YES Consulting

Thankyou Boris Pavlov, Filipa Peychinova Damian Sheridan and Gianpaolo Vairo (and their wonderful teams) for allowing me to be the first STR speaker on stage and to give 25+ years of rentals in 25 minutes! As mentioned some companies alive today founded in the 1960's! But the world is changing even as I type. Hopefully it set the scene for todays pressured and increasingly data driven, tech foundation, and skills necessary STR industry. Wearing a tie was tough, but the idea of professionalisation as it was and where it is now was reflective (but hot)! As usual never enough space to cover all, but some takeways: 1. Lots of energy 2. Lots of attendance to great talks 3. A great selection of sponsors 4. Some great content for me (AI, Travel Data, Revenue ) 5. A most awesome venue (almost needs its own map) 6. Out of the box thinking on story telling and balloon popping. I could feel an entirely new business model in the making! 7. Loved the personal conversations with managers about tech and growth and the enthusiasm and helping managers avoid the bear traps. 8. The fireside chats (where is this imaginary fire BTW) were also loaded with smarts and some excellent takeaways. Such friendly locals, inc the girls who guided me for 15 minutes to a restaurant (when Vodafone let me down). 25 years ago I would have had a paper map! I can't possibly tag all: But Simon Lehmann we should discuss franchising ??, Leo Walton for smiling forever, Neely Khan (that was great), Alexander Caravitis and my good friends at Boom Moran Goldboim and Tsolo Dakov for AI, Robin Clifford (for his usual great insights and approach to business) James Cassidy for the sensitive VRBO data :) but some v.interesting elements, and meeting faces of previously only online calls especially Maria Krasteva and her team from Bulgaria. The conversation with Chavdar Marinov as always interesting on all industry aspects (but my wife disagrees on Mr Grant).

Airbnb/STR/Vacation Rental cleaning costs on the rise? Different destinations charge different amounts, due to labour costs and guests often think its a rip off! We are doing a bit of "rough research". Anyone want to help and answer a very few questions? There are some astonishing results already. All will be shared. https://lnkd.in/d2_3JbD9 #airbnb #vacationrentals #shorttermrentals #cleaning

Scale kindly posted an article we wrote on the acquisition (oops merger) of Vacasa by Casago. We added some history, money numbers, business models and a few opinions. Will it affect your markets? Yes, just depends where you are but seems a good move and a three way love affair. https://lnkd.in/eg7WaMp9

Government sues Airbnb. Quite a headline and two super powers! The U.S. government sued Airbnb?on Friday, alleging housing discrimination after a host refused to rent an apartment to a mother with three school-age children. In a complaint the Department of Justice said the home rental company violated the Fair Housing Act through Jarrod Blake's rejection of a rental for Charisse Ylitalo and her sons, aged 9, 11 and 14. Is this a "sound bite" or does it just add fuel to the Airbnb fire, has the world gone mad, is Airbnb's model in need of more control over its supply chain? Should they focus more and more on buying/leasing/partnering with real estate and take full control? https://lnkd.in/ez9jSAzm

Thank you for following this page. Attached is a pdf of a report pulling together 2024 in M&A activity, a look back at history and lack of learning by some and the advances of others. We have also added in some predictions for 2025 of where we see the market heading. The next report is technology along with an assessment on "how much should you spend on tech?" As a bit of fun we asked ChatGpt to summarise the pdf based on 2024 information and the 2025 predictions. Up to you whether you agree! - Market Consolidation: Continued but more considered mergers and acquisitions are expected, particularly in technology-driven property management firms, as companies strive for efficiency and scale in an increasingly competitive environment. - Continual Shift to Quality Assets: Focus will remain on acquiring established businesses with profitable operations in prime locations, emphasizing luxury accommodations, unique stays, and properties that integrate advanced technology and have great "scores". - Lateral Growth in Alternative Stays: Businesses will expand into alternative accommodation types such as glamping, co-living spaces, eco-friendly lodging, serviced accommodation and boutique experiences, catering to evolving traveler preferences and diversifying revenue streams for the larger businesses. - Legislation and Local Dynamics: Regulatory challenges, economic shifts, and oversupply in key areas will influence M&A activity, prioritizing investments in regions with stable demand and less legislative complexity. - Regional Consolidation: There was notable activity in consolidating regional operators, with mid-sized property management companies being acquired to establish stronger footholds in key vacation rental markets. - Private Equity Influence: Private equity firms played a substantial role, driving large-scale acquisitions to build portfolios of scalable, profitable properties, often focused on luxury and high-demand markets. Happy New Year to you all!

Not 2025 but 2052. Same business (and numerals) but crazy numbers of travellers (24bn). We have created an article linked in the comments below on the expected explosion of travel and with it the challenges faced. We have also taken the differences from 50 years ago until now on how travel on airlines has evolved. The Airbnb early mantra of “live like local” was a 1970’s opportunity not a 2020’s!?For those who were born post 1980 (Gen X and Millenials) and probably didn’t travel too much until the year 2000+, these are some of the changes we (and the author) have witnessed! Todays travel is a lot less fun and interesting and thats based on literally hundreds of flights around the globe! Just remember, no mobile phones, no Internet, no social media, calm and collected airport lounges, no pre- boarding queues, plus we had metal knives and forks. Was it better? In many ways absolutely! The genie is out of the bottle however! Click the link in the comments to read more....

The 2024 M&A managers report for the short term rental, vacation rental market is now available. These reports are generally only available to our premium newsletter subscribers. However we are making this available to all (with a small addendum). We will publish the report to the followers of this business page (which we we have recently added and are now building out) and also to our premium members. So we are selling our soul to get your “follow” on this page ?? If you would like to be added to our newsletter email aswell then please use the link in the comments.

We attended an Owner Mixer in Anglesey, Wales, in late November. Not having been to one of these in a few years and more focussed on managers, growth, and tech (the lighter side of the business), the Anglesey Holiday Lettings (AHL) “Mixer” last month was an eye-opener! It reminded me of the daily challenges all managers face and the reason the word stress exists (Short-Term Rental Efficiency and Solutions for Survival) Apart from the fact that it was a privilege to speak and listen to the various presentations and updates to over 75 owners on a cold, wet, windswept night, one thing stood out! This company has worked hard to be a success for its owners, guests, and staff, and it has worked! Happy owners, high direct bookings and great reviews. However, AHL knew 2025 would be a challenge for all, and 2024 was a year of intense preparation, rebranding, better data management, operational alignment, and staff engagement, all supported by increasingly refined tech deployment. The company also put its head above the public parapet presenting at conferences. The property owners appreciate the endeavour and support and are always the best ambassadors as a business grows and establishes an admired reputation. If you want a deep dive into Anglesey Holiday Lettings's activities and a largely unknown Hollywood connection, this LinkedIn page holds all the secrets. https://lnkd.in/e7jgB6ct

A sizeable roundup of the industry viewed through a conference lens separated into topics with opinions and links to interesting products. Our own presentations can be downloaded via the newsletter linked below: https://lnkd.in/emwdM7yR