Rebuilding with Purpose After the Lahaina Fires

Are vacation rental operators missing out on bookings by saying no to pets? John Bradford, CEO of PetScreening, joins the VRMA Arrival Podcast to challenge common assumptions about pet damage, cleanliness, and the risks of allowing animals in short-term rentals.Drawing on his experience as a property manager, former North Carolina legislator, and pet technology entrepreneur, Bradford explains why blanket pet bans may be costing operators revenue while doing little to prevent unauthorized animals or pet-related issues. He shares practical advice on developing effective pet policies, screening animals, setting fees, managing guest expectations, and navigating service animal requirements. The conversation also explores how small touches—from providing waste bags to sharing local veterinary resources—can turn a pet-friendly property into a pet-welcoming experience that encourages repeat bookings.

The 2025-2026 ski season brought historically low snowfall to Aspen Snowmass and put vacation rental operators to the test. But Frias Properties entered the winter ahead of pace and ultimately outperformed the broader market, relying on a strategy built around early bookings, repeat guests, thoughtful revenue management, and strong guest service.In this episode of the VRMA Arrival podcast, Alexa Schlosser talks with Ben Wolff, general manager of Frias Properties, about how his team navigated one of the toughest ski seasons in recent memory without resorting to steep rate cuts. Wolff shares how technology helped Frias respond to changing demand, why repeat and direct business provided an important foundation, and how the company worked with guests and homeowners as conditions deteriorated.The conversation also looks beyond the ski market at lessons any vacation rental manager can apply when facing circumstances outside their control—from hurricanes and wildfires to economic uncertainty—including the value of travel insurance, monitoring booking pace early, and building guest loyalty long before a difficult season arrives.

In this episode of the VRMA Arrival podcast, VRMA’s Alexa Schlosser sits down with First Chair Destinations CEO Rishi Nigam and president and chief operating officer Bob Milne to discuss what they believe is the next phase of the vacation rental industry’s evolution.Drawing on decades of experience building companies like Wyndham Vacation Rentals and Vacasa, they reflect on the lessons learned from large-scale consolidation and explain why they believe long-term success will come from focused brands, empowered local teams, and memorable guest experiences—not simply adding more homes.The conversation explores the changing definition of growth, the role of technology in supporting (rather than replacing) hospitality, why local decision-making matters, and how First Chair is building a brand around mountain and coastal destinations with a clear identity and purpose. They also share their perspective on where the industry is headed and what will separate the companies that thrive over the next several years.

Ari Eryorulmaz didn't plan on building a career in vacation rentals. After accidentally entering the industry as a college student, he went on to become a property manager, entrepreneur, and founder of Extenteam, a company that now supports tens of thousands of units across the short-term rental industry.In this episode of the VRMA Arrival Podcast, Ari shares his perspective on the operational challenges property managers face as technology stacks become increasingly complex. He discusses why adding more software doesn't always create a better guest experience, how fragmented data can create friction for both guests and staff, and what operators can learn by booking their own properties as if they were guests.The conversation also explores the evolving role of AI in vacation rental operations. Rather than viewing AI as simply another automation tool, Ari explains how it can help orchestrate workflows, surface operational challenges, and free teams to focus on higher-value interactions with guests and homeowners. He also offers advice for property managers looking to scale, including how to evaluate technology investments and avoid losing focus on the fundamentals that drive long-term success.

Angie Leone, owner and CEO of Coconut Condos in Maui, joins the VRMA Arrival podcast to share how her business, family, and community were affected by the Lahaina wildfires back in 2023. She reflects on building Coconut Condos with flexibility and purpose, leading through crisis, the routines that helped her move forward, and the importance of building trust, culture, and community before they are needed most.

What actually starts to fall apart as short-term rental portfolios grow? In this episode of the VRMA Arrival podcast, brought to you by RealTech Webmasters, Corrine Harris, general manager at Operto, shares what she’s seen firsthand—from consistency slipping around 50 units to tech stacks becoming more of a burden than a solution at scale. Drawing on her experience as a former property manager, Harris walks through the operational pressure points that emerge as portfolios expand, including owner communication, team structure, and the risk of becoming the bottleneck. She also outlines a more sustainable approach to growth: standardizing early, simplifying systems, and building processes that create calm, not chaos.

In this episode of the VRMA Arrival podcast, Amber Knight, general manager at BookingsCloud, joins the show to unpack why marketing still feels intimidating for many short-term rental operators and why relying on pricing alone often falls short in today’s oversupplied markets.Drawing on her experience working inside large portfolios and competitive markets, Knight explains how OTAs have become the industry’s default marketing engine and how that convenience has left many operators without the data, habits, or confidence to actively influence demand. She challenges the idea that demand is fixed, arguing instead that visibility, timing, and trust play a critical role in driving occupancy and revenue.The conversation dives into common misconceptions around direct bookings, including why they must be intentional and guest-centric to succeed. Knight also shares why direct bookings tend to deliver higher value, longer stays, and longer booking windows and what operators need to do to earn guest trust on their own websites.Throughout the episode, Knight emphasizes a data-first mindset: breaking down silos between marketing, revenue, and operations; using performance indicators like booking pace and booking window; and treating marketing as a coordinated, measurable tool rather than an all-or-nothing gamble. She closes with practical advice for operators feeling overwhelmed—starting with curiosity, understanding customer acquisition costs, and reassessing whether long-standing processes still serve the business today.

In this episode of the VRMA Arrival Podcast, we sit down with Priya Khaira, editor of Short Term Rentalz, to talk about the seventh annual Shortyz Awards and what they represent for the global short-term rental industry.Khaira shares how the awards began seven years ago as a way to spotlight excellence in a fast-growing sector—and how they’ve evolved alongside the industry’s rapid professionalization. From a more formal judging process and expanded categories to a full-scale, dress-to-impress awards evening at The Westin London City, the Shortyz have grown into a major moment of recognition for operators, suppliers, and industry leaders.We also dig into this year’s categories, including new additions like Best Safety and Security Initiative and Best Travel Influencer, and explore what winning a Shortyz signals in today’s competitive market. Khaira walks through the judging process—combining public voting with a panel of 20 hospitality and STR professionals—and explains how the awards aim to ensure fairness, transparency, and industry-wide representation.Whether you’re attending in April or simply curious about how excellence is being defined in the short-term rental space, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at an event designed to celebrate the people and companies shaping the future of the industry.

In this episode of the VRMA Arrival Podcast, Pierre Camille Hamana, CEO and founder of Hospitable, joins us to unpack key findings from Hospitable’s newly released 2026 STR Industry Report and what they signal for hosts and professional property managers.Hamana explains why 2025 was a revealing year for the industry, marked by “stacked pressures” that included rising operating costs, softening demand, staffing challenges, and economic uncertainty. Rather than facing isolated problems, many operators experienced multiple constraints at once, forcing a renewed focus on discipline, efficiency, and day-to-day execution.Despite those headwinds, confidence remains intact. Nearly 60% of surveyed hosts and property managers plan to expand their portfolios in 2026, reflecting long-term belief in short-term rentals as a durable asset class. The challenge, Hamana says, isn’t demand for the product itself, but whether operators have the systems in place to deliver consistent performance and reliable financial returns.A major theme of the conversation is the evolving role of technology. Property management software is no longer just about channel distribution; it’s becoming an operating system for housing—centralizing pricing, guest communication, team coordination, device control, and owner reporting. Automation, AI, dynamic pricing, and smart devices are now core infrastructure, not optional add-ons.Hamana also shares practical advice for mid-size property managers planning for the year ahead, emphasizing operational efficiency over growth at all costs. Without strong systems, he warns, expansion only amplifies existing weaknesses. The operators best positioned for 2026 will be those who reduce variable costs, automate aggressively, maintain service quality at scale, and make their value to owners visible through clear reporting and performance metrics.

In this episode of the VRMA Arrival podcast, Lance and Elaine Stitcher of Seaside Vacation & Sales share the story behind their 2025 VRMA Excellence Awards win for Best Marketing Campaign, and why the campaign was never really about Seaside at all.Celebrating both their company’s 10th anniversary and the 100th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim, the Seaside team challenged themselves to do something bold: create an original, feature-length documentary that honored the island’s history, culture, and people. Led by a small but highly creative in-house marketing team, the project became the centerpiece of a year-long storytelling campaign that extended far beyond the film itself, generating millions of social impressions, significant follower growth, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in directly attributable bookings.Lance and Elaine unpack how the campaign came together, how they measured success, and why community-first storytelling consistently outperforms traditional “listing-first” marketing. They also share practical takeaways for property managers of any size—whether or not they have a milestone event or a big budget—including how to repurpose content, spotlight local characters, and let destination storytelling do the heavy lifting.