by Paris Achen | Jun 20, 2023 | Leadership, STR Advocacy 101
Kelsey Wood and fiance, Josh Knapp, stood to earn thousands of dollars from renting out their vacation rental, Mulberry Bungalow, during Super Bowl weekend in February in Phoenix, Arizona. Instead, the couple donated two nights at the vacation rental to a terminal...
by Paris Achen | May 19, 2023 | Community Engagement, Hosting and Management, Humans of Short-Term Rentals, Nuisance Prevention, Professional Development, Responsible Renting, Rules and Regulations, Social Responsibility & Giving Back, Supporting Local Businesses
Sarah Bradford and Tim Cafferty recently marked a milestone with the recording of their 150th episode of Sarah and T: The Professional Vacation Rental Manager’s Podcast. Every other Monday for nearly six years, they have released a new 30-minute episode packed with...
by Paris Achen | May 2, 2023 | Community Engagement, Hosting and Management, Local Government, Marketing, Professional Development, Self-Growth, Social Responsibility & Giving Back, Team Culture, Wellness
Tyann Marcink, front-center, at the CASA Justice is Served fundraiser in 2022 Have you ever heard the quote, Help yourself by helping others? According to research, helping others, aka volunteering, can also help your vacation rental business. Volunteering can help...
by Paris Achen | Apr 12, 2023 | Community Engagement, Humans of Short-Term Rentals
The concept for the Alex & Annie Vacation Rental Podcast got its start in the middle of the Covid pandemic inside an exclusive Clubhouse group called STR Professionals. It was a time when vacation rental professionals and others were looking for ways to stay...
by Paris Achen | Apr 10, 2023 | Advocate Engagement, Leadership, Local Government, Local Leaders Series, Partner Features, Powered by Vrbo
Jennifer Batchelder Polcyn, a vacation rental host and property manager in Montcalm County in Central Michigan, knows the power of showing up before the firestorm. Soon after she established her vacation rental management firm, New Journey Properties, she made a...
by Paris Achen | Apr 4, 2023 | Advocate Engagement, Community Engagement, Hosting and Management, Humans of Short-Term Rentals, Local Government, Property Care, Rules and Regulations, Short-Term Rental Regulation
Like many in the short-term rental advocacy sphere, proposed regulations at the local City Council brought hosts Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian together. Both had come to speak at the Columbus City Council meeting in spring 2018 to oppose a proposal that would have...
by Dana Lubner | Mar 23, 2023 | Event Recaps, Leadership Seminars, STR Advocacy 101
“We know that data is powerful. But with a good story, it’s unforgettable.”Daniel Waisberg, search advocate at Google Members of the short-term rental community often need to engage in advocacy to highlight their value within the community. Advocacy can include giving...
by Paris Achen | Jan 10, 2023 | Community Engagement, Local Government, Responsible Renting, STR Advocacy 101, Supporting Local Businesses
More than half of the housing units in the mountain town of Truckee, California, are considered vacant, according to the 2020 Census, the most recent statistics available. The properties are largely second homes that sit empty when their owners aren’t staying there or...
by Paris Achen | Nov 10, 2022 | Advocate Engagement, Community Engagement, Organization, STR Advocacy 101
Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Black Friday, is a global celebration of generosity when individuals and businesses find ways to support their communities with donations of time, talent, and money. As a short-term rental alliance, you can harness the spirit of the...
by Paris Achen | Nov 2, 2022 | Leadership, Responsible Renting, Social Responsibility & Giving Back, STR Advocacy 101
While Jonathan Wicks lived in Chicago in the 2010s, he had a lake house in Northern Illinois that he rented short-term. At the time, the busy CEO owned a national company that cleaned homes in bank foreclosure, and because he couldn’t service his rental on his own, he...
