Managing from a distance works fine. Operating from a distance doesn't. In this episode of The Accommodation Show, Fred Cercena from Getaway VR breaks down how he manages 70+ vacation rentals across Vermont and Maine from his base in New York.

Fred shares why remote management requires physical local hubs for supplies, how he built an internal promotion track that turned a local housekeeper into a General Manager running two states, and why keeping your tech stack small beats constantly chasing new software.

We also dive into his lean tech setup—including Streamline PMS, SendSquared CRM, dynamic pricing with a dedicated revenue manager, and using Claude AI via MCP connectors to run nightly audits across system data.

Guest: Fred Cercena, Founder of Getaway VR

Website: getawayvr.com

📋 In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 - Introduction & Managing 70 Properties from NY

03:10 - Car Sales Marketing Tactics Applied to STR Photos

07:25 - Doubling Portfolio Size via Business Acquisition

11:40 - The Reality of Remote Management: Why You Still Need a Local Hub

16:15 - Building a Team: Promoting Housekeepers to General Managers

20:50 - Why You Must Earn the Right to Step Out of Daily Operations

25:30 - Being Known in the Community (Chamber of Commerce)

30:10 - The Lean Tech Stack: Streamline, SendSquared, & SMS Agreements

34:45 - Dynamic Pricing: Treating PriceLabs Like a Ferrari

39:00 - Running Nightly AI Audits on PMS Data via Claude MCP

43:15 - 3 Rules for Expanding Into Remote Markets

#ShortTermRentals #RemotePropertyManagement #PropertyManagement

SHOW LINKS

Getaway VR — getawayvr.com

Streamline PMS — streamlinevrs.com

SendSquared — sendsquared.com

PriceLabs — pricelabs.co

Don't forget to hit that subscribe button! This keeps us going and creating more useful content for free!

ACCOMMODATION OWNERS AND MANAGERS FREE RESOURCES!

📧 Join the mailing list for freebies and critical industry updates: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/🌍 Join the Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Community: https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity🔗 Connect with Bart Sobies for industry insights, tools, and resources: https://www.ibooked.online/bart/🎙 Catch every episode of The Accommodation Show here: https://www.theaccommodationshow.com✨ Ready to take things up a level? Come to STRIVE: https://www.striveconferences.com

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬🥊 Hotel - BNB - STR Owners! 🥊Need more direct bookings or a brand new website?The trusted tech partner you can count on. We deliver results.🥊 https://www.ibooked.online 🥊▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Disclaimer: The content shared on this YouTube channel, Podcast, or associated posts reflects personal opinions and insights. This content is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions. The hosts and guests disclaim liability for any consequences of using this content. Actions taken should be based on your personal due diligence.

Affiliate Disclaimer:This blog, podcast & youtube channel; will occasionally contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission on a purchase without additional cost to you, if you buy something through my links.This show aims to educate viewers and share everything I know about improving your accommodation, STR and AirBNB business. I believe in the products and services we link to and that you may benefit from them.If you do purchase through my affiliate links; I want to thank you for your support.

Every operator eventually hits the stage where they decide it’s time to stop relying on OTAs and build a real brand. But hiring a designer and building a website isn't enough. In this episode of The Accommodation Show, Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing at Hospitable, breaks down what a real short-term rental brand actually is and how to build one that drives repeat direct bookings.Miles shares the "Nike vs. Hyatt" branding framework, explains why custom direct booking websites fail without a traffic strategy, and reveals how Hospitable scaled to 24,000+ hosts and 200,000+ doors largely through organic word-of-mouth.We explore practical, low-cost grassroots tactics to build brand equity—from local coffee shop partnerships and in-home QR codes to using AI tools to define your brand voice.Guest: Miles Hobson, Head of Marketing, HospitableWebsite: hospitable.com📋 In this episode, we discuss:00:00 - Introduction & Hospitable's Global Scale03:10 - How Hospitable Scaled to 24,000+ Clients via Word-of-Mouth07:45 - What is a Brand? The Nike vs. Hyatt Framework12:15 - Why Your Direct Booking Website Isn't the First Priority16:40 - Low-Cost Grassroots Tactics for Local Brand Building21:10 - Using AI to Refine Your Brand Voice & Values26:30 - In-Home Touchpoints That Turn OTA Guests Into Direct Bookers31:00 - 3 Steps to Start Building Your STR Brand Today#ShortTermRentals #DirectBookings #PropertyManagementSHOW LINKSHospitable — hospitable.comDon't forget to hit that subscribe button! This keeps us going and creating more useful content for free!ACCOMMODATION OWNERS AND MANAGERS FREE RESOURCES!📧Join the mailing list for freebies and critical industry updates: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/🌍 Join the Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Community: https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity🔗 Connect with Bart Sobies for industry insights, tools, and resources: https://www.ibooked.online/bart/🎙 Catch every episode of The Accommodation Show here: https://www.theaccommodationshow.com✨ Ready to take things up a level? Come to STRIVE: https://www.striveconferences.com▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬🥊 Hotel - BNB - STR Owners! 🥊Need more direct bookings or a brand new website?The trusted tech partner you can count on. We deliver results.🥊 https://www.ibooked.online 🥊▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Disclaimer: The content shared on this YouTube channel, Podcast, or associated posts reflects personal opinions and insights. This content is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions. The hosts and guests disclaim liability for any consequences of using this content. Actions taken should be based on your personal due diligence.Affiliate Disclaimer:This blog, podcast & youtube channel; will occasionally contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission on a purchase without additional cost to you, if you buy something through my links.This show aims to educate viewers and share everything I know about improving your accommodation, STR and AirBNB business. I believe in the products and services we link to and that you may benefit from them.If you do purchase through my affiliate links; I want to thank you for your support.

Most broken processes survive in business for years because fixing them means stopping work that pays to do work that doesn't. When new tax laws hit Wanaka, Kim Stewart turned a 200-invoice monthly nightmare into a 10-minute automated sync.In this episode of The Accommodation Show, Kim Stewart from Lakeview Properties shares how she bought a 25-property business running on spreadsheets, kept 95 percent of owners during the transition, and tripled her portfolio.We explore how she navigated major New Zealand GST changes, modernized her PMS and dynamic pricing stack, and trained herself to stop reacting to every guest message.Guest: Kim Stewart, Owner, Lakeview PropertiesWebsite: lakeview-properties.com📋 In this episode, we discuss:00:00 - Buying an STR business and keeping 95% of owners03:15 - Why year one is about not rocking the boat08:40 - Running 25 properties on manual spreadsheets14:20 - The New Zealand GST tax shift that broke the business20:10 - Slashing 200 manual invoices down to a 10-minute sync26:35 - Building the tech stack: Hostaway, PriceLabs, Sweeply33:15 - Why small-town operators need to leave the building38:00 - Training yourself to stop reacting to guest comms#PropertyManagement #STRGrowth #ShortTermRentalsSHOW LINKSLakeview Properties — lakeview-properties.comHostaway — hostaway.comPriceLabs — pricelabs.coXero — xero.comSTRive — striveconferences.comDon't forget to hit that subscribe button! This keeps us going and creating more useful content for free!ACCOMMODATION OWNERS AND MANAGERS FREE RESOURCES!📧Join the mailing list for freebies and critical industry updates: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/🌍 Join the Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Community:https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity🔗 Connect with Bart Sobies for industry insights, tools, and resources:https://www.ibooked.online/bart/🎙 Catch every episode of The Accommodation Show here:https://www.theaccommodationshow.com✨ Ready to take things up a level? Come to STRIVE:https://www.striveconferences.com▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬🥊 Hotel - BNB - STR Owners! 🥊Need more direct bookings or a brand new website?The trusted tech partner you can count on. We deliver results.🥊 https://www.ibooked.online 🥊▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Disclaimer: The content shared on this YouTube channel, Podcast, or associated posts reflects personal opinions and insights. This content is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions. The hosts and guests disclaim liability for any consequences of using this content. Actions taken should be based on your personal due diligence.Affiliate Disclaimer:This blog, podcast & youtube channel; will occasionally contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission on a purchase without additional cost to you, if you buy something through my links.This show aims to educate viewers and share everything I know about improving your accommodation, STR and AirBNB business. I believe in the products and services we link to and that you may benefit from them.If you do purchase through my affiliate links; I want to thank you for your support.