Thanks For Visiting

In this episode, we're thrilled to have Sage Nathan, a seasoned hospitality enthusiast and key player at Minoan, as our guest. Sage is a self-proclaimed “boutique geek” with a passion for hospitality. Sage started her career in eCommerce and retail and spent over two years as an omni-channel buyer at Jet.com (later acquired by Walmart in 2016 for $3.3B) where she worked alongside Minoan’s founder, Marc. She then left Jet.com/WMT and joined Minoan in 2020. Minoan, a platform we faithfully use for our short-term rentals, allows hosts to furnish their spaces with high-quality items from over 160 brands, all at amazing discounts. Minoan takes on the “unsexy” sides of ordering like tracking, customer service, etc. so hosts can focus on what they do best – hosting! And the best part is, it's completely free to use! In this episode Sage will be sharing insights on how to maximize the capabilities of Minoan and new features on the platform, revealing how cohosts and even short-term rental designers can use the platform to optimize their furnishing needs. We'll also dive deep into the current popular buys among hosts, like the best-selling mattresses, linens, and rugs. Whether you're a veteran host or just starting out, Sage's behind-the-scenes insight and hosting hot tips are sure to help you streamline your processes and create the best experience for guests. So, tune in as we explore how you can optimize your guest’s experience through smart furnishing with Sage from Minoan.Resources:• LinkedIn: Sage Nathan• Website:  minoanexperience.com• #STRShareSunday: @pepinforesttreehouseThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.Nicole asks:There is construction going on right near our two short-term rentals. What do you recommend we do to ensure guests continue to have a great stay even through the construction projects?Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMAThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

We are thrilled to welcome former lawyer turned hotelier, Diya Liu, to the podcast. Diya is a true powerhouse in the real estate and hospitality industry. Drawing from her academic background in chemical engineering and biochemistry, she pursued a legal career in patent litigation. However, her incredible success in reaching $200,000 net rental income with short-term rentals led her to make the courageous decision to quit her job and fully immerse herself in the world of real estate investing. With her extensive portfolio, she owns four boutique hotels and around a dozen short-term rentals across the USA. As if that wasn't impressive enough, Diya is also the CEO of Welcome Capital, a remarkable $10 million STR and hotel fund. What sets Diya apart is her ability to leverage her legal background to teach others not only how to achieve financial independence through short-term rentals but also advanced techniques such as off-market acquisitions, creative financing with zero down payments, and innovative exit strategies like wrapped note transactions. She is passionate about sharing her expertise and empowering experienced short-term rental operators and owners to scale into hotel investing.We are honored to have Diya share her invaluable insights, experiences, and strategies with us on this podcast. Diya gives us the lowdown on where to find hotel acquisition opportunities in the best markets, unique marketing strategies for boutique hotels, optimizing operations with new technology, what’s in her buy box and why now is the golden era for boutique hotels. Get ready to be inspired and gain the knowledge you need to take your real estate and hospitality ventures to new heights.Resources:• Instagram: @DiyaESQ• Event: Western NC Hotel Bootcamp & Market Tour August 22-26• Facebook: Airbnb Professional Hosts: Short Term Rentals, Mid Term Rentals, and Hotels• Website: diyaliu.com• Twitter: @diyaesq• Facebook: Diya ESQ• Welcome Capital: thewelcomefund.com• CoStar: costar.com• Cloudbeds: cloudbeds.com• LoopNet: loopnet.com• Crexi: crexi.com• Ten-X: ten-x.com• #STRShareSunday: @thebrooklyninnThanks For Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.Ashley asks:How can we be sure that a single bad review doesn’t highly impact our bookings?Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMAResources:• IntelliHost: Use code TFV20 - Intellihost measures your search performance on Airbnb against your competition and provides data driven recommendations to book more revenue.• Rankbreeze: Optimize your Airbnb rankings and search visibility. Start improving your Airbnb rankings immediately with the SEO tool. Gain rankings, improve your revenue, and defend your listing against competitors.Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

In this special episode, we wanted to give you an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes at Thanks for Visiting. We've received countless inquiries from our listeners, coaches, and members who are curious about not only our property management operations but also how we run Thanks for Visiting itself. That's why we're thrilled to introduce our newest team member, Colleen Prochaska, who recently joined us as our Chief Operations Officer. Colleen brings an impressive background in hospitality, with over 10 years of experience as a hotel General Manager for top brands like Marriott and Hilton. We were blown away by her accomplishments, including earning guest satisfaction accolades and delivering financial successes in her previous roles. We couldn't help but think how incredible it would be to have Colleen on our team, and thanks to the support of all of you, we were able to make it happen.As our Officer of Operations, Colleen is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of Thanks for Visiting, overseeing our content creation efforts and property management operations. She walks through how she has approached setting our rates based on our occupancy rate, and how her calculated risks pay off for our business. She shares her tips and tricks through lots of reps in revenue management for pricing and occupancy strategies. She’s always ten steps ahead to the left and right, and Colleen's expertise, creativity, and passion for enhancing guests' experiences will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success of our podcast and our business as a whole. We’re so grateful to have her on our team, so let's dive in and find out what it's like behind the scenes with Colleen at Thanks for Visiting!Resources:• #STRShareSunday: @thevermontaframeThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.Suzanne asks:I’m building a luxury short-term rental that sleeps 16 people. What tips do you have to make sure the entire space – not just the bedrooms – are ready for big groups of guests?Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMAResources:• Use code TFV20 at IntelliHost.coThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

We have heard from you all that you would like a little bit more behind the scenes of what Annette and I get ourselves into, so we’re sharing about our current journey buying 175 acres of land out in Ohio. In this episode, we're going to go over the who, what, when, where, and why of this exciting new project. We share who we are collaborating with for this project and why we believe it’s a good partnership. We talk about our plan for the structures on the land, and how long it has taken us to find the right property. We also get into why we’ve chosen central Ohio as where we are investing in real estate, and the long list of “whys” we’re so excited about this next challenge.Resources:• BiggerPockets Podcast: biggerpockets.com• #STRShareSunday: @motojave1953Thanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.Ingrid from Columbus asks:What is your advice on guests wanting to bring rentals to our property, such as bounce houses and pop-up tents & chairs? What safety issues should we be concerned with?Extra thanks to Justin Ford from Breezeway for his expertise on this question.Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMAThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.

Today you’ll hear from a woman who left behind her corporate career for hosting. While it's hard to do, we've heard that story before. But here's a story you haven't heard; she made it her priority to get 70% direct booking, and in this episode, shares how she did it.Kerri Gibson is a CPA who spent the first 22 years of her career in international technology and development for tax and accounting firms. She has worked as an advisor to the Obama administration on tax legislation and was twice named one of the most influential CPAs under the age of 40 in the USA. After experiencing burnout, Kerri reevaluated her career and priorities. In 2017, she pivoted to the hospitality and real estate investment sector, including short-term rentals, and discovered her passion for entrepreneurship, hospitality, and design. Chalets Hygge, founded in 2017 by Kerri and her partner Philippe, has become a recognizable short-term rental brand in Quebec, Canada. They have built a brand that contributes to the local economy and culture by focusing on guest experience, passion for supporting sustainable and local businesses, and involvement in local government and tourism associations. Their success is evident in the numerous publications and television spots featuring their properties. By focusing on building a direct booking business, they have achieved an impressive 70% direct booking rate, allowing them to maintain control over the customer experience and build a loyal customer base. Kerri’s journey is definitely one to learn from and aspire to, and we know you’re going to learn so much from this conversation.Resources:• Website: chaletshygge.com• Instagram: @kerri_reinvented• Read: Start with Why by Simon Sinek• LinkedIn: Kerri Gibson• Read: The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman• Lodgify: lodgify.com• #STRShareSunday: @littlewolflodgeThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.Minoan | Minoan helps short-term rentals and boutique hotels enhance their appeal with their customizable, curated retail platform.Minoan | Visit MinoanExperience.com and tell them TFV sent you!Breezeway | Go to breezeway.io/tfv to claim your free implementation when you start a Breezeway account.

Welcome back to the Hosting Hotline! This is an Ask Me Anything where each week we’ll answer your questions on Airbnb, STRs, real estate, and everything in between.This week’s question:What advice and information do you have for hosting pets; specifically dogs?Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. To hear your voice on the show and send a question to Sarah and Annette, visit Speakpipe.com/ThanksforvisitingAMAResources:• Pet Hair Dryer Sheets• Pet Microfiber TowelThanks for Visiting is produced by Crate Media.Mentioned in this episode:Hosting Business Mastery Method | Join us for our live, free, host masterclass and learn how to OWN your digital real estate!HBMM | Sign up today at hostmasterclass.com.