What if the biggest revenue lever in your STR business was not your pricing tool, your channel manager, or your listing photos, but your design? Courtney Petrovich has the receipts to prove it. Matt and Austin sit down with Courtney, founder and principal of Denori Designs, a hospitality design firm specializing in short-term rentals, boutique hotels, and resorts, for one of the most ROI-focused design conversations the show has ever had.

Courtney came into the STR world as an investor, not a designer. She sold off long-term rentals in 2023 to fund her first short-term rental in North Myrtle Beach, an eight-bedroom duplex in a complex where no comparable property had ever broken $185,000 in revenue. Through intentional market research, guest avatar targeting, and a design strategy built around golfers in shoulder season and multi-generational families in peak season, she generated $254,000 in her very first year. That result launched Denori Designs, and she has been helping STR operators, co-hosts, and property managers replicate that formula ever since.

Here is what you will learn:

Why design strategy always comes before furniture and why starting with market research and your guest avatar is the difference between a pretty property and a profitable one, how Courtney doubled the revenue of an eight-bedroom property in a market where every comp said the ceiling was $185,000, what amenitizing actually means in practice and how to decide which amenities have the highest ROI versus which ones are money pits, why she never recommends restaining floors on an investment property and how she thinks about spend decisions as an investor-designer hybrid, how Denori Designs works with property managers as a trusted full-service partner so the manager gets the keys and a beautiful listing without ever managing a contractor, why getting design-ready renderings before construction is finished lets property managers launch listings and capture holiday bookings early, and how Courtney is currently completing Cornell’s Hotel Planning and Design certification to bring hotel-level design thinking to short-term rental properties.

If you have been thinking about redesigning an underperforming property or setting up a new one for maximum revenue, this episode gives you the framework to think about it the right way.

Slide into Courtney’s DMs on Instagram at @denoridesigns or visit denoridesigns.com to learn more and book a consultation.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds TikTok: @creativecodds Facebook: @matt.codd.3 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz TikTok: @austin_spitzz Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

What does it look like to build a luxury STR management company from scratch, keep your W2, win a Home Innovation Award before your second birthday as a business, and position yourself for acquisition all at the same time? Carey Antoon is doing exactly that, and this conversation is one of the most grounded and relatable episodes the show has had.

Matt and Austin sit down with Carey Antoon, founder of Overnight Digs, the premier luxury vacation rental and property management company serving Hot Springs and Lake Hamilton in Arkansas. Hot Springs is a unique and thriving STR market, home to the nation's first national park, healing thermal waters, a legendary historic downtown, and the only horse racetrack in Arkansas, all of which draw millions of visitors a year looking for an experience that goes beyond a standard hotel room. Carey saw the opportunity and built a boutique, concierge-level brand to serve it.

Founded in 2022 by three families and fellow investors, Overnight Digs grew from a single investment property to nearly 50 doors in under three years and was recognized with a Home Innovation Award before most companies even find their footing. The brand has become synonymous with luxury in the Hot Springs market and Carey is already thinking several moves ahead.

Here is what you will learn:

How Carey got into STRs after selling out of a franchise business and why he chose short-term rentals over other asset classes for the tax benefits and cash flow, how he structured his management company partnership from day one with a licensed broker on record and why that decision paid off, what it is like to build and grow an STR business while still working a W2 and managing time between two worlds, why Carey calls STRs lifestyle assets and how that framing shapes the way he thinks about his portfolio and his future, how Overnight Digs built a reputation as the luxury operator in Hot Springs and what concierge-level service actually looks like in practice, how he thinks about acquisitions and the possibility of acquiring other boutique STR brands to expand his portfolio, and why he is seriously considering attending VRMA for the first time and what he hopes to get out of it.

Carey also shares his honest take on what it means to set up a business the right way from the start, even when you do not know yet how big it will become.

Find Carey and Overnight Digs on all social media channels at @overnightdigs or visit overnightdigs.com to learn more and book direct. You can also email at Care@overnightdigs

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Matt Codd

Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @matt.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger

Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

If you have ever wondered why direct bookings feel so hard to crack, Matt Sharp has the answer and it starts with a lesson from the newspaper industry. Matt and Austin sit down with Matt Sharp, co-founder of Bookings Cloud, a performance marketing platform built specifically for short-term rental and vacation rental managers who are tired of paying Airbnb and VRBO to rent access to their own guests.

Matt spent nearly 20 years as a senior executive at Advance, one of the largest media companies in the country, overseeing the Alabama Media Group and Michigan markets while also co-founding automotive tech businesses Zero Sum and Cloud Theory. He watched first-hand what happens when a platform like Google or Facebook gets between a business and its customers and strips away the direct relationship. He saw the same pattern forming in the STR industry and built Bookings Cloud to help operators fight back.

Here is what you will learn:

Why the OTA model is identical to what destroyed local media and why history is about to repeat itself for STR operators who are not building a direct business right now, how Facebook and Instagram retargeting works in the STR space and why it is one of the most underutilized and cost-effective tools available to property managers today, what the average vacation rental traveler journey actually looks like (71 days of research before booking) and how to use that window to capture demand before Airbnb does, why most STR operators are wasting their Facebook ad budget because they are targeting the wrong audiences in the wrong way, how Bookings Cloud uses behavioral data, pixel tracking, and paid media to drive direct bookings for property managers at a fraction of what OTA fees cost, what AI search and LLMs mean for the future of vacation rental discovery and why building your direct presence NOW is the smartest thing you can do before AI agents start booking travel on behalf of consumers, and why Matt believes operators who own their guest relationships will have a massive competitive advantage over those who remain 100% OTA-dependent.

This is one of the most forward-thinking marketing conversations the show has ever had. If you manage more than 10 properties and you are not thinking about direct bookings yet, this episode is your wake-up call.

Schedule a demo and learn more at bookingscloud.com and find Matt Sharp on LinkedIn.

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Matt Codd

Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @matt.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger

Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-50481111b/

What does true hospitality actually look like in the short-term rental industry, and why are so many operators getting it wrong? Matt and Austin sit down with Jodie Odlin, Australian-born, UK-based STR host, five-time bestselling author, founder of the Hospitable Hosts book series, winner of the International Shortyz Rentpreneur Award, and founder of The Global Hospitality Collective, for one of the most refreshing and globally-minded conversations the show has ever had.

Jodie's journey started with a 450-year-old stone cottage in the Cotswolds, managing properties in one of the most picturesque and sought-after destinations in the UK. With a background in hotel management and a career in five-star hotels around the world, she brought a level of hospitality thinking to short-term rentals that most operators simply never develop. During lockdown, she discovered a community of hosts just like her through the Clubhouse app and had a lightbulb moment: what if she brought their stories together in a book? That book became a number one bestseller, and she has not stopped since.

The Hospitable Hosts series now spans five volumes, with contributors from all around the world, including a couples edition celebrating the unique dynamics of running an STR business together, and the STR Sisterhood edition launched on International Women's Day to celebrate the women who make up the majority of Airbnb hosts globally.

Here is what you will learn:

Why you do not need a luxury property with all the bells and whistles to earn five star reviews and what actually matters more than amenities, how setting guest expectations properly from the start is one of the most underrated skills in the industry, why Jodie believes the STR industry desperately needs a formal hospitality accreditation standard and what she is doing about it, how she manages properties in the Cotswolds remotely from Australia using AI tools to maintain a personal and genuine guest experience, why partnering with local businesses is one of the most effective and overlooked ways to elevate the guest experience, and how the Hospitable Hosts movement has evolved from a single book into a global community of educators, hosts, and property managers committed to raising the bar.

Jodie also shares her vision for The Global Hospitality Collective, the STR Hospitality Summit, and how you can submit your own story or diary entry to be featured in an upcoming book.

Find everything Jodie is doing at theglobalhospitalitycollective.com and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook as Jodie Odlin.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @matt.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

What does it look like to go from defense engineer to 140 doors under management in just two years? Cameron Masters is living proof that the right mindset, the right mastermind, and a willingness to bet on yourself can compress an entire decade of growth into a fraction of the time. Matt and Austin sit down with Cameron for one of the most tactical and inspiring episodes the show has produced on the topic of scaling fast through acquisitions.

Cameron started in real estate in 2020, bought his first STR in 2021, left his W2 engineering job in July of 2023 with a single management client, and by the time this episode was recorded had grown to over 140 doors across two companies: Remote Retreats, focused on the Yosemite, Oak Creek, and Bass Lake area, and Lake Tahoe Accommodations, a 46-year-old legacy company he and his business partner Jeremy acquired all around Lake Tahoe.

Here is what you will learn:

How Cameron went from zero to 140 doors in under two years and what actually drove that growth, why the VRMA conference completely changed his vision for what this business could become, how he found, evaluated, and structured the acquisition of Lake Tahoe Accommodations including the exact deal structure with a deferred payment instead of a holdback, why he chose to take on owner retention risk himself rather than negotiate a holdback and how he priced that risk into the deal, what the first 90 days of an acquisition actually look like and how to keep owners from walking out the door, how to think about raising capital from investors for an STR company acquisition when traditional financing is not an option, and why joining an acquisitions mastermind early is one of the highest leverage moves a growth-minded STR operator can make.

Cameron also gets into the operational realities of integrating a legacy company with 46 years of history and how to modernize systems without losing what made the original business great.

Find Cameron on Facebook at Cameron Masters and on Instagram at @cameron.masters_ and feel free to DM him directly.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @matt.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

Some people find their way into the short-term rental industry. Jodi Cleer built her entire career inside it and has seen every angle of the business from the vendor side, the property management side, and now private equity and M&A. Matt and Austin sit down with Jodi Cleer, equity partner of Deal Sourcing at AwayDay and former CMO of I Love Vacations, for one of the most wide-ranging and candid conversations the show has produced.

Jodi started in hotels in 2010, transitioned to the vacation rental space as a vendor at RealVoice in 2014, and eventually made the rare leap from vendor to property manager by joining the team at Park City Rental Properties. She helped grow that operation from 235 properties to over 800 across Park City, Sedona, Scottsdale, Whitefish, Montana, and right here in the Texas Hill Country before the company was acquired by AwayDay in 2024. She also personally owns 18 vacation rentals across several of those markets and serves on the board of the VRMA, where she is currently running for election to the board of directors.

Here is what you will learn:

Why the leap from vendor to property manager almost never happens and how Jodi pulled it off, the genius strategy of buying a home in every new market you expand into and why it creates instant credibility with homeowners and communities, how social media went from pretty pictures to a serious demand generation engine and what viral content actually means for your bottom line, what the M&A process looks like from the inside when you are on the buy side at a private equity backed company, why being an owner but not an operator with 18 properties is actually a smart positioning move even for someone with Jodi's experience, what it takes to get a vacation rental company acquisition-ready and what buyers like AwayDay are actually looking for, and why the VRMA conference is a must attend for any serious STR operator or property manager.

Jodi also shares her unfiltered take on the "coopetition" culture in the STR industry and why she counts her competitors as some of her closest allies.

Find Jodi on LinkedIn by searching Jodi Cleer, the only one in the world, and reach out directly. She responds to every message.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds TikTok: @creativecodds Facebook: @matt.codd.3 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz TikTok: @austin_spitzz Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

Some people chase the biggest portfolio they can find. Michael Friedman did the opposite, and it might be the smartest thing he ever did. Matt and Austin sit down with Michael Friedman, CEO of Simple Life Hospitality and co-founder of Vacation Rental University, for one of the most experience-packed conversations the show has ever had.

With over 35 years in hospitality, vacation rentals, and real estate, Michael has held executive roles at two of the largest franchise operations in the industry, served as COO of the Americas for the ultra-luxury Onefinestay brand where he oversaw more than 3,500 properties, and is now intentionally leading a tight, focused operation of 150 homes across Door County, the Northwoods, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Door County, often called the Cape Cod of the Midwest, is a stunning peninsula wedged between Lake Michigan and Green Bay, and it is the kind of market where relationships and reputation mean everything.

Here is what you will learn:

Why Michael walked away from managing thousands of luxury properties to lead a smaller, more intentional company and what that decision taught him about what really matters in this business, how Simple Life Hospitality built their entire culture around the 3 Cs: Cash, Care, and Communication, and why those three things solve almost every problem in property management, what it actually looks like to manage homes around Lambeau Field for Packers game weekends and why that niche is more lucrative than most people realize, how to think about owner acquisition in a tight geographic market and why being hyper local is a competitive advantage not a limitation, why Michael switched from ChatGPT to Claude for running analytics and KPIs and what difference it made for his business, and his bold prediction about AI search and why the operators who get their properties discovered by AI tools today will have a massive head start when AI starts booking vacations tomorrow.

Michael's closing thought is one every STR operator needs to hear: technology keeps changing, but the business never has. Take care of the home, take care of the guest, tell the owner the truth, and everything else takes care of itself.

Find Michael on LinkedIn at Michael Friedman and learn more about Simple Life Hospitality at simpleliferentals.com.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @matt.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

If you want to know where the STR industry is headed, talk to someone who was doing revenue management before Airbnb and VRBO even existed. Matt and Austin sit down with Michelle Marquis, founder of The Marquis Effect and co-founder of ShortCuts4STR, for a wide ranging conversation with one of the most seasoned and respected voices in the vacation rental technology space.

Michelle started her career as a hotelier doing revenue management manually, tracking pace in Excel spreadsheets before dynamic pricing tools were even a thought. She spent 12 years on the property management side before transitioning to the technology world, first at Navis (now Revinate) where she helped pioneer CRM and direct booking strategies, then at TravelNet Solutions where her leadership helped drive two massive exits, including a north of $250 million acquisition. Today she serves as a fractional CRO and CMO for STR operators and technology companies through The Marquis Effect, and sits on the board of BookingPal.

Here is what you will learn:

Why most STR operators are leaving serious money on the table by ignoring ancillary revenue streams and what to do about it, how distribution strategy has evolved from manual Expedia conversations to AI powered channel management and why most operators still are not using it correctly, what a fractional CRO actually does inside your business versus what a consultant does, why your KPIs need to go beyond occupancy and ADR if you want to truly understand the health of your business, how companies like Abode are generating over $2 million a year in ancillary revenue and what you can learn from that model, why Amazon affiliate links, referral commissions, and upsell services are some of the easiest and most overlooked revenue opportunities for any STR operator, and what the single biggest mindset shift is that separates operators who build real businesses from those who stay stuck.

Michelle also shares her thoughts on AI adoption in the STR space, why operators who are overwhelmed by new tools need a simpler framework for deciding where to start, and why it is time to get serious about running your STR like the business it actually is.

Find Michelle on LinkedIn and at themarquiseffect.com. You can also follow her work with ShortCuts4STR at shortcuts4str.com.

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Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds TikTok: @creativecodds Facebook: @matt.codd.3 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz TikTok: @austin_spitzz Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/