Big Vision, Smart Systems: How Jason Muth is Shaping the Future of Hosting

In this episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast, we welcome Jason Muth, an STR entrepreneur, coach, and founder of Prideaway Stays. Jason shares how he left behind the corporate media world to build a thriving short-term rental business in Provincetown, MA, with a strong mission to make hosting more inclusive and efficient.

Jason is doing everything from hitting $100K in direct booking revenue to co-hosting for other property owners to running an STR coaching business and the SmartStay Show podcast.

Press Play now to discover how Jason turned his STR side hustle into a full-time co-hosting business and how he uses technology to enhance the vacation rental experience for homeowners and guests.

Do you prefer to read the highlights? We've got a summary of the key takeaways below.

How Jason Started Hosting

Jason has been running short-term rentals since 2016, when he worked full-time. "We acquired a property and then two, and then that eventually turned into three, four, and five," he says.

"In 2022, my full-time job ended, and I decided not to pursue anything else in the media career. Short-term rentals were the way to go full-time. So I just went all in on it. And we brought technology like Hospitable into the fold just about two and a half years ago at this point."

He also decided to grow a co-hosting business that serves Provincetown, Massachusetts. "It is a market that is near and dear to our hearts because we have a property there," Jason explains. He launched Prideaway Stays a year ago, and within the first year, he got about 20 clients.

The Leap from Corporate Life to Full-time Entrepreneurship

Jason reveals that, at first, he just wanted to run his properties and didn't think about co-hosting. "I was very much against it for the first year or two of my time post-full-time job because I just didn't want to have to answer to people. I spent so much time with internal and external clients and working with local and regional businesses. It was just a lot."

But then he understood he was under-utilizing his skill set. "I learned a lot through the Short-Term Rental Secrets Mastermind, through all the education that Hospitable provides, our technology partners, and building a great network. And I said, you know, "I think I have a unique opportunity to do this in this one specific market."

Although Jason doesn't live in Provincetown full time, he's owned property there for almost seven years. "So, unlike many national companies, we are connected to the market and thought it was the right opportunity."

Prideaway Stays Idea

"Provincetown is one of the biggest LGBTQ+ communities in the world," Jason points out. He thinks it was a great market to start a co-hosting business because many people "have this lifelong aspiration" to visit Provincetown regularly. Still, it's a costly place to live and own property.

"A lot of the owners that are buying property now need the income from short-term rentals to be able to afford that property," Jason says. "Many people know they will not make money with the property but want to offset as many bills as possible to utilize it themselves."

Jason thinks that, as members of the LGBTQ+ community, they were uniquely qualified to run a co-hosting business there. "We wanted to be able to be the voice of, talking the gay language and talking the short-term rental language: "If you do it with us, we're going to coach you and teach you how to do this responsibly, the right way, respectful to your guests, but also make some money because you got to pay your bills." So, that was the genesis of why we thought Prideaway Stays would be a good idea."

Using Technology to Enhance Efficiency

Regarding the systems and tools crucial in building his STR business, Jason points out that his tech stack is simple, and Hospitable is the center.

"I can't believe that before I got involved with Hospitable in our operations, we were copying and pasting messages and sending PDFs to people, and it was just a mess. There was a lot of room for error. So Hospitable is how we operate with our communications."

They also use other software, including tools that Hospitable integrates with: PriceLabs, which helps set dynamic prices and manage revenue; Touch Stay to create easy-to-use guidebooks; Breezeway for their cleaners' checklists, and HostBuddy AI for communicating with guests overnight.

Growing a Direct Booking Website

Jason says they use multi-channel distribution to increase the visibility of their properties and ensure that potential guests can find them. They list their short-term rentals on major booking platforms, Airbnb and Vrbo, and they have earned over $100K through direct bookings. They have two websites where travelers can book directly, saving on OTA commissions.

One website, which they use for friends and family, is for the New Hampshire properties, and it has links to individual landing pages that contain the Hospitable widget. They also have a direct booking website for Prideaway Stays powered by Hospitable's booking engine. Jason thinks that their Hospitable Direct booking website is elegant, quick, and easy to use, and he likes how Hospitable handles payment processing and guest vetting.

Tune in to the full episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast to learn more about Jason's short-term rental journey and the strategies that help him stand out in the competitive STR market.