GuestX Podcast

Tim Rosolio, the VP of Vacation Rental Partner Success at Expedia Group, joins Matt and Brian this week on GuestX. Tim has an end-to-end view of the business, he understands what hosts need because he is one. Tim explains Vrbo’s conversion based sort, which gives hosts with good reviews the spotlight, rewarding them for their positive reviews. This two sided marketplace is a symbiotic relationship, guests want an exceptional experience and hosts want great guests to stay with them.

This week on GuestX, we sat down with the author of Million Dollar Host, Julie George. Julie shares her story in the short term rental business, where she built a 130 property business on her own which generated over $8 million dollars in less than 3 years. She has since sold her business and has pivoted to helping owners scale their business in a simple and smart way.

This week on GuestX, we sat down with the founder of Book Ambition, Dennis Ross. Dennis started his writing career in the music industry writing and producing notable artists like Boyz II Men. Dennis is a professional ghostwriter and he shares his vast experience around meaningful storytelling, and stresses the importance of using emotions to empathize and connect with potential customers.

Matt and Brian sat down with David Stange, the founder of Beachy at HITEC 2022. David explains how Beachy is improving the guest experience by allowing hotel and resort guests to book amenities, activities, and food through their easy to use platform. Beachy is also streamlining operations for managers and service workers by making it simple for them to fulfill orders and provide service.

Mark Simpson, the founder of Boostly and author of The Book Direct Playbook joins us on GuestX this week. Mark noticed there was a lack of online support for hospitality owners, which sparked the creation of Boostly. Through Boostly, Mark has helped over 100,000 people from every niche of the hospitality industry by providing tactics and tools to increase direct bookings.

Louise Brace, the owner of Rental Tonic joins us on GuestX this week. Louise is a dedicated copywriter and digital marketing strategist who has been writing for the hospitality industry for over 10 years. As a lover of travel herself, Louise shares her passion for writing memorable content for short term rental companies which strengthens their SEO score and encourages guests to book direct.

John Suzuki of Vrbo pivots the conversation and dives deep into data and how to utilize it correctly in a way that is understood. John highlights important applications of data, such as pricing and revenue management. He also gives us his insights on where the industry is now and what the future looks like.

We sat down with industry veteran John Suzuki, Vrbo’s Global Evangelist and Ombudsman. John has been educating and inspiring the vacation rental and travel communities for 18 years. John has a real passion for hospitality and is always striving to raise the bar of industry standards by meeting and exceeding traveler expectations.

Tim Murphy, the CEO of Boomers Parks joins us this week on GuestX. Tim shares his knowledge from his experience in the hospitality and family entertainment industry. Tim stresses the importance of quality service and conditions, which cultivates a quality experience that guests want to enjoy longer, which keeps them returning in the future.

In this week’s episode, we sat down with Steve Schwab, the CEO and Founder of Casago. Steve is an industry veteran, and explains how a franchise model can turn a property manager into a local hero with the enterprising tools of a large company. Steve offers valuable insights on the current state of the short-term rental industry and what the future looks like.