Meet Wil Slickers — founder of Hospitality FM, the largest network of hospitality podcasts, and the co-founder of Recreation Rentals, a boutique collection of vacation rentals with luxury hotel-like operations. While working as a hotel manager in the pacific northwest, Wil stared a podcast called Slick Talk — a show that explores the dynamic nature[...]

Meet Michael Albaum — a professional remote real estate investor, Airbnb superhost, and fellow podcaster. After getting an engineering degree and moving to the Bay Area, Michael stumbled upon a book that would forever shift his perspective on work and wealth…and that book was Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad. In this episode of Behind[...]

Meet Jonah Hanig, Founder and CEO of Rove — a premium portfolio of luxury Airbnbs designed for discerning travelers. Jonah grew up in the Chicago suburbs and always had a knack for tinkering with business ideas. After going to school in New York, Jonah decided to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur and was[...]

Welcome to Marketing Mondays — a new, weekly segment on the Behind the Stays podcast that covers specific marketing strategies and tactics that Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs can immediately use to promote their stays. On this third episode Zach covers all things Email A/B testing!  Email A/B tests are incredibly important...yet many Airbnb hosts[...]

Meet Jeff Iloulian — Founder and CEO of HostGPO, a buying group for the short term rental industry. After graduating with a degree in Economics from Columbia, Jeff thought he wanted to be an attorney, so went to Law School. But after practicing law for a few years, Jeff was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug so[...]

Meet Devon Loerop, the creator of The Pacific Bin — a luxurious escape made of 5 shipping containers, just an hour outside of Seattle. Devon grew up in the midwest but was born with a New York City mindset — from the time he was young, he hustled hard, and enjoyed proving people wrong when they[...]

Meet Michael Romanowicz, the founder and CEO of DEN Outdoors.  Mike is a software designer by trade, but has always had a love for the natural world. So, when he wasn’t busy leading the product team at Conductor, which was a content marketing platform owned by WeWork, Mike was tinkering with some designs for a[...]

Meet Chase Charifa, the creator of the Lightfoot Cabin — a cozy, unique escape nestled in the foothills of Big Bear Mountain in Southern California.  A few years ago, Chase and his wife April started a production studio as a side hustle.  The couple regretted not having a videographer at their wedding and this inspired them[...]

Welcome to another Marketing Mondays on the Behind the Stays podcast feed! In this episode we chat ALL about SEO and how Airbnb hosts can leverage the power of great keyword research to increase their organic rankings on Google.  In today's lesson we share a lot of screenshots and data...so...you MAY wish to WATCH this[...]

Meet Brooke Pfautz, founder and CEO of Vintory — a sales and marketing platform exclusively dedicated to helping professional vacation rental managers and short-term rental entrepreneurs grow their inventory.  Brooke built one of the largest mortgage banking firms in the DC Metro Area, but when the financial crisis of 2008 hit, Brooke began to reconsider what[...]

Welcome to Marketing Mondays — a new, weekly segment on the Behind the Stays podcast that covers specific marketing strategies and tactics that Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs can immediately use to promote their stays.    On this second episode of this new Behind the Stays segment, Zach covers: Why you should build a website[...]

Meet Levi Kelly — a creator whose cabin tour videos have garnered nearly 80 millions views on YouTube. Growing up, Levi used to goof around and shoot funny videos with his buddies and then edit them on the iMovie app on his phone. In high school he realized that shooting and editing video was more than[...]

Meet Whitney and Andrew Bradberry, the creators of the Front Range A-Frame in Bailey, Colorado, just an hour outside of Denver.  Whitney is a freelancer marketer by trade, and her husband Andrew is a firefighter paramedic.  Given their non-traditional jobs, the couple has always enjoyed tinkering on creative projects together. Whitney’s father loved Colorado and[...]

Welcome to Marketing Mondays — a new, weekly segment on the Behind the Stays podcast that covers specific marketing strategies and tactics that Airbnb hosts and hospitality entrepreneurs can immediately use to promote their stays.  On the first episode of this new Behind the Stays segment, Zach covers: Why you should work with creators A[...]

Meet Emily South — the creator of The Appalachian A-Frame in Sugar Grove, North Carolina just 20 minutes outside of downtown Boone. Emily and her husband John are entrepreneurs.  Emily is a yoga instructor and John owns and runs a production studio. Given their non-traditional career paths, Emily and John don’t have some of the benefits[...]

Meet Jamie Kraus, the creator of Chestnut Hill — a beautiful appointed home located 5 minutes from Main Street in Breckenridge, Colorado.  Jamie and her husband have three young adult sons and live in the great state of Texas.  Growing up, Jamie would vacation in the Colorado mountains with her family and dreamed of one[...]

Meet Chris Broomfield, the creator of Evergreen Cabins — one of Instagram’s favorite collections of luxurious cabin rentals in the Adirondacks. Growing up, Chris loved to tinker. At the age of 14 he started building picnic tables and bar stools with his next door neighbor that he’d sell to local patrons. It was at this[...]

Meet Tiffany Lund — the creator of The Havarti Haus, an accessible, Scandinavian-style retreat in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, opening in late 2023. Tiffany and her family love to go on adventures — the outdoors has always been a place of restoration and reinvigoration for them. Tiffany and her husband Jim have an incredible son[...]

Meet Mike Iannetta, better known as Mike Will Travel, a YouTube creator and hospitality marketing specialist. Mike started his first business at the age of 17.  He raised $5,000 on Kickstarter to start what he thought would be the next big board shorts brand. Now, the clothing line didn’t quite pan out, but it solidified[...]

Meet John Andrew Entwistle, Founder and CEO of Wander, one of the most exciting startups in the travel and hospitality space today.  John Andrew had a non-traditional schooling experience.  He started and ran a game server company when he was just 13 years old, so focusing on homework wasn’t a high priority.  In high school,[...]

Meet Ty and Mary, the creators of The Northwoods A-Frame and Tiny Cabins near Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota.  Ty and Mary both have demanding jobs – Ty is an architect and Mary a nurse. So, in October 2020, after months of lockdown, the couple was in dire need of a getaway. Mary had[...]

Meet Addie Wales, the creator of The Ely Cabin Collective — a boutique collection of Airbnbs near The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.  Growing up, Addie always wanted to be an entrepreneur. She remembers pitching her first business to her dad as a 10 year old which was for an ice cream shop[...]

Meet Justin and Shaun — the creators of The Chal-A Frame, a beautifully curated escape nestled between the Stratton and Mt. Snow ski areas in Vermont. Justin and Shaun are both architects.  They were roommates in college and have been close friends ever since. One day while hanging out with the rest of their crew,[...]

About the Episode: Meet Melissa Hessney Masters — the founder of Tanglebloom and the creator of the Tanglebloom Cabin.  Melissa has always been creative.  Growing up in the fingerlakes region of New York,  she found herself mesmerized by natural beauty — whether it be wildflowers or waterfalls, Melissa was transfixed by the innate purity of the[...]

Meet Connor Gross — an entrepreneur in his mid-twenties who is currently focused on building a portfolio of self-storage units across the state of Texas. Connor graduated from Northeastern University in 2020.  As a part of a co-op program at Northeastern, he was able to spend a semester building his first start-up, Cardly, with his co-founder[...]

Meet Connor Gross — an entrepreneur in his mid-twenties who is currently focused on building a portfolio of self-storage units across the state of Texas. Connor graduated from Northeastern University in 2020.  As a part of a co-op program at Northeastern, he was able to spend a semester building his first start-up, Cardly, with his co-founder[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Natalie Palmer — an Airbnb Ambassador, a 17x superhost, and the creator and host of the popular No Vacancy podcast.  Natalie was never really sure what she wanted to do when she “grew up”...but she was always quick to say “yes” when opportunities to step outside of her comfort-zone surfaced. [...]

Meet Alexis and Skeeter — the creators of The Kingdom A-Frame, a quintessential New England escape in Burke, Vermont.  Alexis and Skeeter love mountain biking and have traveled to Northeastern Vermont to traverse the Kingdom Trails for years!  These trails are known as the crown jewel of East Coast mountain biking. Alexis and Skeeter have three[...]

Meet Damian Sheridan, founder of The Book Direct and Scale Rentals Shows — a couple of the leading events for short-term rental hosts and property managers interested in building their direct booking strategies. Growing up, Damian wanted to be a professional footballer…but, he quickly learned that in addition to passion for the game, you needed[...]

Meet Janice Smith, the creator of the Cozy Rock Cabin (@cozyrockcabin), a 750 square-foot cabin on 3 acres of wooded land in Freeport, Maine. Janice has always had a knack for project management — and this skill has served her well as she led an ed-tech startup, launched her own video production agency, and brought not[...]

Meet Sara Roitman,  the creator of Field and Lake, a new collective of boutique vacation rentals on the shores of Lake Michigan. Sara is an attorney by trade and lives in Chicago with her beautiful family.  A few years back, Sara and her husband had purchased a vacation home on Lake Michigan so that they[...]

Meet Ethan Abitz — one of the OG Airbnb Instagram Influencers. Ethan first started using Instagram in high school to promote an apparel line he started. This was when Instagram let you upload a photo and select from just a handful of filters before posting your shot — no stories, reels, etc. In college, Ethan thought he[...]

Meet Spenser and Marcy Kernea, the creators of the Retreat at Fall Branch Falls, a pristinely crafted escape in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.  Spenser has always been a big dreamer.  And while Marcy is fond of big ideas herself, she often has to counterbalance Spenser’s idealism with just a smidge of realism. Spenser once had[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Jamie Lane, Vice President of Research at AirDNA. After spending a decade at CBRE, one of the country’s largest American commercial real estate services and investment firm, Jamie was itching for a change…   He had always loved the hospitality space, and the short-term rental space in particular, so when[...]

Meet Emir Dukic, founder and CEO of Rabbu. Rabbu helps investors find and manage short-term rentals.   Emir started working in tech via a cold email.  He reached out to the founder of Kick, which was a social network dedicated to talking about all things soccer, asking if he could help the company grow in any[...]

In just a moment you’ll  meet Evan Dolgow, Head of Predictive Hospitality at Jarvis ML.  Jarvis ML was founded by the guys over at Google who built the machine learning platforms powering Google Ads and Payments.  Evan and his team have a vision of democratizing the data and technology that OTAs have and making these[...]

Meet Lauren and Cam Green, the founders of The Fort Treehouse Company — Canada’s premier luxury treehouse company. Cam and Lauren met at summer camp.  They were a part of the same friend group for more than 15 years before they started dating, but once they did, it was clear that they were a perfect match.[...]

Meet Ali Nichols — Co-Founder of Getaway. Getaway is on a mission to make vacation rental real estate accessible to the next generations  of investors and to reimagine travel memberships by allowing investors to stay in the premier homes they own.  Ali has been interested in real estate since she was a young child.  She’d come[...]

Meet Heather Davis, the creator of the Stone City Treehouse in Hardwick, Vermont. Heather grew up in New York but always had great affinity for the Green Mountain State — so much so that her only criteria for where to go to college was that it had to be in Vermont.  In 2012 Heather started[...]

Meet Daniel Rusteen.  Daniel is the self-proclaimed “world’s best at Airbnb.” And before you laugh or roll your eyes, he’s got a pretty solid case for why this title is fitting.  Daniel worked at Airbnb for several years, launched his own Airbnb property management business, is building his own collection of luxe Airbnbs, has a[...]

Meet Nate Ritter — founder of Room Steals, a travel membership that provides customers with incredible deals on hotel rooms. Nate is a technology executive who has started, bought, and sold companies and who has also consulted for companies like Microsoft and Land Rover. Fun fact — Nate also popularized the use of the hashtag[...]

Meet Bryce Garcia.  Bryce works in sales for a SaaS company by day and is building his own collection of STRs by night. When Bryce’s mom found out he had bought a condo in Austin,  site unseen, during the middle of the pandemic, and planned to live in one room and rent out the other[...]

Meet Jon Kreye — an award-winning Airbnb and VRBO photographer. Growing up, you’d often find Jon in the backyard snapping photos of trees, flowers, and wildlife — he has always been moved by the beauty nature offers.  Jon dreamed of being able to do photography full-time, but was sober to the fact that making it as[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts —  an RV membership program that allows travelers to stay overnight at unique locations around the country including farms, wineries, breweries, and more. Joel is what you might call a creative hustler.  As a young teenager, you could either find him selling DVDs[...]

Meet Tyann Marcink  — the Queen of Guest Experience at Touch Stay, a digital guidebook platform for short-term and vacation rental hosts.  Tyann has a knack for charting her own path. She’s a resilient creative who owns 2 rental management brands and has been active in the vacation rental industry since 2007. Discover Tyann’s hot[...]

Meet Marcus Rader — Founder and CEO of Hostaway.  Marcus grew up in Finland.  He was quite a curious kid, but struggled to develop any lasting hobbies as he was easily distracted. After flying for the first time as a six year old, Marcus’ dream was to become a pilot.  Something about being at 30,000[...]

Meet Marc Hostovsky, Founder and CEO of Minoan —  a customizable, curated retail platform for short-term rental hosts.  Marc is a self-proclaimed boutique geek and is passionate about the future of retail.  After spending nearly 6 years working at Jet.com and then Walmart (acquired Jet.com), he quickly realized that the best product experiences don't happen[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Heather Bien and Adam Shapiro, the creators of Rosehill Cottage — a charming river house on the Rappahannock River in Virginia.  Heather works in marketing at a tech start-up by day and runs her lifestyle and travel blog by night, and Adam works for the federal government.   While the[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Vinny Breslin, founder of Uplisting — one of the industry’s leading short-term rental software & channel manager platforms.  Vinny was born and raised in Ireland. If you were to stumble into his room as a young kid, you might find Vinny taking apart a computer or a radio. When[...]

Meet Arthur Colker, Founder and CEO of StayFi.  Growing up, Arthur thought he wanted to be a politician.  He was intrigued by how power and influence could move society forward. After going to school in DC and interning on The Hill, Arthur realized that while he loved following politics, working in it wasn’t quite for[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Jason Neil — the creator of Golden Tiny Homes – a collection of minimalist short term rentals in Golden, British Columbia. Growing up, Jason liked working with his hands.  He always had an eye for making things better and this perspective ultimately led him to become a builder — like[...]

Meet Chad Ludeman, Co-Founder of Post Green Homes and Lokal Hotel. Chad moved around a lot as a kid, but spent high school in upstate New York.  He’s an engineer by trade, but an entrepreneur at heart. Courtney, Chad’s wife and business partner, was Chad’s most critical sounding board — she shot down most of[...]

Meet Dylan Petrich — Co-Founder of Wilder Ways,  a Texas-based hotel brand and management company.​ Dylan was born in Paris but grew up in London. After graduating from university he went to work in finance and split his time between London and New York. While finance was fascinating, Dylan grew tired of just looking at[...]

Meet Conrad O'Connell (@conradoconnell), Founder and CEO at BuildUp Bookings, a digital marketing agency that helps STR hosts increase direct bookings & build their brands. Conrad was working at a marketing agency after college.  This agency onboarded a new client in the boutique hotel space and Conrad was assigned to the account. Pretty instantly, Conrad[...]

Meet Debbie Todd, creator of The Woodlands at Hocking Hill. Debbie is a physical therapist and mother of three by day, and an STR host by night.  Debbie and her husband Jeff were looking for a vacation home that they could get away to a couple of weekends a month.  The idea of renting it[...]

Meet Madison Rifikin — Founder and CEO of Mount, a platform designed to help short term rental hosts upsell their guests.  Madison has always been a tinkerer. In 5th grade, she had the opportunity to enroll in an innovation program…and she was pretty much hooked on building things after that. One of the first products she[...]

Meet Jack Buck — a hospitality entrepreneur working on his first luxe vacation rental concepts in Sedona, New Orleans, and The Boulders in Arizona. Buck fell in love with travel after taking a motorcycle trip across Vietnam a few years ago. The beauty and adventure the country offered, coupled with the community he found while[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Justine Palefsky, co-founder of Kindred — a members-only community for home swapping. Growing up, Justine loved to read, ideate, and create. Her parents originally moved to San Francisco to follow the Grateful Dead and encouraged Justine to dream big and take bold risks even if others didn’t quite get it.[...]

Meet Jami Jenkins — the creator of The Carpenter’s Cabin — a top-rated, luxe cabin stay in Southeastern Ohio's Scenic Wonderland - Hocking Hills.   Jami has always had a knack for the creative. She remembers drawing up floor plans of beach cottages in elementary school and building furniture for her Barbies.    A graphic designer and[...]

Meet Jeff Wilson, the founder and CEO of Jupe.    Jeff is a serial entrepreneur in the real estate technology industry.  If you were to have asked Jeff as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would have either said a “garbage man”, “a doctor”, or “a builder of solar-powered[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Billy Chu — owner of The Blue Bungalow, a chic escape in Palm Springs, California.    Billy and his wife Becky are both doctors who live in Los Angeles and parents to young twin girls.    A couple of years ago, Billy and Becky joined an online community of[...]

Meet Stephanie Hays and Peter Woolcock — winners of Airbnb’s Live Anywhere contest.   Last summer, Airbnb announced that they were looking for 12 individuals who’d be willing to live full-time via stays booked on their platform for a year — and over 314,000 applicants from all around the world applied for this once in[...]

Meet Isaac French, the creator of Live Oak Lake, a collection of seven stunning cabins nestled around a small lake in Waco, Texas.  Isaac is what you might call a curious creator.  He was homeschooled growing up and his parents enabled him the freedom to pursue a plethora of interests — from art, to architecture, and[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Taylor Jones, Head of Acquisition at Superhost Labs.    Taylor was working in sales when COVID hit.  A few weeks after the world shut down, Taylor’s job was put on a two-month pause and he knew he had to start looking for a new frontier.   Taylor had always[...]

 In just a moment, you will meet Katrina Kuhn and Kathy and Sayres Dudley — the dynamic trio who brought to life The Dwelling Place, a special, peaceful escape in Radford, Virginia. Kathy was the 12th child in her family and was born on the land that would become Iron Heart Vineyard in Southwestern Virginia.  Kathy[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Hillary and Jason DeMeo — the creators of the IROX ONE, a Scandinavian modern retreat in Asheville, North Carolina. Hillary and Jason are serial entrepreneurs. A few years ago, the couple left their respective day jobs to go all in on an idea they had dreamed about for years.  And[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Megan and Darrin — the creators of the Lakeview Hilltop, a coastal-chic cottage on Claytor Lake in Radford, Virginia.  Originally from the California Bay Area, and a graphic designer by trade, Megan has always had an awareness of the role space plays in inspiring new ideas and perspectives. Darrin,[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Andrew Hunter — the creator of Airstream Island, a mid-century, tropical hideaway in Atlanta, Georgia. Andrew is an actor.  He will never forget the first time his mother took him to see Fiddler on the Roof.  He was transfixed by the characters in the show, but more bewildered by the[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Ryan Killeen — General Manager of The Annex Hotel. You might call Ryan a child of the hospitality industry.  He grew up traveling the world with his mom who worked in the luxury hotel space, and had the privilege of encountering a diverse set of cultures and experiences all around[...]

Meet Margaret Shutze — the creator and owner of Flat Mountain Farm, a luxury escape and events venue in the Appalachian Mountains of Highlands, North Carolina. Margaret has helped design some of the world’s most incredible luxury hotels working on projects for The Ritz Carlton, Belmond, Waldorf Astoria, and the Four Seasons.  And it was[...]

Meet Alex Breen, founder of BnB Buyer — a biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers a list of new Airbnb and other short term rentals that are for sale. Alex grew up vacationing in short term rentals —  in fact his family was an early adopter of VRBO.  One afternoon, while Alex was in Dublin, his[...]

Meet Mike Belleme — the creator of The Nook, an obsessively handcrafted Airbnb just outside Asheville, NC. Growing up, Mike loved to skateboard — at one point he even thought he might go pro.  But as he grew up, another craft he had dabbled in began to pique his interest even more.   And that craft was[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Joshua Nunnally, the creator of The Shelltown Sanctuary in San Diego, California.  Joshua is an artist.  Originally from Fresno, Joshua moved to San Diego to go to architectural school. A few years afterwards, in late January of 2020, he stumbled upon a home in southeast San Diego that seemed[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Steven and Kylee Niederhauser, the founders of Arrivls, a boutique vacation rentals management company based in San Diego, California. Steven and Kylee have always loved to travel.  They are the kind of people that would rather book a last-minute weekend getaway than wine and dine at California’s latest Michelin[...]

Get ready to meet Amy Corbett Co-Founder of All Belong Co — a collective of short term rentals based in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Amy and her husband Marc have a rich story.  The couple has been married for over twenty years and have two amazing children through the gift of adoption. After working in campus ministry for[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Navid Safabakhsh, the creator of Safa Farms —  a boutique eco-hotel featuring a collection of cabins outside of Guadalajara, Mexico. Navid is a serial entrepreneur. He founded an agency that helped build products for companies like eBay, Comcast, and LinkedIn before founding a company called Placeit which was a[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Kayla Stormont — the creator of The Apex Cabin in Big Bear, California. When Kayla would go to a toy store or jewelry shop as a kid, and ask her mom for a trinket or a pair of earrings, her mom wouldn’t often say, “No, I’m not buying you that,[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Kelly Cronin — the creator of Cronin's Castles, which is a new collection of unique short-term rentals.  Kelly has always loved to travel and refers to herself as a professional travel hacker — she once scored an $11 Southwest flight from Wisconsin to Puerto Rico!  By the time she visited[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Annie Sloane — Co-Founder and CEO of The Host Co. Have you ever been in an Airbnb and wished you could buy one of the coffee mugs, rugs, or pieces of artwork from the home?   Or perhaps wished you could order some groceries ahead of time so that you arrive[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Emily Padan — co-creator and co-owner of Hinter Company.  A few years ago, Emily left her career as a school teacher in Montreal to pursue entrepreneurship full time with her now husband, Mauricio.  The creative couple had a vision for building a luxurious, eco-friendly escape in the Canadian forest. [...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Tim and Cindi Spaulding — the builders, designers, and hosts of Salamander Ridge — a charming tiny cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.  Tim and Cindi, along with their three children, love the outdoors — the Spaulding family are avid campers, hikers, creek walkers, and trail runners.  One afternoon, after[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Daniel and Fawn Shear, the founders of Seasons' Yield Farm. Daniel, like his father before him, served in the military after graduating from college. During his first deployment to Afghanistan, his wife Fawn mailed him a book by Chad Robertson titled Tartine — a book of sourdough bread baking[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Michaela Carozza, the creator and host of one of Carmel Valley’s top-rated Airbnbs.  Michaela had been in the market for a property in Carmel Valley for many years.  She loved the diversity of beauty that the central California coast offered, but needed to find a place with both a[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Alla and Garrett Hohn — the creators of The Hohnstead, which is a mini-glamping resort featuring a collection of tiny cabins about 20 minutes from Missoula, Montana. Garrett’s father had always dreamed of buying a plot of land that the whole extended family could enjoy, so when he stumbled upon[...]

In just a moment, you’ll meet Andrew and Bianca — founders of the Serenity Hill Group, a growing collection of luxury Airbnb escapes in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Andrew and Bianca live in Boston, and while they love all that the city has to offer, their hearts have always found peace in the[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Louisa Conrad, Co-Founder of Big Picture Farm.  Big Picture Farm is a Vermont farmstead goat dairy and confectionery whose award-winning caramels have won over a dozen national awards...and while these candies are undeniably decadent, there is more to Big Picture than just the goat dairy…   After leaving their[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Maris LeBlanc and JR Amantea, the creators of The Little House of Essex — a chic cottage near the Connecticut River in the most quintessential of quintessential New England towns.   Maris has spent her career in real estate — mostly brokering luxury, waterfront homes along the Connecticut Shoreline.[...]

In just a moment you’ll meet Laura Gentry and Carollani Sandberg — the creators of The Sagecliff Satori, a luxurious Airbnb cabin in Quincy, Washington.  Laura and Carollani are what you might call “experience optimizers”.  They love to travel, try new restaurants, and explore off the beaten paths, but can’t help but do so with[...]

On this episode of Behind the Stays, you’ll meet Eli Clark and Alexa Lang from Clark Family Silos.    Eli grew up on a farm in Kalispell, Montana (about 30 minutes outside of Whitefish in the North-Western part of the state). After studying design in college, he moved to Carlsbad, California to work at a[...]

In a minute, you’ll meet Valerie Malone — Creator and Founder of Quill Decor, a design consultancy that specializes in short-term rentals.   Valerie studied interior design at Auburn University, but always had a knack for entrepreneurship. After running a successful Airbnb out of her basement in Bloomington, Indiana, Valerie fell in love with the Airbnb[...]

The idea was born on a road trip from Waco, Texas to Ferndale, California.    Merritt Brodt and her daughter, Callie Alexandre, had gone to the Lone Star State to source antiques for their artisan shop, The Farmer’s Daughter, in downtown Ferndale.    Callie, whose husband's married family owns and operates Alexandre Farms (one of[...]

They met at a Starbucks.  Amber was working as a barista and Tyler had just moved from Utah to Tennessee.  They didn't know it at the time, but just a few years later they would not only be life partners but business partners as well. The story behind the vision and building of the Little[...]

Meet Katie Denton — a mother of three small children and a lifelong lover of travel and fine hospitality.  On this episode of Behind the Stays, Katie shares the origin story of Bees Nees Getaways — a boutique rental home collection she founded with a focus on unique and dreamy experiences in the Outer Banks[...]

Suzie has spent most of her life working at the intersection of travel and customer service.  She traveled the world as a flight attendant for many years, before deciding to become a full-time Airbnb host. But there's so much more to her story... My wife and I stayed at this impeccably clean and serene cottage[...]

When they purchased their home in 2016, the Smith family had no idea what adventures lay ahead. On the far edge of their property sat an empty WWII train and a historic aircraft hangar... Fast forward just a couple of years, and these historic spaces have been transformed into gorgeous stays. Tune in for an exciting[...]

On this epsiode of Behind the Stays, Zach interviews Kristen Bishop — a real estate professional who purchased the historic guest on the Filene family's estate that would become "Camp Adelaide." The Filene family owned and operated "Filene's Basement", also called The Basement, which was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores that was owned by[...]

Welcome to Behind the Stays — a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite Airbnbs and the hosts who’ve made them memorable.