Straight Fire VR

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Spring may be the time of the year that the weather finally thaws winter's stronghold on the ground. This spring, as the weather gently warms across America it is also the time we are seeing bookings start to increase.  The cooler markets of the last two years may be seeing a warming up as ADR drops. Property manager are looking closely at where market pricing may end up. In the hopes that a fruitful spring will lead to a healthy summer, everyone is planning now to make sure to get “the drop” on pricing.  Returning Guest Jason Sprenkle speaks with Miriam Ramsey and Steve Milo on what the data is telling us about the months to come.

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Season 2 Episode 2: Team Pink and the Pink Slip examines the recent layoffs industry wide. From #Vacasa, #Expedia, #Sonders and #Frontdesk have rattled the industry. Returning Guest Michelle Marquis discusses with Host Steve Milo what is rooted in these layoffs and what it means for the industry in 2024. First quarter of 2024 may almost be done, but what does it mean for the coming year.

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Straight Fire VR is back and no topic is safe from our sights. It is 2024 and we are ready to take score. In our sights this week we will be looking at women on the rise to powerful positions in the industry, decoding Airbnb “Hot Air” reports. 

We will also be taking a serious look at what the moral and ethical responsibilities for a  company when crimes are reported that involve their members. Can companies continue to stay silent, effectively closing rank  in support of the “Bro Code” in 2024? 

Joining in the discussion today is a nearly 20 year veteran in both the tech and vacation rental world who is the current Director of Marketing &Originations at Nectar Jessica singer

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🗓 As we wrap up 2023 and look to plan for 2024, and beyond for some of us. As the man who is best known for both the lightening rod ⚡ and the 💵 $100 USD note Benjamin Franklin put it best, " If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." 

Our latest Episode of Straight Fire VR covers the latest Women's Summit, DARM and our 2024 predictions.  

▶ Click now to listen to our 20th Episode : Failure to plan is a plan to fail ( Guests Amber Carpenter and Michelle Marquis) Also available on Spotify and FM Player.

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🤔 Can we be frank? 💻 Social Media is a great place to get the word out, however it can be MORE conducive to toxic positivity than actual constructive critical discourse.  🍭 Sugarcoating potential threats, hyping up systemic

inadequacies, and flat out omitting any industry criticism is a recipe for failure. 

😭 Blunt honesty may sting; however it can allow for opportunities to course correct before the point of no return is crossed.  📣 A cheer squad may be useful in getting a team motivated, but when it becomes deafening to a coach's instruction to their team, it can cost you the game. 



🎙 Our guest Ben Edwards, President at Weatherby Consulting, LLC joins in on the conversation about industry blind spots, weak points and other threats in the vacation rental world. Listen to Steve Milo and Miriam Ramsey give their opinions on this winner takes all game! 🌟  

▶ Click now to watch our latest Straight Fire VR Episode 19: Here LIES the Truth in TOXIC positivity,  on YouTube or download on Spotify and FM Player.

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Going into 2024 , looking at every dollar is more important than ever. Conversion rates depend on strategic placement of money early on. The "Spray and Pray spending " may have gotten 100% occupancy during the pandemic highs is no longer a viable strategy in today's market. Experts Graham Donoghue, Paul Smith and Steve Milo speak about how Cash Management look like today in today's market. 

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Mistakes, missteps and common pitfalls can cause major cash flow problems and even lead up to shutting your doors down, but simply avoiding problems are not enough to keep your business going strong. Building a successful business means having a support team that not only can avoid mishaps, but can be trained to manage equally well as your key performers. Being flexible, using technology to your advantage makes an upward market manageable.  Guests Revenue Manager at V Trips Chad Blankenship and Andrew Kitchell founder and CEO of Wheelhouse speak about technology, software and operations  in the vacation rental industry and how to leverage these to put your business to the fullest possible use.

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Hospitality IS at the root of the vacation rental industry. Doug Kennedy a trainer and fixture for over 30 years in both the hotel and vacation rental space will delve into key elements of hospitality. Keeping an eye on your business is key to survival and spotting trends within our own organization can help you keep you and your team on the right track, and conversely loosing sight can have you drift directly into a storm.  KPI's  along with asking the right questions from your customers and staff can give shore up problems early and even find opportunities for sales and growth.

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Steve Milo speaks with fellow podcasters Scott Fasano and Adam Norko of the Art of Hospitality Podcast.

🎯 Steve Milo and guests take aim at the topics of #Vacasa 3rd quarter results, #Airbnb vs. #bookingcom, #VRMA, #Marriott and the Franchise Model. Also in this episodes sights are Scott Breon Doug Brindley, Graham Donoghue and Henrik Kjellberg.

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The vacation rental industry has seen capital flooding into the market.  With this growth comes growing pains like chargebacks, fraud, and cancelations as well as policy changes at OTAs like VRBO, Airbnb and even google listings. In this episode, we sat down with Vacation Rental technology specialist and Professor Amber Carpenter and spoke with CEO's Matt Golis of Stretch Bill and Ryan Bailey of TNS on this matter. Steve Milo, as always, provides his unorthodox but blunt takes on the issues.