STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

Епизоде

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  046: The Biggest Lie in Vacation Rental Reviews! | Ashley Ching 15.09.2026 42мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://link.simonlehmann.net/widget/bookings/simon-lehmann-personal-calendar-igt0r2y3pbjffnt A five-star vacation rental review tells you whether a guest was satisfied. But does it tell the next guest what level of service to expect? In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Ashley Ching, founder of Inhaven, about the trust problem facing short-term rentals. We explore why reviews cannot define a property’s promise on their own, why ear...
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  How Top STR Operators Actually Use AI to Scale 08.09.2026 14мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation Most property managers already use AI tools - but very few have truly integrated artificial intelligence into their operations. A chatbot, AI-generated listing descriptions, or a few automated responses are not enough to create a lasting competitive advantage. In this video, I explain where AI delivers measurable results in short-term rental and property management businesses. I break down four key ar...
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  045: The Real Cost of Furnishing a Short-Term Rental | Andria Santos 01.09.2026 52мин

  Most short-term rental operators invest heavily in acquiring a property - but treat furnishing and interior design as an afterthought. Yet design may be one of the most powerful levers for increasing bookings, improving guest reviews and driving more revenue. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Andria Santos, Founder and CEO of Fülhaus, about why furnishing remains one of the most undercapitalized decisions in the short-term rental industry. Andrea explains how operators shou...
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  044: Hotel vs. Airbnb Is Over: Here’s What Wins | Niko Karstikko 25.08.2026 53мин

  Hotels, serviced apartments and short-term rentals are moving closer together - but most hospitality companies are still operating as if these old categories matter. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Niko Karstikko, Co-Founder and CEO of Bob W, about the emergence of a new, technology-enabled hospitality category built around flexibility, consistency and the needs of the modern traveler. Niko explains why the Airbnb generation expects more than either traditiona...
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  043: Why Big Property Managers Should Be Worried | Jannik Abraham 18.08.2026 57мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation Small hosts are becoming more professional, technology is getting more powerful, and guest expectations are rising fast. But what does this shift mean for the future of short-term rentals? In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, i speak with Jannik Abraham about why the next generation of successful STR operators will not necessarily be the biggest - but the ones that understand their business, master the basics an...
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  Why Scaling Your STR Breaks Without This System 11.08.2026 11мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation Scaling a short-term rental business shouldn’t mean hiring endlessly, adding more tools, or working longer hours. Yet for many STR operators, growth creates more complexity, tighter margins, and a business that still depends heavily on the founder. In this video, I break down what actually makes a short-term rental business scalable. Drawing on decades of experience building and leading companies in the hospitality...
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  042: Why Your Rental Business Is Easy to Replace | Rachel Alday 04.08.2026 57мин

  Most short-term rental operators are trying to stand out with better photos, smarter pricing, stronger listings, and more automation. But what if the real problem is not visibility - but replaceability? In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Rachel Alday, founder of Abode Luxury Rentals, a boutique property management company with more than 200 luxury vacation homes across Park City, Jackson Hole, and Sun Valley. Rachel explains why many vacation rental businesses do not actuall...
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  041: This Property Manager Increased Profit by 160% With AI | Alex Zemianek 28.07.2026 52мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Alex Zemianek, CEO of JZ Vacation Rentals, about how he rebuilt his operations around internal AI agents. From finance and marketing to security, development and daily reporting, Alex explains how his company increased operating income by 160% without significantly increasing its unit count or headcount. You’ll discover how AI agents can reduce manual work, repla...
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  The 5 Levels of STR Companies Explained 23.07.2026 14мин

  Many property management companies grow quickly - until they suddenly hit an invisible ceiling. But why do some short-term rental businesses successfully scale to thousands of units while others struggle to grow profitably despite increasing bookings? In this video, i explain the five key growth stages of a professional property management company - from the founder-operator managing a small portfolio to an international industry leader with more than 2,500 units. You will learn which struc...
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  040: How to Turn STR Guests Into Loyal Customers | Matthew Orley 21.07.2026 1ч

  Most short-term rental operators focus on adding more units, entering new markets, and automating their operations. But what if the strongest competitive advantage is not the size of your portfolio, but the relationship you build with your guests? In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Matthew Orley, CEO of Red Cottage, about how STR operators can build a memorable brand that drives guest loyalty, repeat stays, and direct bookings. Matthew explains why many property managers d...
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  039: Hospitality Isn’t Ready for the Future Guest | Jamie Lane 07.07.2026 1ч

  AI is changing hospitality, but I believe the bigger question is not just how AI will change our tools, our operations, or our businesses. The bigger question is: what happens when AI starts changing the customer? In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I’m joined by Jamie Lane, Chief Economist at AirDNA and one of the leading voices on travel demand, market trends, and the future of short-term rentals. Together, we talk about how AI-driven productivity, job shifts, income distribution, and c...
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  038: Short-Term Rentals Are Entering Their Most Dangerous Era | Shaun Shirazian 30.06.2026 58мин

  In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Shaun Shirazian, CEO of Lodgify, about one of the biggest shifts happening in short-term rentals and hospitality: the rise of AI search, direct bookings, and the future of guest experience. Shaun shares what Lodgify is seeing across more than 30,000 hosts and 100,000 listings, why the short-term rental market has become more competitive, and why the old price advantage over hotels is disappearing. He explains why direct bookings are becomin...
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  037: Will AI Replace Hospitality Teams? | Stone Fish, Vancauwenberghe, Ullrich, Rubin 23.06.2026 1ч 3мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation AI is transforming guest communication in short-term rentals and hospitality. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with industry leaders Aarlo Stone Fish, Anthony Vancauwenberghe, Jay Ullrich and Cole Rubin about AI agents, automation, guest experience, operations, reviews, upsells, and the future of hospitality. We discuss what operators often get wrong about automation, why guest communication is no lon...
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  The Margin Mistake Killing Most STR Companies! 16.06.2026 14мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation Profit margins can make or break a short-term rental business - but most operators are looking at the wrong numbers. In this video, I break down the real profit benchmarks for STR operators across different business models, including property management companies, aparthotels, hybrid models, urban portfolios, and resort/vacation rentals. You’ll learn what healthy gross and net margins look like, why revenue alone ...
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  036: How to Build a Business That AI Can’t Replace | Siddhi Mittal 09.06.2026 53мин

  Book a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultation In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I sit down with Siddhi Mittal, co-founder of yhangry, a Y Combinator–backed hospitality marketplace scaling across the UK and US. Together, they explore what AI-first hospitality really means beyond faster guest messages, automation tools, and surface-level efficiency. Siddhi shares how yhangry is rebuilding parts of the company around AI-native workflows, including an intern...
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  035: The Best Way to Make Money in Property Management | Julie Brinkmann 02.06.2026 53мин

  In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I sit down with Julie Brinkmann from Beyond to discuss how short-term rental operators can move from simple dynamic pricing to true profit-first property management. We explore why revenue management is no longer just about changing nightly rates, why occupancy can become a vanity metric, and how property managers can use better data, smarter pricing strategies, and AI to make more profitable business decisions. Julie shares her perspective on the evolu...
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  034: The AI Shift Most Property Managers Are Missing | Sab Mulligan, Arnon Cavaeiro, Chris Sorensen 26.05.2026 57мин

  In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, we explore what an AI-native property management company really looks like and how AI is already changing operations, guest communication, distribution, PMS systems, scaling, and hospitality brands. Together with Sab Mulligan, Arnon Cavaeiro and Chris Sorensen, we break down why AI is not just another tool or chatbot, but a deeper shift in how short-term rental and hospitality companies operate. The conversation covers where AI is already reducing cos...
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  033: Why Booking Trips Is About to Change FOREVER (CEO Explains) | Amirali Mohajer 19.05.2026 55мин

  AI is changing how people search, plan and book travel and this shift could reshape the future of direct bookings, guest relationships and platform dependency in the short-term rental industry. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann speaks with Amirali Mohajer, Co-Founder & CEO of Host.AI, about the future of travel search, the rise of AI assistants, and why operators may finally have a real opportunity to reduce their reliance on OTAs like Booking.com, Airbnb and Expedia. ...
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  032: How HomeToGo Shifted Beyond Its Marketplace | Dr. Patrick Andrae 12.05.2026 52мин

  Marketplaces were built to aggregate supply. Not to own it. That assumption is breaking faster than most operators expected. Dr. Patrick Andrae is the Co-Founder and CEO of HomeToGo, one of the world’s leading vacation rental marketplaces, aggregating millions of listings across platforms and property managers. Since founding the company, he has expanded it into software, services, and property management, including the acquisition of Interhome, one of Europe’s largest rental operators. The c...
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  031: Beyond STR and Hotels: How Numa's Third Model Uses 100+ Automations to Rewrite Urban Hospitality | Christian Gaiser 05.05.2026 48мин

  Short-term rentals and hotels are converging into a single operating model. The real shift is not about category. It is about who can deliver better economics, better experience, and better scalability in urban markets. In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Christian Gaiser to break down how Numa built a hybrid model between short-term rentals and hotels, and why that model is gaining traction as the industry matures. Christian Gaiser is the CEO and Co-Founder of Numa, one of Europe’s...