome.com Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/HostingYourHome/ Facebook Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/hostingyourhome/  Highly recommended vacation rental guru: Matt Landau:  vrmb.com  

Download Episode! Come to Italy and listen to Debi Hertert talk with Bob Garner about his beautiful, 6-apartment vacation rental in Le Marche, Italy.  Dubbed “Casal dei Fichi”,  12 years ago this building was an ancient farmhouse where the family once lived on the second floor to make use of the heat rising from the animals living on the bottom floor.  From this humble origin,  Bob and his partner Ian created a hospitality work of art.  They transformed the farmhouse into modern, spacious apartments with gorgeous views and amenities.  A swimming pool and olive grove are on the property and every evening, Bob bounds up the stairs (if you are in an upstairs apartment) and knocks on your door to check with you about your day and what you might want to do tomorrow.  There are countless villages, farms, wineries, castles, monasteries, and restaurants just waiting for you!   In this discussion between two friends and colleagues, you will hear about Matt Landau, the “guru” of the Inner Circle, a collection of like-minded entrepreneurs who own and manage vacation rentals around the world.  Matt’s group focuses on how to give the best experiences for guests, and at the same time, how to not be bound to the listing platforms. Debi mentions in her intro that Matt is filming a TV series titled “A Sense of Place”, and Casal dei Fichi is one of the stops. Debi is excited to see this when it comes out.     Bob relates to Debi the story of how he and Ian decided to change from their lives of professional work in London to managing this wonderful vacation retreat in Italy, the (understated) process of rebuilding the farmhouse, and how they interact with their guests.   You will hear some amazing numbers - like 50% plus repeat business, increasing to 70% plus this year...and summer stay requirements of 1 week minimum, Saturday to Saturday, and with many guests booking their stay for the next year, before they leave this year!     Bob doesn’t really say it, other than to note a couple of times that he and Ian live on the property,  so they can interact with guests, but these two people are SO charismatic and social, that half of the stay feels like getting to hang out with them.  We’re not surprised that they have so much repeat business, they engage so fully with their guests that all become friends.   It was a truly memorable experience, and being there for a week was so relaxing and allowed us to visit so many different places in Italy.  Early during the week, Bob suggested we visit a local winery.  And that we take an empty (5 liter?) bottle and have them fill it up.  Which we did, and had wine for the whole week for $8 Euro. !  We also went to a fabulous restaurant with them and several other of their guests, and then went with just the four of us to their favorite restaurant on the coast.  Wow.  That was great seafood and a great view.  We felt so welcomed and integrated to their living, as Debi says in the interview, it was very intimate.   “Giving Back” often comes up with these stories of hospitality.  Bob and Ian introduced us to Treedom, a company that facilitates donations to plant trees, which you will hear about in the interview. The goal is to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the thoughtful way that Bob has worked it out with guests and restaurants is an example for all of us to study.  Debi goes on to say that all hosts can find something similar to do, and it helps the planet, makes the hosts and guest feel good, and may even help business. [editor’s note:  We LOVED our stay with Bob and Ian and if we weren’t off to Florence with Bob, we would have been even more sad! LINKS: Casal dei Fichi website:  www.casaldeifichi.com Trailer for Matt Landau's "A Sense of Place" series:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T94C0EU4xx8 Link to Matt's Inner Circle:  www.vrmb.com  

[0:45] In September, 2017, Debi and Rob visited Italy: Debi wanted to attend the Vacation Rental World Summit conference in Florence, and it was hard to convince Rob to join her. They visited Rome, the province of Le Marche, then Florence, Siena, and Pistoia. They mostly used Airbnb listings, as they typically do while traveling.  Sara’s house in Civitanova, Le Marche, was one of the five. They spent one night there, on the Adriatic coast, and met Sara Anselmi, an architect and Airbnb host.  As often happens, there was a sweet connection, this time with Sara and her husband Luca.  The four (five including Sara’s rescue dog) shared a delicious lunch.  They ate at a restaurant favored by Sara because the chef, named “Italia”, makes the food just like Sara’s mother did.  They met as strangers and left as friends. **This interview took place in Civitanova, Le Marche, Italy.  Sara and Luca live in Rome, and also have an apartment in Tuscany, which comes up in the interview.  Sara refers to her Civitanova house just as "La Marche", and when she says "here", she is referring to the house in Civitanova. [3:22] Debi and Sara talk about how Sara got started hosting.  Debi was staying in the house Sara grew up in.  Sara bought a house just a couple of doors away, planning on living there and helping out with her parents, but her parents both passed away.  Sara moved to Rome and five years ago began renting out the home she grew up in, on Airbnb.  She maintains an office in the house and uses it for family and her own visiting, so prefers to rent it out short-term. [5:28] Sara’s second property is in Tuscany, and this one is really interesting!  How would you like to remodel and take care of an apartment built in the year 1200?  Sara talks about the various dilemmas they face with maintenance and them living in Rome and le Marche. She rents the Tuscany property as a single apartment, but the Civitanova property has two separate room listings.  She talks about how she realizes that people would prefer to have an entire apartment for the privacy, and that all the guests at the Tuscany apartment are from outside Italy. [10:05] L'Eroica (meaning ‘the heroic”) is the name of a bike race held on the first Sunday of October, bringing all kinds of vintage bicycle lovers to Italy, and it is a wine and food fest as well.  It was started in the ‘90s to save the crushed gravel roads from being paved.  This event takes over the village where Sara and Luca’s apartment is located and the ride goes right by the house.  Sara was clearly wishing that she could be in Tuscany to personally host her guests and realizes that she just can’t be there. [11:35] Debi pursued the question of long-distance hosting, which Sara does at both rentals.  They talked about the rather difficult situation Sara has worked through in Civitanova with Roberto, her long-term renter who lives in the top part of the house.  Having lost his job, divorced, and two children, he couldn’t pay his rent, so Sara has been teaching him how to do the house cleaning and the Meet & Greet of the guests, in exchange for sharing income from the rentals. It’s their form of co-hosting.   She very honestly describes the many difficulties she has encountered.  Debi said she admired how Sara has been trying to make this work on Roberto’s behalf.  She maintains contact with the local social services and tries to improve his situation. [15:22] Back to Tuscany… there, Sara has been able to find a person who speaks five languages, lives 5 minutes from the property, and offers catering service!  They don’t make enough income to pay off the debt from fixing the roof, but she feels motivated to buy some nice things for the apartment and keep the place very nice. Debi and Rob really want to visit this Tuscany apartment sometime!  If you listen carefully, you will hear Sara mention going to the apartment 2-3 times a year, including going for the “Palio” that takes place in nearby Siena.  [The Palio admittedly has nothing to do with Airbnb, but it is an insane horse race that takes place twice a year.  The neighborhood whose rider wins gains great status until the next race]. [17:40] Debi and Sara talked about platforms, including Booking.com.  Even though Sara gets more reservations from Booking.com, she finds Airbnb the easiest, mainly because guests coming from Booking.com are addicted to hotels, expect more services, and don’t understand the concept of home space versus hotel space.  Debi really liked the home, having two beds, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a beautiful outside garden with table and chairs. [20:40] “Italy in One Region” – is the phrase Sara and others use to describe the province of Le Marche (pronounced Lay Mar’kay) – skiing, mountains, hillsides, ocean.  Debi also recounts their hilarious adventure the day before when she and Rob missed a bus transfer and Sara helped translate with the bus drivers by phone. She was in Rome at the time. [25:30] Lunch! Debi wrapped up the interview with a story about lunch with Sara and her husband Luca, and one more (mis)adventure she and Rob had the next day... [editor's fun note (this would be Rob)]:  My parents met in WWII.  They were both assigned to the US Army's 70th General Hospital in Pistoia, Italy, which is about 20 miles from Florence.  When we had lunch with Sara and Luca, we learned that the Americans had shelled the town of Civitanova and then occupied it.  Sara's parents were unhurt, but had to move up to the attic while the Americans used the main house.  The good thing was that the Americans had food, and shared it with her parents. LINKS:

Sara's Tuscany house, Palagio

Her bed and breakfast in Civitanova Vacation Rental World Summit: www.vacationrentalworldsummit.com

Every short-term rental needs a guest guidebook.  But what used to be a dog-eared, 3-ring binder can now become a spectacular, highly useful web-based product, accessible on a phone.  David Jacoby, Airbnb Superhost and co-founder of Hostfully, traveled to Portland to meet with Debi Hertert and "Home Share PDX" Meetup group to talk about his product.  Before the Meetup, Debi interviewed David for the Hosting Your Home podcast. [0:01:34] Debi asked how David got started with Hostfully, and it turns out that Before Children, he and his wife went on a year-long, around the world journey, staying in 27 countries and 37 homes.  It was 2010, so Airbnb had barely started, and none of their stays was in an actual Airbnb.  Much of their trip was done via the couch surfing site.  Deb asked if those were really couches… [0:05:39] After the trip, David and his wife moved to San Francisco and bought a single-family home and remodeled it for a mother-in-law apartment for their family.  They started renting the space out when his parents weren’t visiting, and have hosted 200 guests in 4 years. He found that it was his personal experiences of hosting that led him to realize the pain of being in constant communication with guest after guest and answering all their questions that they had before arriving as well as their separate, unique set of questions while they're actually staying with him.  But he also realized the pleasure of being on the flip side like hearing from them that they went to his favorite local coffee shop or his favorite brunch spot. “Sure, they went to Fisherman's Wharf and they went to Alcatraz but it was staying in my neighborhood and going to the local places that I recommended that really is what made their stay memorable and unique”.  And he realized the lack of tools to help hosts be better hosts AFTER the reservation is made. [0:08:32] Debi asked David about Airbnb’s own guest guidebook, and about “You’re Welcome”, a similar guest guidebook product.  David had interesting comments about both, and pointed out the fact that Airbnb’s app only works for Airbnb guests – but many hosts use multiple platforms.  And he likes the “You’re Welcome” app a lot, but described differences with it and Hostfully. [0:11:15] It turned out that Debi had populated the Hostfully app, and had invited David to stay at her Airbnb while addressing the Meetup.  Of course, she sent the URL to David and he loved it.  He said it was the first time as a guest that he had received the Hostfully guidebook!  Debi describes her use of the app and it being easy to use and to edit. David went into some considerable detail about it. [0:13:32] David said Hostfully launched about a year ago and now has over 4000 guidebooks in 80 countries. He said that Hostfully offers one free guide book for each listing. [0:14:16] Debi took the opportunity to quiz David about the politics of short term rentals in San Francisco.  He went into great detail and said that the latest ordinance will likely mean that half, or over half of the current listings in San Francisco will be gone after the first of the year, enforced by an agreement with San Francisco, Airbnb, and HomeAway.  The reason for the reduction is that the City requires hosts to live in the space they list, and currently many listings are not the host’s primary residence. [0:20:48] Transient Occupancy Tax is also very much a goal.  Debi was curious about David’s involvement with the San Francisco Home Sharer’s Democratic Club.  David is on the Board and described the origins of the Club.  Debi and David talked about the very successful Vendor Show they put on in 2017.  It was well-attended and one of the Airbnb Founders even stopped by. [0:26:34] Hostfully has written up the results of a study they did on hospitality, and it is available for free by going to hostfully.com/study There are a lot of tips there that all hosts can learn from.  They surveyed over 50 rental management companies and studied the thousands of guidebooks that Hostfully supports.  It’s a very cool opportunity to see what things like average check-in times, check-out times, amenities and info other hosts are providing. [0:30:25] Debi closes the Podcast by making some recommendations to listeners:  Get the Hostfully app and fill it out; www.hostfully.com and download the hospitality study, www.hostfully.com/study David's rental listing is at www.airbnb.com/rooms/2049955  

Join Debi Hertert and Michele Fitzgerald as they talk about Michele’s vacation rental in Sedona (that is not on Airbnb).  Debi and Rob traveled to Sedona, Arizona in early 2017 to find some sun, and stayed in Michele's wonderful vacation rental home. She teaches intuitive methods, leads tours in Ireland, operates on-line businesses and manages her beautiful and successful vacation rental.  And, as you will hear in the podcast, she has big plans for next year!  Michele doesn’t use Airbnb – and explains why. (9:00) How did she get started?  She’d owned this property for a long time and it was her first home in Sedona.  She bought another house, and turned this house into a metaphysical center.  In 2005 she began an on-line training program instead of the classes in the house – she was paying the mortgage and in 2007 she converted it to a full-time vacation rental.  She had very relevant prior work experience training managers of long-term rentals. Michele has a 1-week minimum, Saturday to Saturday, and an 80-85% occupancy rate.  She has a good closing percentage, which she attributes to her sales background and that she has the opportunity to make relationships with potential guests.  She explains her process in some detail. (14:00)  As soon as the inquiry comes in, she emails people directly.  She doesn’t use an auto-responder.  All the bookings and payment goes through Michele.  Guests are told by Home Away or VRBO that they will receive a PayPal invoice from Michele.  Debi and Michele discussed the upcoming change to Home Away that had been announced that would prevent hosts from communicating with guests [ed note:  as of July, 2017 this still seems imminent but has not yet been implemented].    Michele includes a rental contract as an attachment to her PayPal invoice, and it’s part of the Home Away contract  that guests sign.  She dispensed with security deposits to simplify things, as she rarely had any issues. (22:30) Michele is moving! Far away! She will sell her main home in Sedona, but keep the rental and manage it from afar. (26:00) Tips for owners of vacation rentals: Michele strongly believes that her intentional clearing of space between sets of guests is responsible for much of her success in having pleasant stays.  She plans on training her housekeepers to do this for her when she moves. (and maybe a webinar for listeners of HostingYourHome on how to do this :) We wish Michele great fortune in her move into the next phase of her life, and appreciated our time with her.   Links: Cottage info: http://www.sedonaportal.com/senzar-lodging.htm HomeAway listing: https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p253278 My training business website: http://www.sedonaportal.com

Debi Hertert interviews Portland Superhost Evan Ross, owner of Cycle Portland.  She visited Evan at his Cycle Portland business in downtown Portland.  They first met at the 2017 Host2Host conference where Evan participated as a vendor. The two began with Evan’s hosting experience  in the popular Alberta Arts area.  He began hosting in January, 2017.  Evan does the cleaning himself – he initially thought he would see how it went by doing the cleaning himself, and so far just doesn’t find it so difficult and can fit in other work like phone calls while he cleans.  He has prior experience as a guide and finds that experience helpful in hosting. Bicycling – this is Evan’s 9^th year of leading bike tours as a business.  He initially went to school in mountain guiding, whitewater rescue and other outdoor challenges.  He had traveled in several continents and when he moved to Portland he found there was no one providing tours.  Being entrepreneurial, he opened his own touring business. Their talk ended up with a discussion about Evan’s involvement in Portland’s transportation committees, his thoughts about the housing shortage, and the impact of the local Bike Share program “BikeTown”.  It’s very clear that Evan stays involved in trying to help Portland deal with contemporary issues. One of our podcast goals is to help hosts connect with their local small businesses. People like Evan who do both roles can really help make this goal happen. Check out these links: Cycle Portland:  https://www.portlandbicycletours.com Evan's Airbnb listing:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16255848

In this episode, Debi Hertert talks with Alanna Schroeder of “The Distinguished Guest”, a vendor at the Host2Host 2017 conference in Portland, Oregon.   Alanna started as a commercial real estate agent, then wanted to have another baby, so started renting out her house in Lake Tahoe.  She recognized a need for a source of higher-end products for vacation rentals and started a business.  She spent a lot of time sourcing products, finding those that looked good and are good.  Alanna tries to source from large providers, so the same products will be available a year from now. She ended up getting so busy with her Distinguished Guest business that she put the Lake Tahoe property on long-term rental, and now has a place in Hawaii on short term rental including Airbnb.   She has some clients that stay multiple weeks, even up to three months. Debi asked Alanna about her third business, “VR Mastered”.  It’s something that Alanna is doing with Tyanne Marcink and Beth Carson of Vacation Rental Travel Magazine.  VR Mastered is basically a boot camp to teach people how to get on social media of Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter to market their properties.  Also helping people edit their listings on the main platforms.  She found that most of the people in her first group were not familiar with social media and were excited to learn the techniques. Check out these links! Alanna's premier vacation rental supply company: https://www.thedistinguishedguest.com/ Her vacation rental "Bootcamp": http://www.vrmastered.com/ And Alanna's Hawaii vacation rental:  http://princevillevacationrental.com/    

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Prior to the Host2Host 2017 conference in Portland, Debi Hertert of HostingYourHome interviewed Andrew Kitchell of Wheelhouse.  Wheelhouse provides a pricing service for short-term rentals.  They analyze the pricing of the local home-sharing listings, local hotels, and current events.  Those three components affect pricing of accommodations, and Wheelhouse uses data scientists to make highly informed pricing decisions. The current product allows a high degree of personalization by the host, as Andrew discusses during the interview.  Debi is a user of Wheelhouse and is highly interested in how it works. Here are some points that came out in the interview.  Listen all the way through, for Andrew’s special offer!

• Andrew talks about how Wheelhouse started. His home was in the first 100 homes that listed on Airbnb.  He co- founded the company after one of the principals attended a Y Combinator Accelerator meeting and heard about “Airbed and breakfast”; and now they have grow to about 23 people.
• They analyze the home space, like Airbnb, Expedia, and Trip Advisor; the hotel space; and the event space.
• They then analyze your particular listing and how it has performed in the past compared with other nearby homes
• Allow customers to customize how they want to handle special situations, like orphan nights, weekends, etc – the newest platform allows personalization on the part of the host.
• Debi mentioned the emotionality of setting your pricing. You don’t want to give it away, but at the same time you don’t want to set it too high.  It sounds like Wheelhouse is giving the host a lot of control.
• Wheelhouse does recognize that setting prices can be emotional and in some ways it is better to remove some of that emotionality through using the software. But if you want to manage weekends, seasonality, etc., you can now do that.  Wheelhouse really recognizes that there are many nuances to setting prices that hosts want.
• Debi asked about her Gull House rental at Seal Rock, Oregon. It’s in the path of the eclipse, a once in a lifetime event.  Debi wants to be in the middle, not too low but not too high.  For now, she has just blocked it out.  The Wheelhouse pricing for that month shows the eclipse time as an elevated price, but whe wondered if that set the price for the whole month?  Andrew replied that the eclipse is sort of an “extreme” event; with cases like that, the impact should be limited to the days for that event. That’s the challenge for the pricing engine, and it should be appropriate.  But also, Wheelhouse allows the user to set specific rates for certain nights.  It recognizes that they are not perfect, and that the host might pick up on something that Wheelhouse software hasn’t found.
• Debi asked about special configurations, like max nightly price etc.
• She asked about Home Away and Trip Advisor and Airbnb; at this time, they show up as separate listings on the Wheelhouse dashboard. In the next few weeks, if you work with Guesty, or Booking Sync, you will be able to link to Wheelhouse.
• How does Wheelhouse differ from other dynamic pricing? Investment in pricing science:  they have four data scientists on the team, three are PhDs.  They feel like they will be able to do the best predictions.  Part two is the control they give the hosts, offering last minute discounts, seasonality and other customizations.  He has a lot of respect for other pricing companies, like Everbooked, but thinks they have produced a well-differentiated product.
• Debi asked about Airbnb’s smart pricing. Andrew said he isn’t sure of the long term role for Airbnb (or any other “marketplace” provider)  in producing best pricing.  He says they are a great team, have great scientists, but as they are the marketplace, they may not be the best in setting prices.  He thinks pricing can be done best by third parties.
• Debi asked about cost. Wheelhouse charges about 1 percent of “managed revenue”, and says that they return closer to high 20’s percentage; and that they have never lost a paying customer (!).  They also do not charge hosts for nights that the hosts end up setting their own rates.
• Debi asked then, how easy is it to cancel? She had an experience using a different company that entered prices into the calendar way into the future and had a hard time deleting it.  Andrew said that hosts have full control.
• Andrew discusses a special offer in which new users can get 10 free bookings!

    Check out the following links: https://www.usewheelhouse.com/ https://www.usewheelhouse.com/ personalize https://blog.usewheelhouse.com/ https://www.usewheelhouse.com/demo

Listen in as Nolan Mondrow, founder and CEO of LockState is interviewed by Debi Hertert of Hosting Your Home.  LockState offers electronic locks for Airbnb hosts, and in a beautiful illustration of responding to hosts’ needs, the codes for the locks are produced automatically within the Airbnb platform.  The host does not need to change the codes for each guest. The product is integrated with Airbnb (and VRBO) and is called “RemoteLock”. LockState also offers a lock that does not rely on having an internet connection at the house, yet still allows owners to remotely set unique codes for each guest stay using what Nolan calls an algorithmic method.  That product is called “ResortLock”.  It doesn’t have the direct integration with Airbnb but does have some different benefits. Nolan says he grew up in Denver, spent years in Japan and other places, and returned to Denver.  He and his wife bought a house there and then bought a ski condo in Keystone.  Without intending to rent it out, much less make a business of it, they eventually started renting it on VRBO and Airbnb and it is super busy. Nolan loves interacting with his guests, and the side benefit of giving him a personal connection with how well his lock products are working for hosts and guests. He shares a very funny story about how he ended up in the lock business, beginning with a shipping container full of safes from China that needed a home.  He began LockState in Denver and now has over 20 employees and the company is growing rapidly, distributing their products worldwide. LockState not only attended the Host2Host conference that Debi and friends put on in Portland in April, 2017 but sponsored it.  Nolan and his company are clearly aligned with the hosting community and they use that alignment to identify and solve problems that hosts need help with.   Check out LockState’s website at www.lockstate.com

Debi Hertert interviews Rod Fitts from AVROA, in her series of Host2Host 2017 Vendor interviews.  AVROA stands for "Association of Vacation Rental Operators and Affiliates".  Rod began this company in 2008, when the recession wiped out his education business and he needed to reinvent himself.  The model of AVROA is to provide a free listing platform to members, so that owners can inexpensively gain exposure outside of shade cast by the large listing platforms.  You will hear Rod's obvious enthusiasm for his association and mission. Visit AVROA's website at www.avroa.org

Join Debi Hertert for her interview with Portland's Becky Knecht (pronouned "connect"), owner of TBH Clean, specializing in Airbnb-style homes.  Becky's company slogan is "Your Mess is Our Mission!"  Debi is working her way through interviews with hopefully all of the vendors who are attending the Host2Host 2017 conference in Portland on April 22, 2017. Becky cleans for Debi and several other local hosts.  She is so dependable that she hasn't ever missed a single clean for Debi, something Debi brings up in their interview.  Becky says "The condition of your property is the first impression for your guests.  TBH Clean takes pride in partnering with hosts to help maintain a clean space and make sure it's welcoming for guests, with all the small touches.  We grow by helping you grow, and are committed to make sure that every detail is to your satisfaction.  TBH Clean is ready to make Portland shine!"     You can find Becky's company info at www.facebook.com/tbhclean  

Airbnb host Debi Hertert of the HostingYourHome podcast interviews Carlos Rafael Camarena, a Portland, Oregon photographer who specializes in architectural photography and is expanding to add Airbnb and other short term rentals. Carlos is a professional photographer with a background in portraiture and real estate photography. In early 2015 he seized an opportunity to create images for and serve commercial architecture and interior design firms in Portland, which became a footing to make the move from Central California with his wife in late 2015.  Debi and Carlos met two years ago and when the Host2Host conference came into being, Debi remembered Carlos and asked him to participate.  He not only agreed to speak, but is doing photography for the day as well, and throwing in an amazing prize for a lucky participant. You can see images from the two Airbnb/VRBO homes he mentions in the interview: go to http://www.carlosrafael.photo/sellwoodairbnb  and http://www.carlosrafael.photo/p883172008 To see examples of his architectural photography, go to www.carlosrafaelphoto.com