Mark sits down with Connor Paton, CEO and co-founder of Noshable, a grocery concierge service designed specifically for short-term rentals. What started as a simple idea, stock the fridge before guests arrive, has grown into a national service that enhances hospitality, improves reviews, and opens up new revenue streams for STR operators.

You’ll learn:

• How Noshable partners with STR managers to provide a seamless, branded grocery experience
• Why stocked fridges are driving more 5-star reviews and repeat bookings
• What guests actually order (hint: beer and bagels lead the list)
• How property managers are using Noshable for upsells, loyalty perks, and surprise-and-delight moments
• The behind-the-scenes logistics of launching a national service with cleaning app partners
• Why magical moments - like a stocked fridge or surprise birthday cake—are the future of STR hospitality

Whether you run one Airbnb or manage 500, this episode will change how you think about check-ins, hospitality, and what’s possible with the guest experience.

Learn more: shopnoshable.com
Follow Connor on LinkedIn: Connor Paton
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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

What if you could work directly with professional designers for free on your next short-term rental project? In this episode, Mark sits down with Erin and Asia from Wayfair’s Project Solutions team to explore one of the STR industry’s best-kept secrets: Wayfair Professional.

From full installs in the Bahamas to creating on-brand, photo-worthy spaces that drive bookings, Erin and Asia break down exactly how Wayfair’s team helps hosts and investors:

• Design rentals with hospitality-grade durability and residential comfort
• Source stylish, reliable furniture across ALL price points (not just budget buys!)
• Coordinate consolidated shipping, delivery, and white-glove installation
• Access commercial-grade goods, vanities, fixtures, even renovation materials
• Avoid common mistakes like short timelines and low-quality selections
• Create photogenic moments and amenities guests rave about

Whether you’re furnishing your first Airbnb or scaling a portfolio, this episode is loaded with practical insights on how to save time, elevate your design, and protect your investment.

Explore Wayfair Pro: https://www.wayfair.com/pro
Follow them on IG: @wayfairprofessional

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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

Taylor sits down with Nico, a former tech sales executive turned short-term rental entrepreneur, to unpack one of the most creative and strategic STR journeys we’ve heard.

Nico shares how he:

• Went from selling software to CFOs of billion-dollar tech companies to flipping homes in Austin
• Used STRs to offset a major tax bill after a liquidity event—and never looked back
• Bought and converted a 110-year-old Piggly Wiggly grocery store into a cash-flowing Airbnb duplex
• Built a 12-unit portfolio, including midterm arbitrage units for corporate travelers
• Launched Live in Luxury, a white-glove service for high-earning W2 professionals
• Partnered with data-driven operators to scale his business and serve busy investors
• Leveraged cost segregation and depreciation to legally eliminate his tax burden

If you're looking for ways to optimize your tax strategy, generate consistent cash flow, and invest in memorable, high-performing STRs, this episode is packed with insight.

Learn more: LiveInLuxury.co

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Episode Sponsored By:

STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

In this episode, Mark sits down with Shawn Moore, a 25-year real estate veteran and founder of Vodyssey, to unpack two decades of lessons in the short-term rental space. Shawn shares how he stumbled into STRs in 2006, built a thriving portfolio, and eventually launched one of the most respected coaching communities in the game: all while staying rooted in authenticity and real results over flash.

You'll learn:

• Why post-COVID investors often learned all the wrong lessons
• The three pillars of a successful STR: location, experience, and marketing
• How Sean approaches investing with long-term appreciation in mind
• Why uniqueness and guest personalization are the ultimate revenue drivers
• Mistakes that cost thousands and how you can avoid them

This is one of our most honest and wisdom-packed conversations yet. Whether you're scaling or just starting out, Sean's mindset and experience will inspire you to build intentionally and invest wisely.

Learn more about Sean and Vodyssey at vodyssey.com
Connect on LinkedIn: Sean Moore
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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

In this episode, Taylor Jones sits down with the “Airbnb Data Guy” himself, John Bianchi, co-founder of STR Search and the brain behind hundreds of profitable short-term rentals. They unpack John’s exact process for identifying high-performing properties, avoiding bad buys, and why analyzing revenue drivers like pickleball courts and hot tubs can mean the difference between $80K and $200K.

You'll learn:

• How to reverse-engineer success in any STR market
• What “table stakes” amenities top listings always have
• Why cheap debt beats a fancy kitchen
• How to efficiently allocate capital for max ROI
• The secret sauce behind STR Search’s data models

This is one of the most practical and entertaining data breakdowns we've ever recorded. Whether you’re buying your first property or optimizing your tenth, don’t miss this one.

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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

Mark Lumpkin sits down with Shaun Shirazian, the new CEO of Lodgify — one of the biggest tech names in the vacation rental industry. Shaun shares his journey from hosting in San Diego to leading a global company from Barcelona, and breaks down the major shift happening in tech: from Software as a Service (SaaS 1.0) to Service as Software (SaaS 2.0).

You'll hear about:

• How Lodgify plans to make hosting easier through automation
• Why customer obsession is at the heart of Lodgify 2.0
• What’s changing and what’s not in the STR industry
• How Sean’s first 100 days shaped the future of the company
• Insights on global markets, regulations, and what's next for hosts

Whether you're a new host or scaling your portfolio, this episode is packed with real talk, future-focused insights, and a behind-the-scenes look at a major player in STR tech. Don’t miss it!

Contact Shaun: shaun.shirazian@lodgify.com
Follow him on LinkedIn: Shaun Shirazian
Learn more about Lodgify: lodgify.com

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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

In this episode of the STR Investing Podcast, Taylor sits down with Pedro Rivera, Head of Customer Success at Summer OS, to explore how his unique background in hotel acquisitions and build-to-rent communities shaped one of the most powerful tools in the short-term rental space.

Pedro shares:

• The key differences (and surprising similarities) between hotel and STR investing
• What institutional real estate gets right—and wrong—about short-term rentals
• How Summer OS was born out of frustration with unreliable data and plug-and-play tools
• Why accurate competitive sets, lot size, and submarket awareness are critical for STR success
• What most investors miss when projecting revenue and tracking performance
• Why operators must keep their hands on the wheel—set-and-forget doesn't work
• What’s next for Summer OS, including real-time variance analysis and revenue trend forecasting

If you’re scaling your STR portfolio, building underwriting systems, or struggling to trust the data, this episode is a goldmine.

Explore Summer OS: https://www.summeros.com

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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com

In this episode, Mark Lumpkin sits down with Jay Ullrich, STR operator, tech founder, and CEO of HostBuddy.ai - to unpack his journey from cold-calling landlords and scrubbing his own units to managing 45+ short-term rentals and launching one of the most advanced AI guest communication tools in the industry.

Jay shares:

• How he built a thriving STR property management company without outbound sales
• What he learned scaling from 1 arbitrage unit to 45+ managed homes in San Diego
• Why HostBuddy.ai was born out of late-night guest message fatigue, and how it works
• How today’s AI tools can help you reduce stress, automate communication, and increase profits
• Why HostBuddy stands out from every other AI chatbot in the space
• The challenges of scaling and how to maintain trust as you grow
• How to test HostBuddy live on their site (no signup required!)

Whether you’re just starting in cohosting or you’re managing dozens of units, this episode is packed with firsthand experience and future-focused insights that can save you time, money, and headaches.

Try HostBuddy's AI for yourself → https://hostbuddy.ai

Connect with Jay: jay@hostbuddy.ai | @hostbuddy_ai on Instagram

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Episode Sponsored By:
STR Search

STR Search is the industry leading property finder service. They've helped investors acquire over 215 profitable STRs across the US. If you'd like the data professionals to help you find your next STR, reach out to STRsearch.com