We are extremely excited to share a new podcast series, How To Save Your Vacation Rental Business, a 10-part educational series about better leadership hosted by industry advocacy leader Dana Lubner of Effortless Rentals Group in Denver, Colorado.
This podcast will be very different from our normal Unlocked podcast.
After interviewing some of the most progressive advocacy leaders in the space, Dana Lubner and I started to notice the patterns beneath the surface of how destinations were best solving the unfair regulation challenge. How vacation rental leaders were stepping up and uniting against the powers that be.
We distilled the common denominators down into ten core principles or steps needed to build more sustainable vacation rental businesses. We will be sharing one per episode with soundbytes from the stakeholders who know best.
Transcription
Matt Landau How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business is made by VRMB. And brought to you by Track Hospitality Software.
Dana Lubner It all started about three years ago, I was working alongside my brother at Effortless Rental Group, and we attended a city meeting and realized things were completely sideways hosts were being sent affidavits. And being even charged with felonies, we realized that if we didn't do something, our family vacation rental business was going to be shut down.
Matt Landau That's insane. And the premise of your livelihood all this hard work just being flushed down the drain.
Dana Lubner It really was.
Matt Landau What did that feel like?
Dana Lubner It felt personal on a deep level. Running a vacation rental business with family is really hard. You put your blood, sweat, and tears into it, and knowing how professional the industry has become. And the effort we were putting into operating in the city. It made me really scared to think we could lose it all just because of a few bad actors.
Matt Landau So it was like a turning point.
Dana Lubner Without a doubt, I knew if we didn't do something the game was over. The hosting community had to wake up and get together. My name is Dana Lubner. And vacation rental businesses like ours around the country are in danger of being shut down due to unfair regulation. This is my attempt to do something about it. Together with Matt Landau, we invite you to join us on a journey into the world of professional vacation rental advocacy. Learn from some of the wisest managers in the country, about their common denominators for success. Learn how to shape policy, use advice from Alliance leaders who were dropped into this role. Even consider the ideas from neighborhood advocates typically against short term rentals, about solutions that can work for us all.
Philip Minardi There's going to be five new council members elected in San Diego this year, who would have to learn the issue all over again.
Patricia Moore Unless you work with the community to figure out how it makes sense. The battle is not going to end. The city was basically trying to pass a ban on short term rentals. And even those of us who were in operation would have to stop.
Jessica Black We researched neighborhoods and schools and crime statistics before we settled on a neighborhood. We bought this to be our forever house to raise our girls. And so for parents, it was the loss of community.
Alex Lawson It's just a handful of stories told over and over and over again.
Jennifer Frankenstein-Harris If we're all taking care of addressing the concerns of hosts and travelers, we will help as a community weed out the bad actors.
Joe Pergolizzi There's enough business for everybody. And the bigger cause here isn't really our businesses, the bigger cause here is the actual regulations. And if we don't work together, we're really not going to have a chance this.
Eric Bay It's important for those who are too afraid. And for those who are lacking the knowledge or the resources, or for your housekeeper, or for your gardener or for your maintenance man. So this problem is bigger than you.
Dana Lubner The vacation rental movement is one of the fastest growing sectors in travel. But without better leadership, advocacy, and community building efforts. It may not be here tomorrow.
Philip Minardi Victory is a compromise policy that responsibly regulates our industry in a way that protects good actors and gives them the certainty that they need to invest in their vacation rental business for the long term, but also one that gives communities the certainty that they need to know that our industry is going to be a positive member of the community.
Dana Lubner From my friends at VRMB, this is How to Save Your Vacation Rental Business, a 10-part educational series about the do's and don'ts of sustainable short term rentals. I'm your host, Dana Lubner. And I'm really excited. Our first episode drops next month. Make sure you subscribe today so you don't miss a single episode. It's going to be awesome.
I'll take this chance to share how much I admire Dana and everything she has accomplished in her vacation rental career thus far. As one of those "unsuspecting" leaders who decided to step up and defend her vacation community in Denver, it's been really fun to watch her analytical mind go to work unpacking the bigger advocacy puzzle. Together with our production team at Mangofish Studios, it will be quite the treat to amplify everything she has to say.
I would also like to thank our friends at Track Hospitality Software for backing this project. Ever since Track was awarded one of our inaugural Keystone Awards last year, we've been looking for ways to work together. TRACK is a phenomenal rental property management software. These kinds of partnerships that allow us to share important stories and lessons and to do so with companies we really like: they are good for the vacation rental industry and the soul. We are very appreciative for that support!
To infinity and beyond!