by Paris Achen | Apr 29, 2024 | Event Recaps
During the Better Stays Together Southeast event, Rent Responsibly hosted Expedia Group, Superhog, Touch Stay, Hostaway, Avalara, and Vrbo, part of Expedia Group, for two hours of content on preparing your vacation rental business in the Southeast United States for...
by Paris Achen | Apr 19, 2024 | Humans of Short-Term Rentals
When Sue Jones joined the Navy in 1974 at age 17 as an electronic technician, she was one of only 4% women members. Her goal in joining the armed forces was singularly focused on paying for her college education, thanks to the GI Bill. But her time in the Navy...
by Paris Achen | Mar 29, 2024 | Humans of Short-Term Rentals
Left to right, Cynthia Huang, CEO of DTravel, Sue Jones, CEO of HR4VR, and Margot Schmorak, CEO of Hostfully 1 in 10 vacation rental CEOs and founders are women Long before Vanessa de Souza Lage founded and became CEO of Sustonica, an environmental certification for...
by Paris Achen | Mar 22, 2024 | Humans of Short-Term Rentals
Image: From right to left, Margot Schmorak, her husband, Ari, and her daughter, Eden, at Disneyland. Born both Chinese and Jewish, Margot Schmorak has often felt caught in a perpetual identity crisis. Growing up in Minnesota, “I felt like an outsider wherever I went,”...
by Paris Achen | Nov 6, 2023 | Guest Communications, Hosting and Management, Marketing
A well-considered cancellation policy can make your vacation rental more competitive, boost your reviews, and ultimately, impact your bottom line. However, there’s no consensus on the best cancellation policy for a vacation rental. The effectiveness of a strict,...
by Paris Achen | Nov 1, 2023 | Advocate Engagement, Community Engagement, Leadership, Local Government, Politics & Elections, Press and Media, Short-Term Rental Regulation, STR Advocacy 101
Despite vacation rentals’ tenure and a pandemic-driven spike in popularity, misconceptions about VRs abound. Hearing them called Airbnbs can be particularly divisive. Nevertheless, Airbnb has become the deonym for all short-term rentals. “Airbnb … got lucky because...
by Paris Achen | Oct 27, 2023 | Guest Communications, Hosting and Management, Responsible Renting, Rules and Regulations, Safety
Guests who refuse to leave vacation rentals at the end of their rental term by claiming tenant rights have grabbed headlines across the country. “We have seen an increasing number of opportunists and scammers that take advantage of the sparsity of vacation...
by Paris Achen | Oct 26, 2023 | Nuisance Prevention, Responsible Renting, Rules and Regulations
When you think of squatting, you might think of someone unlawfully occupying a vacant or abandoned property. While empty vacation rentals are at risk for squatters, another kind of squatting has grabbed headlines in recent years: guests who refuse to leave a...
by Paris Achen | Sep 28, 2023 | Humans of Short-Term Rentals, Leadership, Organization, STR Advocacy 101
Rolf Blizzard grew up on a hog farm in the eastern part of North Carolina. Days on the farm started early, were filled with hard manual labor, and provided a clear idea of the basic effort it took to produce a stable, sustainable, and affordable meal – one of life’s...
by Paris Achen | Sep 22, 2023 | Humans of Short-Term Rentals
When Lawrence Phillips left his consulting job in 2015 to travel around the world, he mapped his route through 30 countries based partly on feedback from other travelers who were Black. Finding out what he could expect as a Black traveler in a particular destination...
