If you haven’t looked at the 2026 calendar yet, this episode is your wake-up call.

In 2026, major holidays fall on Fridays and Saturdays — and that one detail changes how guests book, arrive, and leave. If you price holidays the same way you always have, you risk blocked calendars, forced turnovers, or sitting empty on some of the biggest revenue weekends of the year.

In this episode, Sarah and Annette walk through the 2026 holiday calendar and explain exactly how different holiday placements affect demand, guest behavior, minimum stays, and turnover flow. This is not about guessing — it’s about planning ahead so your calendar works for you.

You’ll learn:

1. Why Saturday and Friday holidays require completely different strategies
2. How Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and ski weekends can create hidden risk
3. What makes the 4th of July especially tricky in 2026
4. Why Halloween doesn’t always increase demand
5. How Friday holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day create multiple booking opportunities
6. The biggest pricing mistakes hosts make when they focus on the holiday date instead of the full booking window

If you want to protect your time, your team, and your revenue in 2026, this episode is required listening.

Resources mentioned:

Thanks for Visiting Bootcamp: Join the waitlist!

This Hosting Hotline episode looks a little different.

Instead of answering a listener question, Sarah and Annette are pulling back the curtain on a big decision: sunsetting the Hosting Hotline format and refocusing their time, energy, and creativity on deeper ways to support hosts.

In this episode, they share the real reasons behind the shift, what they’ve learned from years of Hotline questions, and why “less but better” has become a guiding principle for both Thanks for Visiting and their own hosting businesses.

You’ll hear:

1. Why quick answers were no longer serving hosts at the level they deserve
2. What the Hosting Hotline taught Sarah and Annette about real hosting challenges
3. How context, data, and deeper strategy lead to better results
4. Why sunsetting something good can be the right move for long-term growth
5. What comes next for hosts who want to go deeper with Thanks for Visiting

This isn’t the end of support. It’s a commitment to better support.

Resources mentioned:

Thanks for Visiting YouTube Channel: In-depth visual breakdowns, strategy sessions, and hosting education

Thanks for Visiting Bootcamp: Join the waitlist!

Mentioned in this episode:

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

AI is no longer a future concept for hosts. It is already shaping how guests search, discover, and choose where to stay.

In this episode, Sarah and Annette sit down with AI strategist Rick Mulready to break down what hosts actually need to understand about AI right now and how it impacts visibility, bookings, and direct booking websites. From generative engine optimization to answering guest search questions inside AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, this conversation goes beyond buzzwords and into real, practical applications.

You will learn how AI is changing search behavior, why traditional SEO alone is no longer enough, and how hosts can start positioning their listings and websites to show up where guests are already looking. Rick also shares how AI can save hosts time, simplify decision making, and help you run your short term rental like a real business without losing the human touch that great hospitality requires.

If you want to stay competitive, increase visibility, and future proof your hosting business, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

Resources mentioned:

Rick Mulready’s AI Playbook community

Rick Mulready’s YouTube channel on AI for business

Mentioned in this episode:

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Should you rename your Airbnb listing photos with SEO keywords before uploading them? In this Hosting Hotline episode, Sarah and Annette break down when photo naming actually matters and when it doesn’t.

They explain how Airbnb and other OTAs interpret image data, why guest search behavior matters more than marketing adjectives, and how intentional photo naming can support long-term visibility and accessibility across platforms. This isn’t a shortcut or hack—but it is a smart, low-effort optimization that compounds over time.

If you’re serious about aligning your listing with how guests search, and helping platforms better understand what you truly offer, this episode is for you.

Resources mentioned:

Subscribe to the Thanks for Visiting Youtube Channel!

Thanks for Visiting Bootcamp: Join the waitlist!

Mentioned in this episode:

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Working hard but not making the money you should? Join us for our live Priced & Profitable Bootcamp.

Furnishing a short-term rental can feel overwhelming and expensive, especially when you’re trying to stand out in a competitive market. In this episode, we break down exactly where hosts should splurge and where they can save when furnishing their properties.

After furnishing dozens of short-term rentals and helping hosts across the country do the same, we’ve seen the same costly mistakes over and over again: overspending on things guests don’t care about and cutting corners on the things they absolutely do.

We walk through the specific items that have the biggest impact on guest experience, reviews, and repeat bookings—from beds and seating to cookware, rugs, and design moments. Plus the areas where you can save without sacrificing quality. We also share our favorite insider strategy for getting access to high-quality brands at host-only pricing, even when you’re “splurging.”

If you’re furnishing a new short-term rental or upgrading an existing one, this episode will help you spend smarter and design with intention.

Resources mentioned:

Thanks for Visiting Bootcamp: Join the waitlist!

Minoan: a no-cost, all-in-one purchasing platform for hosts, designers, and property managers. They offer insider discounts on 150+ top brands and the ability to track all of your orders, deliveries, invoices, and receipts in one streamlined view.

Airbnb’s host fee changes have left many hosts wondering where, and how, to make adjustments without breaking their pricing strategy.

In this Hosting Hotline episode, Sarah and Annette answer a question from Jenna Louise about whether management fee changes should be handled inside PriceLabs or directly through Airbnb or a PMS.

They walk through why your base rate must remain stable, why there’s no universal percentage that recaptures Airbnb’s new host fee, and what hosts should be tracking right now as platforms continue to evolve. If you’re trying to protect your margins without chasing hacks or distorting your data, this episode will help you make smarter, more controlled decisions.

Resources mentioned:

Thanks for Visiting Priced & Profitable Bootcamp

What do the most-downloaded Thanks for Visiting episodes of 2025 have in common?

They weren’t about shortcuts or trends. They were about pricing, revenue, and running a smarter hosting business.

In this episode, Sarah and Annette break down the top-performing episodes of 2025 and what they reveal about how hosts are thinking differently. From pricing strategy and upgrades to insurance, taxes, cancellation policies, and direct bookings, a clear pattern emerged: hosts want clarity, confidence, and better decision-making backed by data.

If you’re heading into the next year focused on profitability and long-term growth, this episode highlights the conversations worth revisiting and why they matter.

What we covered:

1. What the most downloaded episodes of 2025 reveal about today’s hosts
2. Why pricing and revenue strategy continue to be top priorities
3. How hosts are shifting away from vanity metrics toward profitability
4. The role of upgrades, insurance, and cancellation policies in protecting margins
5. Why AI, listing titles, and direct bookings are no longer optional
6. How these lessons shaped the creation of Strategic Host coaching

Resources mentioned:

Thanks for Visiting Bootcamp: Join the waitlist

This week on the Hosting Hotline, Vanessa brings a highly unique scenario: an off-grid cabin by the river and a big decision to make: stay fully off grid or add water to potentially increase demand.

Rather than treating this as a technical upgrade question, Sarah and Annette zoom out to what really matters: your goals, your values, and the kind of hosting business you actually want to build.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why not every hosting decision is about maximizing revenue
• How your “why” should drive every investment you make
• The difference between designing an experience and chasing demand
• Why having expenses is part of being a business owner
• How to use data without letting it override your values
• When narrowing your guest profile is a strategic choice—not a mistake
• What it means to go all in on your version of hospitality

This episode is a reminder that success in hosting isn’t about copying others. It’s about choosing your lane and committing to it with confidence.

Resources mentioned:

Thanks for Visiting Bootcamp: Join the waitlist

Hipcamp