Behind the Stays

Meet Mollie Reese, the host of the popular Stay in Good Company podcast and an experienced community builder who has spent her career working with leading brands across the the food & beverage and events & hospitality industries. Having recently left the world of corporate burnout and the hustle and bustle of city-living behind for a slower way of life, Mollie set out to pursue personal passions in travel.  Throughout her journey, she is in search for authentic stories to share, curious about different cultural experiences, and inspired to curate a community who, like her, seeks to be in good company.  In this episode, Mollie and I discuss:  Lessons she learned while working for brands like Anheuser-Busch, True Food Kitchen, and a couple of startups in hospitality Mollie’s thoughts on how the next generation of travelers will discern where to go and where to stay Her hot takes on how the next generation of travelers thinks about loyalty programs The biggest opportunities she sees for folks to build successful brands and businesses in this space Stream Stay in Good Company Visit Mollie's Website This episode is brought to you by our friends at StayFi. StayFi is enables you to create a custom branded WiFi splash page for your short-term rental’s WiFi — similar to what you might experience when logging onto the WiFi network at your favorite coffee shop.  StayFi enables you to collect the contact info of every guest staying with you, not just the one who booked…because who doesn’t need the wifi?  So if you want a frictionless way to capture guest contact info and empower your direct booking strategy with more data, sign up for StayFi at StayFi.com and use the discount code “BTS” for 20% off of your first year… If you chat with the team there, be sure to tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you their way!  Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.  

Meet Assaf Karmon, Co-founder & CEO of Turno — a marketplace that helps vacation rental hosts and property management companies simplify and automate cleaning. Assaf was born and raised in Israel and as a kid his dream was to be a professional soccer player. And while that dream never came to fruition, in part because Assaf spent most of his early sports career sitting on the bench, the determination, boldness, and focus he garnered as a child trying to level up his game, has enable him to become the entrepreneur he is today. In this episode, Assaf and I discuss:  The founding story of Turno The recipe for a successful working relationship with your cleaning team What separates the best cleaning teams from the rest of the pack His thoughts on working with one team in a market vs a multiple teams in the same market to reduce risk And the biggest opportunities he sees for entrepreneurs building new companies in the hospitality space Oh, and one last thing — Turno has graciously offered Behind the Stays listeners a $150 Amazon Gift Card after you complete your first turnover with them!  Simply go to turno.com/behindthestays to claim this offer before March 31st, 2024.  This episode is brought to yo buy our friends at Booklee. Booklee like a Linktree designed exclusively for Airbnb hosts and STR property managers.  If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re a hospitality entrepreneur that cares about building a brand for your Airbnb/STR business and that’s why many of you invest so much time into building your presence on Instagram. Knowing where to direct your Instagram followers to is always a challenge: Should you send them to your Airbnb listing directly to show off your incredible reviews?  Or to your direct booking site which is a little clunky to navigate on mobile but will save you 10-15% if your follower books direct?   Or maybe you’re testing out VRBO and Booking.com  Well, what’s amazing about Booklee is that you don’t have to decide.  Booklee allows you to create a stunning link-in-bio page that showcases everything about your property across all platforms. Booklee pulls in and aggregates your reviews across Airbnb, VRBO, and other OTAs, and invites guests to book via your direct booking site or their preferred OTA. Get 20% off your first year of Booklee when you reference Behind the Stays at checkout.  Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Jake and Leslie, the creators of the Lighthouse Cottage, an oceanfront escape in Cape May, New Jersey.  Jake and Leslie had always dreamed of owning a beach house, but acquiring a property in the competitive Cape May market seemed out of reach. That is until one day Leslie was scrolling on Zillow and noticed a new listing for a 100 year old property located right on the beach. The home clearly needed a lot of work but something about its character spoke to Leslie…and within hours she had called the realtor, packed the car, and paid the place a visit. And that visit?  Well, it’d end with Leslie calling Jake to convince him that this was the place they’d been searching for. Tune in to hear the story behind: How the couple renovated the home to dramatically improve its aestetic without losing the heart and soul of the property The pros and cons of DIY How they used design, photography, and Instagram to book the home out for the entire season in just 11 days What the future holds for the couple  And so much more Alright friends, without further ado, get ready to meet Jake and Leslie.  Follow The Lighthouse Cottage on Instagram Book your stay at The Lighthouse Cottage This episode is brought to you by Summer.  Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home. What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”  Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works: You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental. Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy. When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment. Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one. So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you their way. Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Rob Patterson, an incredible hospitality leader whose most recent post was as the CEO of Best Western in the United Kingdom. Rob grew up in a very remote town in the country of Australia. Growing up, Rob dreamed of becoming a professional footballer — so much so that when an opportunity to move to Sydney to pursue his dream came to fruition, he left home without thinking twice. And while he never wound up playing football professionally, Rob did stumble into another profession while living in the big city — and that profession, well, you guessed it folks, was working in hospitality.  In this episode you’ll discover: What Rob learned during his first hospitality job working in housekeeping at a Hilton  How dynamic pricing and the internet revolutionized the hospitality industry How Rob led Best Western through the pandemic and gained brand equity at a time when so many other hotel companies were struggling  Why he believes branding in the industry has lost its way and been driven more by investor needs than consumer needs and the opportunity for independent brands to stand out with clear, distinctive identities in light of this reality And so much more Alright friends, without further ado, get ready to meet Rob.  Connect with Rob on LinkedIn This episode is brought to you by our friends at StayFi. StayFi is enables you to create a custom branded WiFi splash page for your short-term rental’s WiFi — similar to what you might experience when logging onto the WiFi network at your favorite coffee shop.  StayFi enables you to collect the contact info of every guest staying with you, not just the one who booked…because who doesn’t need the wifi?  So if you want a frictionless way to capture guest contact info and empower your direct booking strategy with more data, sign up for StayFi at StayFi.com and use the discount code “BTS” for 20% off of your first year… If you chat with the team there, be sure to tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you their way!  Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Amber and Charlie Pledge, the innovative duo behind Kabn Company, specializing in luxurious and sustainable nature escapes in Scotland. They discuss the inspiration from their travels to Japan and Africa, which shaped their eco-friendly cabin designs. Listen as they reveal how they brilliantly balance luxury with sustainability, including securing a MICHELIN-Star chef for extraordinary dining experiences. They also share insights on the entrepreneurial leap from corporate life to crafting unforgettable getaways surrounded by stunning landscapes.

Meet Steve Turk — a decorated professional who has spent over two decades working in luxury hospitality. Steve’s father was a susccessful attorney. From time to time, his dad would bring him along on work travel and Steve remembers being in total awe at the hotels he and his dad would stay in. There was something so magical about walking into an ordnately decorated hotel lobby and being greeted as if you were some kind of royalty that left a significant impression on Steve. As Steve began thinking about what he wanted to do with his life during his later high school years, he assumed he’d just become a lawyer like his dad was.  But there was an idea that Steve just couldn’t shake…this nagging that pulled at his heart.  And that nagging was a desire to work in hospitality. Tune in to hear the remarkable story of: How Steve worked his way up to executive roles at Loews, Nobu, Mandarin Oriental and other luxury hotel brands Why he wound up leaving these coveted roles to become a hospitality entrepreneur And why he’s now building a luxury micro resort focused on sustainability and agritourism in South Florida. Follow Steve on LinkedIn Listen to his podcast The Hospitality Mentor  This episode is brought to yo buy our friends at Booklee. Booklee like a Linktree designed exclusively for Airbnb hosts and STR property managers.  If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re a hospitality entrepreneur that cares about building a brand for your Airbnb/STR business and that’s why many of you invest so much time into building your presence on Instagram. Knowing where to direct your Instagram followers to is always a challenge: Should you send them to your Airbnb listing directly to show off your incredible reviews?  Or to your direct booking site which is a little clunky to navigate on mobile but will save you 10-15% if your follower books direct?   Or maybe you’re testing out VRBO and Booking.com  Well, what’s amazing about Booklee is that you don’t have to decide.  Booklee allows you to create a stunning link-in-bio page that showcases everything about your property across all platforms. Booklee pulls in and aggregates your reviews across Airbnb, VRBO, and other OTAs, and invites guests to book via your direct booking site or their preferred OTA. Get 20% off your first year of Booklee when you reference Behind the Stays at checkout.  Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Ashley and Andy — the creators of The Glass Treehouse, a stunning couple’s stay in Banner Elk, North Carolina close to downtown Boone.  Andy is a mechanic by trade.  After spending years working in the airline industry, he decided to open up his own auto body shop in Charlotte, North Carolina. While Ashely and Andy loved the benefits that came with owning a small business, the couple dreamed of one day leaving Charlotte to move to the mountains. One day while scrolling through Zillow, Andy stumbled upon a house that had been on the market for 3 years…and, while he couldn’t have known it at the time, this dilapidated home that had been passed over hundreds of times would one day become one of Airbnb’s most wish-listed stays in the entire United States. Follow The Glass Treehouse on Instagram Book a Stay at The Glass Treehouse This episode is brought to yo buy our friends at Booklee. Booklee like a Linktree designed exclusively for Airbnb hosts and STR property managers.  If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’re a hospitality entrepreneur that cares about building a brand for your Airbnb/STR business and that’s why many of you invest so much time into building your presence on Instagram. Knowing where to direct your Instagram followers to is always a challenge: Should you send them to your Airbnb listing directly to show off your incredible reviews?  Or to your direct booking site which is a little clunky to navigate on mobile but will save you 10-15% if your follower books direct?   Or maybe you’re testing out VRBO and Booking.com  Well, what’s amazing about Booklee is that you don’t have to decide.  Booklee allows you to create a stunning link-in-bio page that showcases everything about your property across all platforms. Booklee pulls in and aggregates your reviews across Airbnb, VRBO, and other OTAs, and invites guests to book via your direct booking site or their preferred OTA. Get 20% off your first year of Booklee when you reference Behind the Stays at checkout.  Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

You've been asking what we've got planed for 2024 —  so here's a sneak peak! I'm calling this episode our "Winter Housekeeping" pod so if you’re just here for the guests I bring onto the show and don’t care too much about what we’re building at Sponstayneous or the community we’re cultivating through Behind the Stays, I am not offended, just ignore these episodes when they pop-up into your feed. But, if you ARE cheering us on and curious about what’s been happening behind the scenes of Behind the Stays, then lend me your ears for the next few minutes. We'll chat about: Hitting 1,000 subscribers to our YouTube Channel — if you haven't watched our videos, you can do so here.  A big update to Sponstayneous  StayWatch — Google Flight Alerts but for Airbnbs How hosts are using our Ping product to increase their nightly rates  The expansion of our host partner program I want to hear from YOU!  Send me an email at Zach@sponstayneous.com with your ideas on how we can take the show up a couple of notches in 2024!

Meet Jake Pontius — Co-Founder of Nook, a collection of North America’s most remarkable landscape hotels and outdoor accommodations.  After working as a business analyst at a timeshare company, Jake left the corporate world to pursue his passion of brewing craft beer and it was during this season of his life where he first fell in love with hospitality. Now while Jake fell in love with the industry while working in food and beverage, his family is no stranger to hospitality. Jake’s father, David, actually spent his career working in executive capacities at RCI, Hilton, and Bluegreen Vacations. In this episode, Jake and I discuss: Why he and Michael Goldin from Storied Collection and building Nook The value of building soft brands in hospitality  What his predictions on the future of experiential travel are Why he’s bullish on landscape hotels and outdoor accommodations  And so much more Connect with Jake on LinkedIn Learn more about Nook  This episode is brought to you by Summer.  Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home. What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”  Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works: You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental. Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy. When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment. Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one. So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way. Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

Meet Margot Schmorak, Co-Founder and CEO of Hostfully — one of the hospitality industry’s leading technology companies.  Margot started her career working in marketing at Apple during one of the company's most pivotal eras.  She remembers the launch of the very first iPhone quite vividly since she was the only person on the marketing team to NOT receive a phone since she was just an intern at the time. In this conversation, Margot and I discuss: The lessons she learned about marketing, startups, and company culture during her time at Apple Where the idea for Hostfully first came from How Hostfully grew from a digital guidebook to a full-fledged property management platform  How much money Hosttfully has raised so far Why she started a community for venture-backed founders who are also moms The gaps she seems in the hospitality tech space And so much more… Learn more about Hostfully here Listen to Margot's Episodes of The Pitch Podcast This episode is brought to you by Summer.  Summer takes the headache out of owning a vacation rental by taking care of sourcing, designing, furnishing and managing your home. What makes Summer especially unique is the pathway to ownership that they offer — think of this as an option to “try before you actually buy an Airbnb”  Here’s how Summer’s Gradual Ownership model works: You work with Summer to find the perfect vacation rental — one that’s in a market that you want to vacation to and also in a market that makes sense for a vacation rental. Summer guides you through the whole discernment process of where, when and what kind of home to buy. When you find the right home, put down a downpayment of 15+% but Summer buys the home for you and holds it for up to two years — during this time you can buy back the home from them any time you are ready or, after the two year period you can decide you DON’T want the home and get a full refund of your down payment. Also, Summer covers all of the closing costs and fees for the upfront purchase on the home, as well as furnishing and design. This means you pay far less out of pocket than you would if you bought the home yourself from day one. So if you’ve been looking for a way to beta test the whole Airbnb game, this is your sign. Go and chat with my new friends at Summer and tell them that Zach from Behind the Stays sent you there way. Have you signed up for Ping yet? Ping makes it easy for guests to be notified when their favorite Airbnbs become available — and it's the secret tool the best Airbnb hosts use to maximize bookings. Sign up today at bnbping.com About the Show Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.   You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.  Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.