The Vacation Rental Insider

Calling all vacation rental industry leaders, participants, admirers, and critics – welcome to the first edition of The VR Insider! Being in the business of making memories has been a wild ride filled with unprecedented market changes and a tumultuous economy. Nevertheless, the sector has persevered because of the inherent good it provides to communities and the people thriving inside them. There is no substitute for human connection, and the smiling faces at VTrips that greet you at any of our property doors are a shining reminder of that.?

As we continue to navigate industry twists and turns and balance work with personal life, I will use this space to share some events, announcements, and experiences of my own. Take a peek inside at what is happening behind the scenes of vacation rentals and the minds who operate them.?

Industry Events

V-Day Conference 2023

One of my favorite days of the year is VTrips’ annual V-Day retreat, a strategic summit packed with top professionals, advocates, and lovers of all things hospitality. It facilitates the momentum to connect and learn with an extensive list of informative events and chances to network amid various speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and more.?

V-Day gives attendees a chance to have their questions answered in a leadership Q&A, hear from keynote speakers and experts, and celebrate the talented members of our VTrips team in an awards ceremony. I always enjoy the conference as it demonstrates how vacation rental visionaries can learn, network, and find transformative solutions to issues that impact our communities. We also took a peek into the hospitality crystal ball to see what the future has in store for VTrips and vacation rentals. You can look into the future yourself here:

I would like to congratulate (again) some of the award recipients from V-Day Conference 2023:?

• Chris Rodeheaver from Taylor Made for winning The Peoples Champion Award
• Amy Mock-James from Tybee Vacation Rentals for winning The Company Values Award
• April Flanagan from Ryson Homes, Richard Lamar from Southern Vacation Rentals, and our VTrips Chief Strategy Officer Scott Seay for winning the Above and Beyond Award
• Amanda Cash from Southern Vacation Rentals for winning the Customer First Award
• Chris Rodeheaver from Taylor Made for winning The Peoples Champion Award

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to making our VTrips team the best in business. Our V-Day Conference was a success, with 150+ innovators in attendance. It is always an important reminder that if hospitality had a secret superpower, it would be people!??

Short-Term Rentals Summit

I was thrilled to have been a panelist at the Skift Short-Term Rentals Summit in NYC! I shared a stage with Skift’s Dennis Schaal and the CEO of RedAwning? Tim Choate, and discussed strategies driving profit and customer satisfaction in the vacation rental industry.?

We emphasized the critical role of localizing accountability at a pod level and its impact on success. The importance of finding the right balance between profit and customer satisfaction is crucial to achieving lasting success in the VR industry.

A big thank you to Skift and Rafat Ali for organizing this great event. It provided a necessary platform for sharing valuable insights and promoting vacation rental success. Let's continue to transform hospitality with our collective industry insights!?

VRMA Panel

The Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) is paving the way toward progress in the hospitality industry with insightful discussions and innovative sessions. I was excited to speak on an event panel with Dennis Goedheid of Casiola vacation homes, Robin Craigen of Moving Mountains, and moderator Amy Hinote concerning the various ways to build sustainable businesses. It was a great success, and we hit the nail on the head. Thank you to everyone who has participated and attended so far.

STR Webinar

I enjoyed participating in a webinar about the vacation and short-term rental landscape with Wil Slickers, Amy Hinote, Matt Landau, Michael Sjogren, and Eric D. Moeller. It was a transformative talk that dove into topics from what different types of rentals are to the bigger picture when it comes to standardization, professionalism at any size, tech, education, and more. Watch more here: EMBED VIDEO??

My Memories?

UK Trip?

As someone who is always the facilitator and on the other side of the desk when it comes to vacations, it is a wonderful feeling to take a break and make priceless memories of my own. There is nothing quite like a trip across the pond to see our trans-Atlantic cousins and some UK historical sites, which I had the chance to do with my wife, Heather Macias- Milo. We traveled around England and saw castles, cities, and sites older than the United States itself! We toured the county of Berkshire to see the royal residence Windsor Castle, which is commonly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and also visited Blenheim Palace – the only non-royal, non-Episcopal country house in England to hold the title of “palace.”

We took a 1.5-hour train from London to walk the streets of Bath, commonly known for and named after its Roman-built baths, only a 1.5-hour train ride from London. The region has more protected historic buildings per capita than any other town in England and was constructed with incredible architecture and a very distinct and beautiful limestone called "Bath stone.” As a history lover, I found the British Museum in the Bloomsbury area of London to be an enlightening and favorite stop on our UK tour. The public museum is dedicated to human history, art, and culture. It hosts a permanent collection of 8 million works – some of which are among the largest and most comprehensive in existence.

The Tower of London gives visitors a glimpse into England’s past when you walk through this historic castle in central London. The castle is named after The White Tower, built by William the Conqueror in 1078, which was a resented symbol of oppression inflicted by the new Norman ruling class. The castle was used as a prison and royal residence and has undergone several expansions throughout its history. It was a great trip and experience learning about history and culture!?

Anniversary Celebrations

Heather and I celebrated our anniversary on the beautiful Terciera, one of nine volcanic islands in the Azores archipelago. It was a direct 4.5-hour flight from NYC and easy flight travel to Lisbon and Porto. We experienced beautiful weather, beaches, mountains, fortresses, and amazing food at very reasonable prices.?

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heather and I saw some of the famous artworks of Juan de Pareja, a Spaniard born into slavery in Southern Spain who later rose to prominence as a painter and worked closely with Diego Velázquez. For our accommodation, we stayed in a romantic Pousada, or an “inn,” inside an old fort which was a unique and amazing experience. It certainly was a trip to remember and one that reflected the passion and excitement of our marriage!

Next Adventures?

As I reflect on the first half of the year, I am proud of all the wonderful things that have been accomplished and the experiences had. I look forward to making more memories in the future with my wife and the friends and colleagues I have made around the world. Working in this industry has taught me that people are the magic, and the passion for hospitality is the spell. I’m lucky to have the most dedicated magical spellcasters around!?