The Guest Cast

This week on the Guest Cast, you’re in for a treat! We’re bringing you another batch of Aha Moments - this time, from a selection of carefully selected industry voices, collected at last week's Vacation Rental World Summit in Porto. 

You'll hear from the likes of: 

• Antonio Bortolotti - The brain behind the VRWS event 
• Richard Vaughton from Rentivo
• Madison Rifkin from Mount 
• Manuel Lozano, Expo Renta Vacacional
• Greg Chuchra, from Tedee Smart Locks 
• David Jocoby from Hostfully 
• Dana Lubner from Rent Responsibly
• Roberto Bricio from Guesty 
• Raul Oliveira from Alep

Debbie begins her A-ha moment with an “Ahhhh!” moment, when clear communications from her accommodation would have come in really handy.

In her own communications with her guests, Debbie strives for consistency and humanity. She recounts how regular messages, from the moment guests book, have helped her to build strong, trusting relationships with visitors.

If you can remind guests that there’s an actual person at the end of every communication, you’ll welcome visitors who want to look after your property.

This week, we’re delighted to share a rather special A-ha moment, direct from our CEO, Andy.

Andy starts his A-ha moment by asking: When was the last time you surprised your guests?

He discusses the how, while hosts are often brilliant at hospitality, the day to day operations can get in the way in the “surprise and delight” moments that guests love.

Sharing his own experiences of being on the receiving end of this, he encourages you to put yourself in the position of a guest – and find those things that you know will make a big different to them.

Find out more about Andy by connecting with him on LinkedIn.

It's time for yet another A-ha moment from an industry expert in the Vacation Rental sector. 

And this week, we're delighted to have Bookster's Marketing Director, Kelly Odor sharing her fountain of knowledge. 

Kelly's snappy, yet invaluable insights about data and how you can use it to better guest experience and improve your vacation rental business overall - is a must listen. We hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Andy and Tyann talk to the MD at Days out - Catherine Warrilow. In a conversation full of takeaways from Catherines travel story as well as her work in marketing - this is an episode packed full of lessons for hospitality professionals of all kinds.

As well as recounting her holiday booking nightmare, Catherine also talks about how her experience in marketing has led her to approach things differently in order to get on her audience’s radar, and gives some invaluable tips for you to do the same. 

From improving your trust signals, to asking the right questions, all the way to how you organise your content - there’s a lot to unpack in this episode. 

Tyann also challenges you to get in touch with that one thing you’re doing differently to make your guests experience easier, better, or more positive. Join the conversation on Twitter and Linkedin. 

In this short, yet captivating story, Mark talks about a delicate situation he and his family found themselves in while hosting – and how they really went above and beyond to help look after some vulnerable guests. In his words, it’s a story that “sums up hospitality to a T”.

If you haven’t heard about Boostly before, check them out here. For more direct booking wisdom, you can also follow Mark on Linkedin, Twitter & YouTube. 

 

In this weeks episode, we talk to Cassie Yeldham, a Brit who has made a (part time!) home in Cuba. 

While travelling to and from Cuba over the last few years, Cassie met her Cuban Cowboy husband. Now both located in the UK, Cassie and her Cowboy (also known as Ronnie offer various experience packages for tourists who want to really feel the magic of Cuba.

Listen as Cassie talks about its unique tourism landscape, touching on what both guests and hosts can learn from the successes and failures of Cuba, the new kid on the block when it comes to hosting. 

You’re in for a treat this week! In this A-ha moment episode, we hear from ten industry friends at the 2022 Short Stay Summit about a moment when something clicked for them.

From Damian Sheridan’s realisation about booking trends, to Simon Lehmann’s rainy morning commute, we’ve gathered a wealth of teaching moments from these pros. We chatted to:

• Damian Sheridan – Director, The Book Direct Show & Scale Rentals Show
• Assaf Karmon – CEO & Co-founder, TurnoverBnB
• James Brown – Operations Director, UnderTheDoormat
• Bob Garner – Owner, Casal Dei Fichi
• Deborah Heather – CEO, Quality in Tourism
• Rachel Parsons – Founder, New Forest Escapes
• Simon Lehmann – CEO & Co-founder, AJL Atelier
• Leo Walton – Co-founder, SUPERHOG
• Jenn Boyles – Founder, Direct Booking Success
• Neely Khan – Travel & Hospitality Writer

Listen in to hear about back-up plans, sustainable hosting, guest communication, the power of a simple act of kindness, and so much more!

This week, Jamie Sinton joins Andy and Tyann to talk beautiful cabins, travel influencing, and what luxury really means.

Jamie’s story starts with a cabin that wasn’t even available for her to visit. Searching for a place to stay with her family, she discovered a cabin that was still being developed. She followed its story on social media, getting to know the owners and the story of the cabin as it came to life.

When it was finally ready to rent, she booked it! On arrival, it truly met all of her luxury requirements. From the music playing as she entered, to the stunning furniture, to the labelled pantry.

Jamie discusses what luxury really means to her, and the importance of storytelling in showcasing holiday accommodation to guests. Discover how you can use channels such as social media influencers to captivate guests before they book.

Hannah, Touch Stay’s Creative Media Manager, hijacks The Guest Cast to shine a spotlight on the hosts who made her feel extra safe as a solo traveller.

From tonsillitis in Galicia, to catcalling in Cuba, Hannah has experienced it all whilst exploring new regions on her own. And she’s come to understand that there are ways hosts can make solo travellers feel more comfortable arriving in a new area.

With the rise of remote working making our working and living patterns more flexible, more and more people are choosing to take off on solo trips. Listen in to find out how you can cater to a growing market of independent travellers.