The short-term rental (STR) world moves at a fast pace, and if you’re not in the loop you might miss out on new trends, insights, and technologies.
Staying up to date with these trends can help to improve your ROI and streamline property management, and the best way to do so is to follow STR influencers and thought leaders.
So that’s why we’ve put together a list of the best STR thought leaders to follow, many of whom we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing ourselves.
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14 short-term rental thought leaders to follow on social media
Mark Simpson—the one Airbnb doesn’t want you to know about
“DO NOT give your dates to your OTAS—there’s dates in your calendar that you know you can sell 5 TIMES OVER!” – Mark Simpson, founder of Boostly
Mark’s frank approach to direct bookings makes him stand out as one to follow. Source: LinkedIn
Mark Simpson shot to prominence as the founder of Boostly, a website offering free online training for property managers to boost their direct bookings. He is also the host of The Boost Hospitality Podcast and the creator of The Hospitality Community Facebook Group where he gives invaluable advice about how to harness the power of direct bookings.
Mark was recently named one of the Top 20 Consultants in the Rental Industry and has helped thousands of short-stay accommodation owners increase direct bookings and reduce their reliance on OTAs.
He’s constantly posting useful tips on socials, which are frank, go against the grain and give great insights. We recently sat down with Mark on our Hospitable Masterclass YouTube series, where he gave us his top tips and tricks to boost your direct bookings.
Follow Mark on:
Jasper Ribbers & Eric Moeller—the STR podcast dream team
“The only way to grow a business, is to accept that things will go wrong and mistakes will be made. Once you’ve made that mental shift, you can start outsourcing tasks and take yourself out of the day-to-day of your business, so you can focus on growing it instead of working in it.” – Jasper Ribbers & Eric Moeller, co-founders of Overnight Success
Jasper and Eric bring their years of experience to their quality STR podcast. Source: STR Profit Academy
Jasper Ribbers & Eric Moeller are the co-founders of Overnight Success, a STR community that offers advice to property managers on how to maximize ROI via their long-running podcast, Get Paid For Your Pad, 90-day rental accelerator program Legends X, and Mastermind community STR Legends.
Both Jasper and Eric have been a part of the STR community for years and are passionate about sharing their knowledge and helping hosts scale their hosting business. They started their podcast in 2014, it recently hit its 500th episode, and is always packed with useful advice.
We recently sat down with Eric to get his insights on investment success factors and had Jasper on our podcast to talk about hosting remotely while living as a digital nomad.
Follow Overnight Success on Instagram, their ‘Airbnb Profit Club’ on Facebook, and their podcast escapades on YouTube.
Julie George—the FOMO generator
“Get the business out of your head and down on paper. This will help you scale the business and even sell it one day.” – Julie George, author and public speaker
Julie is constantly making us jealous with her STR knowledge and jet-setting ways. Source: Amazon
Julie George is the writer of the best-selling book Million Dollar Host, which details how she made 1.43 million dollars in her first year in the STR business. A highly sought-after public speaker, she addresses conferences and seminars of like-minded people throughout the world, and is a mentor for STR Legends.
Julie seems to attend more STR conferences than there are days in a year, her travelog posts are enviable, but she also shares invaluable advice for property managers on a regular basis.
Recently we were lucky enough to interview her on our blog, where she broke down how to scale your short-term rental business.
Follow Julie on:
Damian Sheridan—the one who brings people together
“It’s your own business, it doesn’t belong to a few OTAs…it’s not all about them, it’s about you.” – Damian Sheridan, founder and director of the Book Direct Show
Damian is a king of STR networking, organizing the Book Direct Show every year. Source: LinkedIn
Damian Sheridan is the founder and director of the Book Direct Show, an in-person event that focuses on how property managers can generate more direct bookings and reclaim their independence from OTAs.
Damian has been involved in the STR industry since 2003 and has been a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultant for over 10 years. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to direct bookings, and frequently shares articles and interviews packed full of useful information.
Check out our interview with him on how to develop a successful direct booking strategy and follow him on:
Annette Grant & Sarah Karakaian—the big-hearted powerhouse
“You have to have the team, the communication, and small touches to put you beyond the others. Being thoughtful pays dividends!” – Annette Grant & Sarah Karakaian, co-owners of Thanks for Visiting
Annette and Sarah demonstrate that sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference. Source: Thanks for Visiting
Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian are the co-owners of Thanks for Visiting, where they host a regular podcast and live workshops about bringing more heart, hospitality, and profit to your short-term rentals.
Annette is an Airbnb Superhost, managing four short-term rentals and providing support to newbie hosts as an STR educator and specialist.
Sarah has been an Airbnb Superhost since 2013 and is an STR design and staging expert. She is the co-owner of Nestrs and operates a boutique hosting business, Stay Awhile Hosting Co.
Together as Thanks for Visiting, they frequently post fun and informative advice for property managers and their podcast series is a goldmine of information to help you up your hosting game.
This inspirational duo also jumped onto our Masterclass series, with advice on how to beautify your listings and attract more high-value bookings.
Follow Anette on:
Follow Sarah on:
Simon Lehmann—the big-picture thinker
“One thing we need to make sure that we are not becoming the glorified cleaners for Airbnb. It is the individual host or the dedicated property manager that delivers the guest experience and that manages the relationship with the owners.” – Simon Lehmann, CEO and co-founder of AJL Atelier
Follow Simon for cutting-edge trends in the STR industry. Source: LinkedIn
Simon Lehmann is the CEO and co-founder of AJL Atelier, a hospitality consultancy firm, as well as advising multiple companies as Board Member and Executive Chairman. Simon is one of the world’s foremost experts on STR, which explains why he’s a sought-after speaker, panelist, and moderator.
He loves to tackle high-level and technical hospitality topics, and he litters his social media posts with big-picture insights, and trend forecasting. We were lucky enough to have him on our podcast, discussing whether the current tech needs in the STR industry were being met or not.
Follow him on:
Matt Landau—the storyteller
“Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate important subjects.” – Matt Landau, founder of VRMB
Matt shares highly insightful educational materials to help grow your STR business. Source: LinkedIn
Matt Landau is the founder of VRMB, which offers property managers resources (a newsletter, podcast, trend report, and documentaries) to craft hospitality in creative new ways.
He spent 10 years managing vacation rentals until he sold his business to his employees. Not being able to leave the STR world, he started to study the industry and share his findings with VRMB.
Matt’s mantra of “help, don’t sell” is evident throughout his social media presence, which is full of worthwhile and inspiring posts and content.
Follow him on:
David Greene & Rob Abasolo—the ones who go big, not home
“So far in 2022 I’ve closed on $4M worth of real estate (21 units), with another $2M in escrow. This is the time to strategize and hunt for good deals. They aren’t going to just fall in your lap. You’ve got to work for them.” – Rob Abasolo, co-host of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
David and Rob get straight to the point to give you all their STR wisdom. Source: Bigger Pockets
David Greene and Rob Abasolo are the co-hosts of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast, where they talk to investors and entrepreneurs about their successes, failures, and key takeaways.
David is a real estate agent, best-selling author, and speaker, and his co-host Rob is a YouTuber, Airbnb Superhost, and STR expert.
Although their podcast covers real estate at a macro level, they have a lot of STR wisdom to share and constantly update both their Instagram accounts with no-nonsense advice.
Follow David on:
Follow Rob on:
Sara Robinson & Tony J. Robinson—The Airbnb power couple
“Your cleaner and handyman are SO IMPORTANT when it comes to operating a successful Airbnb! Make sure you hire the right people.” – Tony J. Robinson, co-host of the “The Real Estate Robinsons” YouTube channel
Sara and Tony give you the secret sauce to scaling your STR business on their YouTube channel. Source: YouTube
Sara Robinson and Tony J. Robinson are the co-hosts of The Real Estate Robinsons YouTube channel, where they teach you how to start, manage, and scale your Airbnb business.
Sara is a self-styled “Short Term Rental Queen” and Tony is a vocal member of the STR community, and together they create slick, mega informative YouTube videos, Instagram stories, and TikToks.
Every year they host a popular STR summit and Tony is also the co-host of The Real Estate Rookie Podcast so wherever you look this high-energy, inspiring couple is providing fun, useful tips to help grow your STR business.
Follow them on:
Avery Carl—the high-stakes roller
“If you want to get the most out of your vacation rental, choosing the right location is the essential first step!” – Avery Carl, CEO and founder of The Short Term Shop
Avery is one of the most successful and inspirational STR figures in the business. Source: The Short Term Shop
Avery Carl is the CEO and founder of The Short Term Shop, an STR acquisition company, author, and host of the podcast The Short Term Show.
Avery has sold over $300 million in STRs since 2017, the Wall Street Journal featured her in its Top 100 list, and she hit the Top 500 agents list in Newsweek in 2020. Avery is also an investor, with a portfolio of over 100 properties.
She has an impressive pedigree and shares a lot of how she got where she is today on her socials and podcast, focusing on improving STR management and scaling your portfolio.
Follow Avery on:
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know
Here at Hospitable we believe that sharing really is caring, and this collection of STR thinkers and leaders embody that more than most. Whether you’re new to the property management space, need help sprucing up an old property, or are looking to grow your portfolio, look to renowned expertise to gain what could prove to be crucial insights.
We know that the day-to-day runnings of a business can be tough, but networking, sharing, and learning from others can help lighten the load and lead you to places you wouldn’t have imagined otherwise.
Your entire STR business in one convenient platform
Start today with a 14-day free trial.
