Mickey Kropf: How to Successfully Operate and Scale an STR Management Company

In this episode of the STR Data Lab podcast, Jamie Lane and Scott Sage discuss various short-term rental (STR) data trends, starting with the notable surge in demand during March, attributed largely to the Easter holiday. This uptick in demand led to increased occupancy rates and revenue per available room (RevPAR), signaling a positive trend[...]
In this episode of the STR Data Lab podcast, hosts Jamie Lane and Scott Sage breakdown some short-term rental data analysis focusing on the impact of amenities on property performance. The episode kicks off with a lively discussion about the significance of the final four and the eclipse, setting the stage for a deep dive[...]
In this episode of the STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist of AirDNA, interviews Erwan Le Roy, founder and CEO of Cash Flow Street. Erwan shares his journey from tech engineer to vacation rental investor, highlighting his strategy of building passive income through real estate. He emphasizes the importance of identifying markets with favorable[...]
In this new episode of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, and Scott Sage, VP of Marketing, dive into the hot topic of rental arbitrage in 2024. They reflect on the ups and downs faced by arbitrage businesses, from scaling challenges to the unexpected twists of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite hurdles like[...]
In this episode of the STR Data Lab podcast, host Jamie Lane welcomes AirDNA’s Economist, Bram Gallagher, to explore February's short-term rental performance dynamics. After a January dip due to a northern cold snap, February showcased a robust 15.6% surge in demand from January's 1.2%, highlighting a strong desire to travel despite the off-season. The[...]
In this episode of STR Data Lab, host Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, sits down with experts Mark Woodworth, Principal at R.M. Woodworth & Associates, and Jack Corgel, Sr. Advisor at CBRE Hotels, to explore the nuanced dynamics of market fluctuations in the lodging industry. They examine the ease of entry into the short-term[...]
In this episode of STR Data Lab, host Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, sits down with Jeff Iloulian, CEO and founder of HostGPO. HostGPO is a members-only platform for vacation rental operators, offering access to discounted rates on essentials such as furniture, linens, mattresses, and various amenities. Jeff shares the inspiration behind HostGPO, spurred[...]
In this episode of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, sits down with Tyler Coon, CEO and founder of Savvy Realty, for a deep dive into the nuances of the short-term rental market. Tyler opens up about his transition from the broader real estate domain to carving a niche in STRs. He[...]
In this episode of STR Datalab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist of AirDNA, and his co-host Scott Sage delve into the latest earnings reports from Airbnb and Expedia, offering a detailed analysis of key metrics and trends shaping the short-term rental industry. They start by dissecting Airbnb's performance, comparing AirDNA's estimates with the reported figures for[...]
In this episode of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, and his co-host Scott Sage, VP of Marketing & Customer Experience, analyze the latest earnings reports from Airbnb and Expedia, offering a detailed analysis of key metrics and trends shaping the short-term rental industry. They start by dissecting Airbnb's performance and comparing[...]
In this episode, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Michael Chang, the podcast host of 'STR Like the Best' and co-founder of Trust B&B Vacation Rentals. They delve into Michael’s journey from being an investment banker to establishing a durable business model in the short-term rental industry. Starting with a single unit[...]
In this special episode, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Scott Sage, AirDNA's VP of Marketing & Customer Experience and the new co-host for the podcast. Together, they discuss AirDNA’s latest report on the “Best Places To Invest For 2024,” revealing the much-anticipated ranking of the top investment markets in the U.S.[...]
In this episode, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, welcomes Mark Simpson, the founder and CEO of Boostly. Mark shares his journey from growing up on a bed and breakfast farmstay in Scarborough to building Boostly, a comprehensive platform that assists hosts in the short-term rental industry to maximize direct bookings. Reflecting on his early[...]
Join Jamie Lane, AirDNA’s Chief Economist, as he chats with Will Parry, Co-founder and CEO of ALTIDO by Joivy, a leading property management company in Europe. Explore Altido's journey from its beginnings with the London Residence Club to its remarkable expansion and recent acquisition by the Italian residential operator, DoveVivo.Will takes us through the challenges[...]
Join Jamie Lane, AirDNA’s Chief Economist, as he chats with Will Parry, Co-founder and CEO of Altido, a leading property management company in Europe. Explore Altido's journey from its beginnings with the London Residence Club to its remarkable expansion and recent acquisition by the Italian residential operator, DoveVivo. Will takes us through the challenges and[...]
In this edition of the STR Data Lab podcast, Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA, is joined by Bram Gallagher, fellow economist at AirDNA, to discuss the year-end numbers for 2023 in the U.S. short-term rental industry. They analyze the December figures, noting a 4.3% increase in demand compared to the same month last year,[...]
In this episode of STR Datalab, Jamie Lane is joined by Demi Horvat, CEO of AirDNA, and Vinny Breslin, founder of Uplisting, as they dive into the exciting news of AirDNA's recent acquisition of Uplisting, marking a significant union of two major players in the short-term rental industry. Vinny shares the journey of Uplisting, from[...]
In Episode 63 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, welcomes Michael Goldin, co-host of Good Morning Hospitality and a seasoned professional in the hospitality space. Michael discusses his journey in the vacation rental industry, starting with Rented and NoiseAware to now the Co-Founder of Nook and Storied Collection as well as[...]
In Episode 62 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA, is joined by Dave Meyer, Vice President of Data and Analytics at BiggerPockets, to discuss their insights on the state of the real estate market for 2024. BiggerPockets is a community of 2.5 million people who are on a quest to financial[...]
In Episode 61 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Bram Gallagher, fellow economist at AirDNA, to review this year's performance and forecast the 2024 outlook for the U.S. short-term rental industry. 2023 brought challenges for STR operators, with a 4.9% drop in RevPAR — the first annual decline since AirDNA began tracking[...]
In Episode 60 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane welcomes Julie George, a successful vacation rental manager, author, coach, and all-around industry expert. Julie recounts her impressive journey in the short-term rental industry, where she scaled her business from a single property in Cairns, North Queensland, to a portfolio of 130 properties within three years,[...]
In Episode 59 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane welcomes Brooke Pfautz, Founder and CEO of Vintory, who brings over 16 years of industry experience. Brooke shares his journey in the vacation rental sector, emphasizing his passion for numbers and metrics. He explains that Vintory focuses exclusively on the supply side, helping property managers in[...]
In Episode 58 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Matt Durrett, CEO of Cozi Vacation Rentals. They discuss the company's impressive growth, strategies in evolving market conditions, and how they maintain quality amidst rapidly increasing property listings. Starting with just 10 houses in 2020, Cozi has expanded to nearly 350 properties by[...]
In Episode 58 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Matt Durrette, CEO of Cozi Vacation Rentals. They discuss the company's impressive growth, strategies in evolving market conditions, and how they maintain quality amidst rapidly increasing property listings. Starting with just 10 houses in 2020, Cozi has expanded to nearly 350 properties by[...]
In episode 57 of STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Joe Riley, Founder and CEO of Patriot Family Homes. Joe's journey in property management began during his military service, leading to the unique approach of Patriot Family Homes in meeting the specific accommodation needs of military personnel and other traveling professionals. Patriot Family[...]
Join Jamie Lane as he sits down with Madeline List, Senior Research Analyst at Phocuswright, for a deep dive into the varied preferences and behaviors of guests at short-term rentals versus hotels. Leveraging Phocuswright's extensive market intelligence in the travel and tourism sector, Madeline offers a detailed comparison of these divergent guest experiences. The conversation[...]
In this episode, Jamie Lane welcomes Jeremy Gall, the Founder and CEO of Breezeway, to discuss the evolving landscape of property management. Jeremy first made waves in 2006 by launching FlipKey, a pioneering house-swapping and vacation rental listing platform. At that time, the idea of using credit cards over checks for vacation home bookings was[...]
In this episode, Jamie Lane sits down with Taylor Marr, Senior Housing Economist at Airbnb. With eight years of experience at Redfin under his belt, Taylor brings a unique perspective on housing economics and the dynamics that govern long-term markets. Not to mention, he's an avid digital nomad who has called 15 cities home. Taylor[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie sits down with Bram Gallagher, a fellow economist at AirDNA. Together, they unpack September's U.S. market data and share a pulse check on the industry as we navigate the year's final quarter. After August's industry-wide dips, September brought welcome surprises. Demand rose to 12.2%, and revenue increased to 15.1%, signaling[...]
In this milestone episode, Jamie Lane sits down with co-host Paralee Walls, VP of Marketing at AirDNA, to celebrate the first anniversary of STR Data Lab. To celebrate, we've curated a special journey through the top 12 key industry topics that have captivated our audience over the past year. We kick off by revisiting the[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie sits down with Paralee Walls, co-host at STR Data Lab and VP of Marketing for AirDNA. Before diving into the August data, Paralee unpacks her Oktoberfest experience in Munich, which Jamie reveals saw a 30% surge in demand and a 20% increase in ADRs compared to last year. Although August[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie Lane chats with Sean Breuner, CEO of AvantStay, about what's driving the company's rapid growth and where he sees the short-term rental market going in the next five years. AvantStay is part of a new generation of property management firms that have quickly become big players in the STR scene.[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie Lane sits down with Aaron Koppinger, AirDNA's Director of Product, to tackle one of the biggest challenges in STR investing: finding the right market and property that aligns with your goals. We've listened to your feedback and reimagined AirDNA to be your comprehensive guide in the world of short-term rentals.[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie sits down with Bram Gallagher, a fellow economist here at AirDNA. With nearly a decade of experience as a travel economist, Bram helps us navigate the potential challenges facing both our industry and the broader economy as we move into the latter half of the year. Hurricane season is upon[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie sits down with Isaac Collazo, VP of Analytics at STR. Isaac is a veteran in the hotel industry and has worked for various major hotel brands over the years. The two discuss the differences between hotels and short-term rental companies, as well as their future prospects. Isaac notes that the[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie sits down with Marcus Rader, the Founder and CEO of Hostaway. Hostaway is a vacation rental software company that’s on the path to becoming the platform with the biggest market share in our industry. Back in 2015, before the STR boom happened, Marcus saw us heading in this direction. He[...]
In this week's episode, Jamie sits down with Paralee Walls, the new co-host at STR Data Lab and the brand-new VP of Marketing for AirDNA. Before unpacking July's data, Paralee shares her excitement about her new role at AirDNA and her vision for leveraging data to enhance the lives of people across the industry. July[...]
In this week’s episode, Jamie sits down with Robin Simon, partner at Easy Street Capital. Starting back in 2016, Easy Street Capital has become one of the leading DSCR lenders in the industry for investment properties. They specialize in Long Term, Short Term and Multifamily rentals. With the uncertainty of the market there’s a lot[...]
In this week’s episode, Jamie sits down with Paul Kromidas, CEO and Co-Founder of Summer. Paul started his journey in the short-term rental industry working on the Lux team at Airbnb, with a mission to introduce luxury short-term rentals into the market. Despite these types of rentals being notorious for generating the lowest occupancy rates[...]
This week, Jamie sits down with Avery Carl, CEO and founder of The Short Term Shop. Like many others, Avery stumbled into this industry after owning a long-term rental in Nashville and a short-term rental in the Smokies. Over time, people began to ask her about her rentals, and things organically grew into what is[...]
Jamie Lane sits back down with Demi Horvat, CEO of AirDNA, this week to talk about AirDNA's acquisition of Arrivalist, the leading provider in Location Intelligence. They also discuss the reoccurring topic of if we're going to see a recession in the back half of 2023. According to the latest economic data, Jamie doesn't see[...]
Jamie Lane sits down with Benjamin Gross from Minty Living. They were recently nominated for the Shortyz Award for Urban Property Manager of the year and over the last 3 years they've been able to scale from just 5 properties to now 180. Their company is based out of Atlanta, Georgia where the Film Industry[...]
Jamie Lane sits down with Benjamin Gross from Minty Living. They were recently nominated for the Shortyz Award for Urban Property Manager of the year and over the last 3 years they've been able to scale from just 5 properties to now 180. Their company is based out of Atlanta, Georgia where the Film Industry[...]
Jamie Lane sits back down with Demi Horvat, CEO of AirDNA, this week who is at the IMN Conference in Austin, TX. She talks about the hot topics of the conference such as the markets resiliency, generative AI, and the different amenities/fee's that guests are talking about. Jamie addresses the viral tweet regarding the potential[...]
On today's episode we sit down with Carolyne Beaulne, the host of That Realtor Investor Show. She got her start investing out in Joshua Tree, California. With the town having over 3 million visitors every year, Carolyne saw this national park to be her ideal spot to start her STR journey. In 2022 she was[...]
Michael is the host of the Short Term Rental Secrets Podcast and founder of the Short Term Rental Secrets Mastermind, a mentorship and mastermind program that helps investors launch, automate and scale their short-term rental portfolios. Michael and his wife Krysten founded Occupied, a national short-term rental investment and management company in 2017, as[...]
Jamie Lane sits down with Demi Horvat, CEO of AirDNA, this week to talk about the mid-year short term rental outlook report in the US. We seen another month of strong demand which was up 11.9% which was slightly up from last month, although we did see a dip in supply grown which is down[...]
When she’s not busy running day to day operations at Roami (formerly Sextant) as their COO, Brandy is co-hosting the Good Morning Hospitality podcast. With no road map or rules to follow, Brandy helped grow Roami from a bootstrapped group with a few employees to a well-run organization that came out of the pandemic with[...]
Jamie Lane sits down with Bram Gallagher, a fellow AirDNA economist. With the industry growing larger and larger everyday there's a lot of talk about regulations and what short term rentals bring to our neighborhoods. Bram breaks down the data behind how regulations effect the STR industry, how STR's can effect surrounding housing prices and[...]
Jamie Lane sits down with Mariah Kamei this week to talk about STR trends for April. Based on Q1's earnings travel has proven to be resilient despite the current economic climate and the data shows that consumers continue to prioritize spend on travel over all other things. According to Expedia's earnings we have now doubled[...]
“Where to invest?” is a common question we hear from investors—and for good reason. But when and why should I invest are just as important. Because markets and traveler trends are always changing, which can lead to lots of inaccurate guesswork. Our latest report explores where people are actually buying or thinking of buying a[...]
Short Term Rentals In Indiana?! On today's episode we sit down with Kirby J Atwell who went from serving in the Army to owning and managing Short Term Rentals. Kirby talks about why he prefers buying houses in Utilitarian Markets vs. the more Commercial/High End Properties in popular markets. He also discusses why it's important[...]
This week, Jamie Lane sits down with Derrick Barker, Co-Founder & CEO of Nectar to dive into short term rental financing and the origins of Nectar. Nectar was founded with the desire to provide fast, flexible, and non-debt financing to rental property owners and managers looking to scale their rental portfolios. Derrick breaks down some[...]
Jamie Lane sits down with Mariah Kamei this week to talk about US and Europe STR trends for March. March proved to be another month of demand gains with nights booked up 12% YOY and overall nights stayed up 16% YOY, fueled by a strong spring break. Supply increased 20% YOY, a significant slow down from[...]
John Hildebrand and Mariah Kamei sat down to talk about the joys and challenges of operating short-term rentals. John is a seasoned owner and property manager who first started by renting out a room in his Malibu apartment to help pay his rent. As a kid, John moved frequently which fostered a love for real[...]
This week we sat down with Paul Stevens… just in time for the Shortyz! Paul is the editor of ShortTermRentalz and we’re here to talk about the trends he has seen in the industry over the past 4.5 years. We dive into unique stays and how they have become popular over the years and how[...]
This week, Jamie sits down with Leslie from Rebl Rentals to explore her journey in the vacation rental industry. She explains how feature walls were able to boost bookings for one of her properties, and now she tests it at all of her properties because we live in a Instagramable world. She dives deeper into[...]
We sat down with STR owner and educator Stacey St. John to discuss how she found her passion for renovating, owning, and operating short-term rentals. She discusses how she loves to do this, and when you love doing something, it never feels like you are working. Listening along to find out how she got started[...]
This week, Jamie and Mariah dive deep into the data while keeping things short and sweet. Despite February typically being the weakest month for demand, this past month has seen some interesting trends in the vacation rental industry. With a staggering 13 million nights stayed in February alone, demand was up YoY by 18%. However,[...]
This week we have Natalie Palmer on the STR Data Lab, a successful real estate investor who started her investment journey by Airbnb-ing her parents' second home in Big Bear. She soon recognized the potential of the market and invested in another property. Currently, she manages nine condos in Big Bear and specializes in short-term[...]
Welcome to the latest episode of the STR Data Lab! Our guest today is John, CEO and founder of Ohana Stay and Tech Tape. In this episode, John shares his insights and experiences on entrepreneurship, technology, and more. He talks about how his short-term rental business, Ohana Stay, led to the founding of Tech Tape,[...]
Tatianna Taylor-Tait is an award winning designer, author, and short-term rental coach. She is on this week to break down how she got started in the Airbnb industry, why themed spaces may not survive seasonality, why your towels and sheets should be white, and much more! Tatianna is also co-hosting the Level Up Your Listing[...]
2023 is going to be a crazy year for the housing industry, and we’re ready for the wild ride! We are already in a housing recession, so where to buy a short-term rental is going to vary based on investability, which is what our best places to invest report is based on. You want to[...]
Mariah sits down with Adam and Daniel from Host Financial to dive deep into how to finance your short-term rental. This is a can't miss episode if you are considering investing in your first vacation rental! ~~~~ Signup for MarketMinder for FREE👇 https://www.airdna.co/vacation-rental-data/app/register ~~~~ Connect with Mariah on LinkedIn: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-kamei/ ~~~~ Connect with Host[...]
This week Jamie Lane welcomed Joe Fraiman, the founder of Overmoon, to talk about how he plans to scale his business in 2023. Joe believes that cash flow is the most important thing to look at when you are making an investment decision. They plan to scale their portfolio this year due to the falling[...]
Wil Slickers, a former Marriott employee, has turned into a short-term rental guru (and our podcast producer). He began his journey by utilizing his parents' 2 bed 2 bath apartment above their garage as his first rental property. Through his experience working at Marriott, Wil established a baseline for what makes a good guest experience.[...]
Today we're back with Mariah Kamei and Jamie Lane, and they’re diving into the latest economic report and what it means for the future. As we all know, inflation has been a hot topic in the past year, and the latest report shows that it went down by 0.1% MoM. This is the first time[...]
This is a can’t-miss episode to hear the TLDR on all of the major economic reports that were recently released. Mariah and Jamie provide a detailed analysis of economic reports by Oxford Economics, Moody's, and more. They dive into how they relate to the hospitality industry, specifically short-term rentals. Jamie sees similar trends in other[...]
This is a can’t-miss episode to hear the TLDR on all of the major economic reports that were recently released. Mariah and Jamie provide a detailed analysis of economic reports by Oxford Economics, Moody's, and more. They dive into how they relate to the hospitality industry, specifically short-term rentals. Jamie sees similar trends in other[...]
Many people believe that you must be experienced or have a large income to invest in real estate. When in reality, you have to have a strategy. That’s exactly what Adam Nelson did we he dove head first into investing while he was working his 9-5. He had a checklist of different types of real[...]
This week Jamie Lane sits down with the Head of Acquisitions at Techvestor, Taylor Jones, to walk us through the process of acquiring short-term rentals at scale! Taylor tells us how they filter out markets by using the price-to-rent ratio. Taylor then walks us through how they narrow down which properties will perform the best[...]
What areas are seeing the highest amount of demand? Two hundred fifty thousand new jobs were added in November; does that mean there is a smaller chance of a recession? Are ADRs going up or down? Are people still buying second homes when the interest rates are this high? This week we answer all these[...]
As 2022 comes to a close, many economic forecasters are predicting at least a mild recession in 2023. Yet data shows that the #vacationrental industry has more cause to stay optimistic than despair. This month, VP of Research Jamie Lane joins VP of Marketing Mariah Kamei to provide data-driven insights to help you prepare your[...]
This week we sat down with Jaren Sustar (JD), the man behind the hat, the finance cowboy, and someone who has a very interesting success story in the short-term rental world. He has an amazing work ethic and he believes that this what one of the keys to being a successful serial entrepreneur. He has[...]
This week Mariah sits down with Tim Hubbard, the founder, and CEO of Midtown Stays. He walks us through how he scaled his STR business to a property management company. He talks about always having a backup plan when purchasing real estate. Learn what the biggest fail is as an Airbnb host, how to navigate[...]
Jamie Lane, VP of Research, and Mariah Kamei, VP of Marketing, share implications for hosts and guests in the aftermath of many Airbnb updates. In addition to posting really strong Q3 financial reports, with 29% revenue growth year-over-year, the company also shared a slurry of updates in their Winter Release. Airbnb solidified its commitment to[...]
This week Jamie Lane sits down with the Co-Founder and CEO of Placemakr, Jason Fudin, and they walk through Placemakr’s multiple business models. Placemakr has a future-focused model and a few different strategies on how they plan to get there. From pop-up hotels to short-term rentals to mid-term rentals and more, Placemakr is adapting to[...]
From college to working in tech to then pivoting to real estate, Jonathan’s STR journey has been a wild one, and after this episode, you’ll want to dive head-first into starting your first short-term rental (STR) too. Jonathan Farber joins us this week to dive deeper into what it takes to own, scale, and improve[...]
This week Jamie Lane sits down with the Founder and CEO of Vector Travel, Mickey Kropf to unveil how a niche business model has driven so much success! Mickey walks us through the ups and downs of owning and scaling an STR management company. He also explains how you need to be flexible when working[...]
We’re here to answer the question everyone is asking, is the AirbnBUST really happening? Are bookings down? What about occupancy? How do hotels and STRs size up to each other? Is revenue management actually important? This month, VP of Research, Jamie Lane joins VP of Marketing, Mariah Kamei to provide data-driven answers to these questions[...]
From owning, to arbitraging, to co-hosting, he has dabbled in it all. On this week’s episode, Mariah sits down with our first guest, Braydon Ross, to talk about what it takes to start your very own short-term rental business. Braydon started his career by going to University and quickly realized that path wasn’t for him.[...]
If we go into a recession, will it be as bad as prior ones? Will the hospitality industry take a hit? Should you be investing in real estate right now? Is the latest news from the Federal Reserve keeping you up at night? You’re not alone. In our first-ever episode of the STR Data Lab, Mariah Kamei[...]
Welcome to the STR Data Lab by AirDNA! Whether you're on your first property or your 100th, you need the right market data to start and scale your short-term rental business. Enter travel economist and data gangster Jamie Lane and his sidekick Mariah Kamei. Tune in to get the real story and trusted insights behind[...]

STR Data Lab™

Mickey Kropf: How to Successfully Operate and Scale an STR Management Company