Learning on the Go: How Dana Lynch Used Podcasts to Master Short-Term Rentals

In this episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast, we welcome Dana Lynch of LJ Vacation Rentals, which provides short-term rental property management services in Missouri. Dana is a licensed Missouri Realtor with over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry, so hosting has become a natural extension of her career. Dana manages three STR properties at Lake of the Ozarks and uses Hospitable to streamline operations (she is our Mogul plan user).

Dana shares how she took a leap in short-term rental hosting, learned the basics of property management from podcasts, what challenges she had to overcome, and how technology makes her life easier and helps her succeed. 

Press Play now to learn how Dana used podcasts to master short-term rentals and how Hospitable helps her run her business more efficiently.

If you prefer to read the highlights, we've got a summary of the key takeaways below.

How Dana Started Hosting

Dana works full-time as a real estate closer. In 2022, she vacationed at the Lake of the Ozarks and was impressed by the beauty and the"92 miles of lake."

"We could see miles long of condos on the lake, so I started researching them and decided that they were affordable, unlike in Austin, where I'm from," Dana says. She decided to purchase one because it had always been her dream to live on the lake.

Then, the market rates increased, so she put it on hold for about a year. And when the rates started stabilizing, she decided to buy a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo "right on the water."

"Two months later, I realized I could do this long distance and managed it without too many hiccups. So my aha moment was, "Let's buy another one." So I bought another one in April of 2024."

Learning from Podcasts

Dana has been in real estate for over 30 years, so her experience and market knowledge helped her make a great investment. She also learned a lot about running a short-term rental business from podcasts.

"I drive two and a half hours a day, five days a week. I started listening to podcasts to learn the business. And I started listening to all kinds of different people, and they are the ones that got me to believe that I could do this on my own."

Dana says she started with a different property management system, but that software proved to be complicated. "And then I listened to Luke Carl, who talked about Hospitable. And so I switched to Hospitable, which is what made me want to continue. And so it was great. Hospitable really helps with the communication."

"It's amazing what I learn every single day. Every piece of what I do today is because of these podcasts," Dana points out. She mentions implementing dynamic pricing, noise-monitoring software, and purchasing extra insurance on the STR property. 

"I use software that reaches out to our clients and past guests to get them back on—to direct them to the direct booking site that Hospitable offers. And I've increased my direct bookings from 3% last year to 11% this year. So I'm hoping to do even more."

Favorite Hospitable's Features 

Dana is proud of her overall Airbnb score of 4.97, and she has a lot of great reviews. She underlines that Hospitable "does a whole host of things" for her, making the hosting process easier. Yet, there are three main things she couldn't do without: channel manager functionality, a direct booking website, and AI-powered guest communication.  

"It speaks to all the different platforms on one system and never messes up. If somebody books on Vrbo, it blocks it off for the rest of the ones. That's great. The direct booking site has been a great tool as well. You guys are enhancing that more each day, and with your new features coming up, I'm really excited about those. Then, the biggest thing, of course, is communication. It's amazing how many people tell me my communication is great."

Dana uses 10 pre-set messages sent to guests during various customer journey stages, and she also uses Hospitable's AI tool when she needs to write detailed answers to specific guest questions.

"I started co-hosting a property, so I use your invoicing," Dana adds. "That's been wonderful. It looks very professional. They took it to their CPA and said, "There isn't anything else we need. It has it all right here."

Advice to New Hosts

Dana thinks that if you have a full-time job and want to run a short-term rental as a side hustle, you should treat it like a job because it's a lot of work. "It's not a hobby. I think it's a real job, so you have to take this very seriously. People pay thousands of dollars to go on vacation, and they're looking for a good experience. And so I think you need to be educated on it."

Listen to the full episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast to discover how Dana combines remote hosting with a full-time job, and how technology helps her overcome challenges and ensure a 5-star guest experience.