Holiday Let Success | Vacation Rental | Marketing | Elaine Watt | Property Investing | Serviced Accommodation | Holiday Renta

SIMON LEHMAN - THE ROAD TO POST PANDEMIC RECOVERY - NEW LANDSCAPE ON THE HORIZON Taken the The Short Stay Virtual Summit that took place in May of 2021 - Simon Lehmann, winner of the 2021 Shortyz Pioneer Award shares his knowledge and experience on thriving post lockdown and what we can do now to ensure recovery. Simon Lehmann is one of very few world-class vacation rental industry professionals with vast experience across several years in several roles within the Industry. In this talk, Simon shares his high level view of the Industry as a whole and how we as individuals can navigate what's happening right now. Simon describes what he sees the new future of the Industry looking like and what we can do to prepare for the upcoming changes and brand new landscape. Register for the May 2021 Short Stay Virtual Summit - find the link inside the facebook group www.hlspodcast.com/FB

Sebastien is the CEO and founder of BookingSync & now Smily, channel managers & vacation rental booking software for the short stay professional with single or multiple properties. Sebastien grew up in a family that owns and runs several vacation rental properties, he has experienced the evolution of the industry from the inside so a great viewpoint The values behind the company have really driven this tech to become something that not only supports owners, it also tailors a great stay for the guest, supports charities and more. Listen to the full episode www.hlspodcast.com/smily Join the facebook group where we have an awesome community, weekly live training and #ChattyTuesday too :) Join the group: www.hlspodcast.com/FB

So excited to share this audio of a Mini group Training on Making Social Media easy for you in your Short Term Rental Business

Jessica Gillingham joins me from Abode PR - Jessica is the founder and director of Abode PR. She started her marketing and PR career working in the travel industry for a Canada specialist tour operator over 20 years ago and now specialises in public relations and content marketing for the short-term rental industry   SHORT STAY VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2021 - PLANNING IS UNDERWAY !! :) I need your help - I want to make this event the absolute best it can be for 2021 and I would love your input! I have created a series of polls and i'll be chatting with you inside the group on live vids to talk through what you want to see - so come over and tell me what you want to see :) www.hlspodcast.com/FB

Imagine what getting started with vacation rental direct booking can do for your business – whether you think of your business as a vacation rental, holiday let, short term rental or serviced accommodation, direct bookings with the right booking engine supporting you to streamline the guest experience can be business life-changing. When you shift your focus away from the listing sites, accept that they aren’t on your side and that they will continue to move the goalposts on a whim (algorithm changes, going against your own business policies, rising commissions, changes in T&C’s) all affecting your business and leaving you out of control, and start implementing Direct Booking Strategies consistently you’ll have an entirely different outlook on how the future of your business could look. Imagine working from a place of: Peace of mind Feeling & being in control Looking ahead & seeing a full calendar Taking informed proactive action ahead of time to fill any calendar gaps Operating from a place of knowledge, no more overwhelm or not knowing where to start  Seeing & enjoying the results of your committed action Well, you have the opportunity to do just that, and a great place to start is with what you already have! www.hlspodcast.com/bookdirect

Chris joins me from i-Prac, the verification platform that approves property owners and rental agencies around the world, bringing transparency & building the trust that is so needed moving forwards Join the facebook group to talk all things #BookDirect www.hlspodcast.com/FB

Marketing on Your Terms - Strategies for Now For More Direct Bookings These expert sessions are all extremely relevant as we face more lockdowns and travel restrictions - This Free Online Event with 30 Expert Speakers sharing their knowledge, Strategies and Tactics for going beyond survival and into Thriving in Today's Short Stay Industry is still available right now. You can register from inside the facebook group - join the facebook group here. www.hlspodcast.com/FB SHORT STAY VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2021 - PLANNING IS UNDERWAY !! :) I NEED YOUR HELP - I WANT TO MAKE THIS EVENT THE ABSOLUTE BEST IT CAN BE FOR 2021 AND I WOULD LOVE YOUR INPUT! I HAVE CREATED A SERIES OF POLLS AND I'LL BE CHATTING WITH YOU INSIDE THE GROUP ON LIVE VIDS TO TALK THROUGH WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE - SO COME OVER AND TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE :)

Welcome to #BookDirect month 2021 - it's the fourth year and in this episode I talk about what it is, how important guest education is on the #BookDirect message and how to make every day, every month and every year all about #BookDirect for you and your business. I also reintroduce myself in this episode to anyone who is new to the podcast - I also let you know about all the FREE Resources we have right now - loooads going on in terms of support over here in HLS world! Best thing to do is meet me over in the Facebook Group - www.hlspodcast.com/FB then all the links you need to all these amazing resources are there: First the Facebook Group is full of allsorts of cool stuff and I'm going live daily for #BookDirect Daily in there every day of Feb. You can also access The Short Stay Virtual Summit from there - more than 25 experts helping you navigate the new landscape we are heading into. Short Stay Pros FREE Membership area also has loooads of cool thing to help you! PLUS - Inside the facebook group this week I've created 10 FREE #BookDirect Social Media Templates you can tailor for you and your business and use to share your short term rental business :) See you on the inside - www.hlspodcast.com/FB

HOLIDAY LET CAPITAL ALLOWANCES EXPLAINED AND SIMPLIFIED Arthur Kemp joins me from Exact CA – or Exact Capital Allowances – where he and his team have been working for the past 10 years to provide niche tax relief solutions for all commercial property owners – specialising in Short Stay, Serviced Accommodation & Holiday Properties This is a must listen episode for anyone thinking about purchasing a holiday let | serviced accommodation | short stay property. 'Getting this right could be the difference between between an investment going ahead or not - on a £200k property you could be looking at £30k ca savings' Arthur Kemp Listen & get in touch with Arthur here: www.hlspodcast.com/exactca Join the Short Stay School Free Members Area for a series of awesome actionable downloads to use and tweak to your own Join the Facebook group for community, weekly live trainings, chat & support See you on the inside!

There's some things to look out for in the planning & decision making process when you're getting started with your own Holiday Let - in this training I go through some of questions to ask yourselves, what to look out for an what to plan for, plus some great resources to help you kick everything off. You can also watch this training and see the slides and lists and links I mention inside the Facebook Group at www.hlspodcast.com/FB - Join today and I'll see you on the inside :)

Jessica is the co-founder of Guest Hook. Guest Hook provide professional copywriting services for short stay professionals, or in their own words: they help small accommodation providers book more guests with writing services like property descriptions for the listing sites, website content, content marketing plans, brand storytelling, and more. We look at how you can get going with copywriting for your holiday let | short stay | vacation rental property to give your ideal guest the confidence to book with you easily. www.hlspodcast.com/jessica

Your Channel Manager will be the foundation of your business - so choosing the right one is super important. In this episode I go through the elements that I look for in a channel manager and I know I absolutely couldn't live without in my business. I recorded this as a video training so you can catch the full video inside the Facebook group at www.hlspodcast.com/FB - see you on the inside!

Alison Curran is a successful holiday home owner based in the beautiful city of Bath in the UK, she owns and runs Bath Apartments Breaks - 2 central and stunning apartments for 4 people to enjoy as their base when they visit the City. Also, Alison is doing something a little different - and a group of local holiday home owners have come up with something special to promote not just their destination but booking direct with the owners there. Head to the shownotes for this episode: www.hlspodcast.com/fightback Join the Facebook Group: www.hlspodcast.com/FB Go to the Short Stay Virtual Summit: www.bit.ly/shortstayonline  

Sheli Grumet joins me from Guesty where she is Marketplace Business Development Manager. Guesty’s Marketplace is a collection of providers that offer services that contribute to Guesty's mission - tech that reduces the workloads of short-term property managers and provides the right tools to grow their businesses. www.hlspodcast.com/sheliguesty

Karen Mullins joins me from HomeAway, where she is Regional Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. HomeAway is a holiday rental marketplace offering more than 2,000,000 holiday rentals globally and was one of the very first listing sites to the Short Stay Industry Karen shares how the site is evolving with the Industry and is here to stay and shares her valuable insight in how to get the best out of the platform as Short Stay Providers and Karen also shares her unique insight into where she feels the Industry as a whole is headed for the future. www.hlspodcast.com/homeaway

Mark Simpson joins me from Boostly, the marketing agency for The Hospitality Industry, where he is founder - with 20 years in the Hospitality Industry and a mind for marketing and online tech, Mark has built up a wealth of knowledge on how to get your Short Stay to stand out from the crowd and take control of your own marketing as an accommodation provider www.hlspodcast.com/marksimpson

Deborah Heather joins me from Quality In Tourism, as part of M-Assessment services, they help Hospitality owners assure guests that their host is dedicated to high standards within their business to ensure a memorable guest experience. Take a look at the show notes and get in touch with Deborah at www.hlspodcast.com/qualityintourism

Simon Smith joins me from Lune Living - the UK Company dedicated to providing fine fabrics that are sourced ethically and are ecologically thoughtful, both in production and in the ongoing care of the fabrics. The Smith family have been producing fabrics since 1884, and have constantly evolved to meet the concerns of both their customers and the planet. For holiday home owners, keeping costs and their carbon footprint low is something that affects not only our bottom line, but how we plan to build a sustainable short stay industry for the future. Lune have very kindly offered a 15% Discount for Holiday Let Success Listeners - full details on how to claim your 15% Discount in the podcast. Listen today www.hlspodcast.com/lune

Fred Lerche-Lerchenborg joins me from Lavanda, the award-winning SaaS that is shaping the future of Short Stay Businesses, giving them the foundations on which to grow, scale & distribute http://hlspodcast.com/lavanda

Top Hog Humphrey Bowles joins me from GuardHog - GuardHog have created a seamless Tech experience for Hosts that ensures you only insure your Short Term Let for the duration of the bookings you have, offering a no nonsense way to cover and save in one dashboard. http://hlspodcast.com/guardhog

Vered Schwarz joins me from Guesty, where she is COO. Guesty is an end-to-end property management platform for short-term rentals, providing users with features including a multi-calendar tool that syncs all their listings, a unified inbox that syncs all messages across several channels in one place, automated task capabilities, 24/7 guest communication services and more. Recently the company raised $35M in Series C funding, bringing it’s total number raised to $60M, making it the highest-funded short-term property management platform on the market. Vered also talks to me about Women in the Industry and her recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine. Take a look at the full episode show notes right here www.hlspodcast.com/guesty

On 8th November 2019, the very first Short Stay Show Summit took place at the Hotel Hesperia Tower in Barcelona. Here’s what went down! www.hlspodcast.com/sssbarcelona

Short Stay Show Podcast - Big Data & Marketing - Graham Donoghue - Sykes Cottages Graham Donoghue is CEO at Sykes Holiday Cottages, the leading and fastest-growing independent holiday cottage provider, offering over 17,000 holiday homes across the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. "We are the fastest growing independent holiday cottage provider." Graham Donaghue Graham joined me on the podcast to tell us what an experience of advertising your holiday home with Sykes Holiday Cottages entails - he shares the huge growth that Sykes has seen over the past 3 years and an insight into the future plans of this fast moving company. www.shortstay.show www.hlspodcast.com/sykes

Short Stay Show Podcast - Mass Exposure for Your Short Stay - Vanessa De Souza Lage - Rentals United Vanessa De Souza Lage is the CMO at Rentals United, the channel manager that provides a central location for your all your advertising channels, syndicates your listing out across these sites, saving you hours of work in your Short Stay business. Listen to the full episode and get in touch with Vanessa on the website www.shortstay.show www.hlspod.com/rentalsunited

This is the last in our three-part podcast series with Booking.com’s Ale Pacillio. On our last podcast, we talked a good deal about how Booking.com is addressing some of the toughest challenges vacation rental owners face. Today, we will be talking about the future of Booking.com and exciting developments underway at the company that can help your business grow. www.hlspodcast.com/bdc3

Short Stay Podcast | Alessandro Pacilio | Care. Help. Achieve | Booking.com   Following on from our 1st Booking.com Podcast, where we delved into the industry at-large, today Ale Pacillio will be answering some of your questions today on what Booking.com is doing to help make life easier for you as a VR owner

In this episode Alessandro Pacilio joins me from Booking.com, where he leads product marketing for the company’s homes and apartments division focused on professional short-term rental partners. Booking.com is one of the largest travel platforms on the planet, but lesser known is that it has an entire department of its business dedicated to homes and apartments. We get to know more about Ale and his role within BDC and he shares some exciting insights into the growth of the short stay side of BDC, where the best place to rent out a short stay property is and the benefits of being on Booking. com as a Short Stay Owner or provider. They also talk about tips, trends and insight about how property owners, managers and investors can deliver the best experience for guests and travellers. Listen to the full episode and have a read of the show notes at www.hlspod.com/bdc1

Short Stay Show Podcast - Luggage Storage Network - Catherine & Jack - Stasher Stasher came about in 2015 as the brain-child of two Oxford Graduates.  Anthony lived near Kings Cross in London and regularly had friends asking if they could leave bags at his place so they could explore the city. They quickly realised hundreds of people must have this problem each day, and with struggling small high street businesses across the city that have extra space, this could be the perfect place to store them. They now have over 1000 storage locations across the world, all over Europe, US, Aus and Asia including hotel brands like Acccor and Premier Inn.    Join me as Catherine & Jack from Stasher share how this genius luggage storage idea can ease the arrival and departure of guests into your property and give them a better experience, whilst removing an issue for you as Short Stay Providers www.shortstay.show www.hlspod.com/stasherofficial

Short Stay Show Podcast - Guest Experience Tablet - Henry Bennett - YourWelcome   Henry joins us from YourWelcome where he is CEO - YourWelcome is a smart tablet for short term rentals that is left out for guests and acts as the informational and transactional portal during their stay. Owners and managers can leave video instructional guides and upsell additional services (eg late check out) through the tablet. YourWelcome is installed in over 15,000 short stay properties globally. In the second of a series of special podcast episodes with The Short Stay Show we meet Henry Bennett and learn about all things guest experience, automation and making more profits with your #holidaylet www.shortstay.show www.hlspod.com/yourwelcome

The first in a special series of Short Stay Podcast Episodes Louise Birriterri joins me from Pikl, where she is CEO. In short – Pikl are Insurance People - preserving the things you love. Louise shares all things protection and what you can do to be sure you're covered and some surprising insights into Insurance for the Short Stay Industry. Pikl attended the Short Stay Show in Excel in March of 2019 at Excel London, she shares her views on the importance of the show and what it is doing for the Short Stay Community & Industry as a whole. Hear the full episode www.shortstay.show and book your place for March 2020. Get in touch with Elaine at www.hlspod.com/pikl

Lorraine is a seasoned property professional, online business entrepreneur and a busy mum. Together with her husband, they’ve built a sizeable portfolio of properties and together they have branched out one arm of their business into the Holiday Let Industry, and she’s here to share her experience with us today. We talk all things: *Remote property management *Guest experience *Choosing your market & serving them *Multi generational holiday provisions *Wheelchair friendly accommodation Listen to the full episode www.hlspod.com/newera

Why build your Direct Bookings? More control over our businesses, freedom from the OTA Trap, No Commissions = More Profits In this episode I outline 2 competition strategies for two different goals that I've been running and have been effective recently inside my business at boosting Direct Bookings. I walk you through the steps I've taken for the two different strategies and the outcomes I'm aiming for and have produced so far Hear the full episode: www.hlspod.com/comps

A real powerhouse of an episode - Sonja and I talk all things marketing and break down the marketing terms you'll have heard of and what they mean. Starting from the ground up. We talk branding and the right message, how to automate some of the repetetive marketing tasks, and share some great tools you can put to work in your business right now! hear the full episode and get to the shownotes page right here www.hlspod.com/lovemondays Canva course - www.hlspod.com.canva

Prolong the Life of Your Mattress and improve your guests experience! Who knew just how much nastiness could be left inside a mattress, even with the protective covers that I know you're all using - well Kate knows exactly what's left behind because she cleans them ! Which not only help give your guests a fabulous nights sleep, but prolongs the life of the mattress. Also known as your investment! Connect with me and read the show notes at www.hlspod.com/freshsleep

We all want more direct bookings right? More control over our businesses? Our marketing? our rules? Of course we do. And to do that we need to really share that Booking Direct is even an option for guests, many don't realise and automatically go to the OTA's (Online Travel Agents) or Listing sites. #BookDirectHour has been created to bring holiday let owners together, to share our best deals for guests to book direct and show the listing sites that there is a community out here who want to work with them, but are fed up of being dealt with like we're the final thought and we no longer want to have rules pushed onto our businesses. Join this movement, let's work together to really make a difference and get this #tag trending! See you on twitter #BookDirectHour with @holidayletpod 12pm uk time www.hlspod.com/bookdirecthour

Build Your Network - Get More Direct Bookings Ever been asked by a potential guest for a property you don't have ? Whether it's the location, the date, the size, the facility that doesn't quite fit? Yes. Me too. And so has Deborah Labi - many times over in her 13 years in the Holiday Let Industry. Deborah realised she had turned away thousands of pounds worth of bookings over the years due to not having exactly what the guest wanted in her own portfolio and didn't have the network locally to refer the guest to. The Have You Got Network was born! Learn how you can join, get more bookings and give your guests great service Listen to the full episode here www.hlspod.com/haveyougot

Rental fraud is sadly becoming more and more prevalent in our Industry and it's tainting what we've all worked so hard for - it's time to take a stand, make changes, protect our guests and our industry and stamp out the criminals who regularly elude the authorities. Chris is the founder of I-Prac, the verification platform that approves property owners and rental agencies around the world, protecting travellers from rental fraud. What that means in real terms though - is protecting families planning exciting holidays and looking forward to creating special memories together from arriving on their long planned and awaited trip only to find their dream villa they paid that huge £5k deposit for….doesn’t actually exist. The knock on effect of protecting travellers, is protecting us and our Industry. Hear the full episode at www.hlspod.com/i-prac

Soooo much exciting stuff going on in the Holiday Let Industry, many in person and online meetups - so dive in and start hanging out with proactive Holiday Home owners and managers just like you with these top holiday let industry events! www.hlspod.com/events

091: VR Scheduler | Jill Mason | Automate Workflow, Get More Done There's always so much to track, schedule, plan and check when looking after a Holiday Home... Jill Mason joins us from VR Scheduler - the online tool that helps you automate vacation rental workflow so you can get more done in less time! www.hlspod.com/vrscheduler

On 14th March 2019 the very first Short Stay Show took place at Excel in London and this is what happened! Hear from some of the speakers and exhibitors giving the lowdown on their experience of the day, head to the show notes page to connect with the people from The Short Stay Community that I was lucky enough to speak to! www.hlspod.com/ssreview

089: Noiseaware | The Smoke Detector for Noise Noisey guests can be a huge headache for owners in the short term rental industry. Andrew Schulz from Noiseaware along with Co-Founder dave Strauss are on a mission to change that ! They have created smart noise sensors which will alert you to any issues in your property, wherever you are in the world. In short they're giving people the power to know the noise level at their property anytime, anywhere.Or, as the guys both told me when I first met them at the London UK VRTech Live in March 18, they're party pooping their way around the globe! listen now at www.hlspod.com/noiseaware

This is the show the UK Short Term Stay Industry has been waiting for - taking place in March 2019 on the 14th at ExCeL London! Listen to Diane Lloyd, co-organiser, tell us all about what to expect and why it's a must attend event. Listen all the way to the end where I share a discount code only for listeners of the Holiday Let Success Podcast! www.hlspod.com/shortstayshow

088: Beginners Guide to Channel Managers So what is a Channel Manager anyway ? And why do I need one? At the beginning of my journey as a Holiday Home Owner there were plenty of terms that popped up that I was unfamiliar with - Channel Manager was definitely one of them - but as time has gone by and I've learned and implemented I now know what a Channel Manager is and what an integral part of my business it is. www.hlspod.com/channelmanager

087: Sean T Miller - Pointcentral - Smart Home Solutions Sean Miller joins us from PointCentral who provide Smart Home Solutions for the future focussed Vacation Rental owner. Their Vacation Rental Smart Home Solutions work to improve security, reduce energy costs, streamline operations and impress guests.   Take a look at the full post here and connect with Sean Have you used Smart Home Technology in your Short Stay Accommodation? Let us know how it works for you in the Holiday Let Success Podcast Community right here

086: Beginners Guide to OTA's Holiday Rental Websites, OTA's, Booking Sites or Listing Sites? Let's start by looking at what the heck an OTA is anyway, Online Travel Agent apparently - yes I was as confused as you with the term initially too - but I'm going to talk you through my understanding then see how we can best fit them into our businesses! www.hlspod.com/ota

086.5: Merilee Karr - Under The Doormat - Bringing Community to The Short Term Letting Industry Merilee is the founder of Under the Doormat, a London based, short term home accommodation company rooted in the sharing economy.  With a sharp focus on customer service for both owners and guests, they are different to the norm and offer the quality of a hotel in the comfort of a home Listen to Merilee's background, her involvement in advocating for the Industry as one of the founders of the STAA and her input with The Short Stay Show: Listen now: www.hlspod.com/underthedoormat

Have You Got Luggage Storage? Answer the question most guests ask - have you got anywhere I can leave my luggage before check in or after check out? Listen to this episode to find out how you can help your guests experience, offer luggage storage, but without the issue of where it'll all go! hlspod.com/stasher

I've learned a lot since becoming a holiday home owner - some more surprising than others, and I thought it'd be fun to share ten things that I didn't know and didn't expect to have to know. Some are big, some are smaller, all have had to be negotiated and worked around in my journey so far - and I'm sure there'll be many more realisations moving forwards! One things I talk about is becoming a marketer - to get hold of the Facebook Ads beginners Step by Step guide I talk about in this episode head to www.hlspod.com/10things

Simon Tolson is a Holiday Let manager based in Cornwall,  drawing on his past experience as a Financial Adviser, he built his own portfolio and helped others find and renovate their dream properties before moving onto running a collection of brands including Above Beach Cottages, Portleven Holidays, Niche Retreats, ABC Mousehole Cottages and the Visit Porthleven website. Simon joins us today to share his vast knowledge on the Industry as a whole, the changes he has brought all of his businesses through and his insights and predictions on the future of the Booking sites Take a look at the show notes page, grab the resources we talk about in the episode and connect with Simon right here Ready to do more with your Holiday Let Business? Join The HLS Learning Hub - Join our membership site today where you have access to all our Free Resources for Holiday Home Owner! Get involved right here

In this episode I'm talking about systems & processes within your Holiday Let Business and why it's important and something we can all do within our businesses. “Let systems run the business and people run the systems”  Michael Gerber Get access to the Free Email templates I mention in this episode to help you get up and running with systemisation by joining the HLS Learning Hub, our Membership area right here: www.hlspod.com/resources Head to the show notes page for more free stuff and to get hold of the links to the other cool things I mention in this episode: www.hlspod.com/system

David is the co-founder of Hostfully, a digital welcome book that allows you to share key pieces of information your guest needs in the run up to their stay, as well as sharing information about the property itself and the local area, giving guests a great user experience and reducing time spent answering queries from guests for us!