Episodes
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This week on the Guest Cast, youâre in for a treat! Weâre bringing you another batch of Aha Moments - this time, from a selection of carefully selected industry voices, collected at last week's Vacation Rental World Summit in Porto.
You'll hear from the likes of:
Antonio Bortolotti - The brain behind the VRWS event Richard Vaughton from Rentivo Madison Rifkin from Mount Manuel Lozano, Expo Renta Vacacional Greg Chuchra, from Tedee Smart Locks David Jocoby from Hostfully Dana Lubner from Rent Responsibly Roberto Bricio from Guesty Raul Oliveira from Alep -
Debbie begins her A-ha moment with an âAhhhh!â moment, when clear communications from her accommodation would have come in really handy.
In her own communications with her guests, Debbie strives for consistency and humanity. She recounts how regular messages, from the moment guests book, have helped her to build strong, trusting relationships with visitors.
If you can remind guests that thereâs an actual person at the end of every communication, youâll welcome visitors who want to look after your property.
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Episodes manquant?
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This week, weâre delighted to share a rather special A-ha moment, direct from our CEO, Andy.
Andy starts his A-ha moment by asking: When was the last time you surprised your guests?
He discusses the how, while hosts are often brilliant at hospitality, the day to day operations can get in the way in the âsurprise and delightâ moments that guests love.
Sharing his own experiences of being on the receiving end of this, he encourages you to put yourself in the position of a guest â and find those things that you know will make a big different to them.
Find out more about Andy by connecting with him on LinkedIn.
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It's time for yet another A-ha moment from an industry expert in the Vacation Rental sector.
And this week, we're delighted to have Bookster's Marketing Director, Kelly Odor sharing her fountain of knowledge.
Kelly's snappy, yet invaluable insights about data and how you can use it to better guest experience and improve your vacation rental business overall - is a must listen. We hope you enjoy!
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In this episode, Andy and Tyann talk to the MD at Days out - Catherine Warrilow. In a conversation full of takeaways from Catherines travel story as well as her work in marketing - this is an episode packed full of lessons for hospitality professionals of all kinds.
As well as recounting her holiday booking nightmare, Catherine also talks about how her experience in marketing has led her to approach things differently in order to get on her audienceâs radar, and gives some invaluable tips for you to do the same.
From improving your trust signals, to asking the right questions, all the way to how you organise your content - thereâs a lot to unpack in this episode.
Tyann also challenges you to get in touch with that one thing youâre doing differently to make your guests experience easier, better, or more positive. Join the conversation on Twitter and Linkedin.
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In this short, yet captivating story, Mark talks about a delicate situation he and his family found themselves in while hosting â and how they really went above and beyond to help look after some vulnerable guests. In his words, itâs a story that âsums up hospitality to a Tâ.
If you havenât heard about Boostly before, check them out here. For more direct booking wisdom, you can also follow Mark on Linkedin, Twitter & YouTube.
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In this weeks episode, we talk to Cassie Yeldham, a Brit who has made a (part time!) home in Cuba.
While travelling to and from Cuba over the last few years, Cassie met her Cuban Cowboy husband. Now both located in the UK, Cassie and her Cowboy (also known as Ronnie offer various experience packages for tourists who want to really feel the magic of Cuba.
Listen as Cassie talks about its unique tourism landscape, touching on what both guests and hosts can learn from the successes and failures of Cuba, the new kid on the block when it comes to hosting.
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Youâre in for a treat this week! In this A-ha moment episode, we hear from ten industry friends at the 2022 Short Stay Summit about a moment when something clicked for them.
From Damian Sheridanâs realisation about booking trends, to Simon Lehmannâs rainy morning commute, weâve gathered a wealth of teaching moments from these pros. We chatted to:
Damian Sheridan â Director, The Book Direct Show & Scale Rentals Show Assaf Karmon â CEO & Co-founder, TurnoverBnB James Brown â Operations Director, UnderTheDoormat Bob Garner â Owner, Casal Dei Fichi Deborah Heather â CEO, Quality in Tourism Rachel Parsons â Founder, New Forest Escapes Simon Lehmann â CEO & Co-founder, AJL Atelier Leo Walton â Co-founder, SUPERHOG Jenn Boyles â Founder, Direct Booking Success Neely Khan â Travel & Hospitality WriterListen in to hear about back-up plans, sustainable hosting, guest communication, the power of a simple act of kindness, and so much more!
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This week, Jamie Sinton joins Andy and Tyann to talk beautiful cabins, travel influencing, and what luxury really means.
Jamieâs story starts with a cabin that wasnât even available for her to visit. Searching for a place to stay with her family, she discovered a cabin that was still being developed. She followed its story on social media, getting to know the owners and the story of the cabin as it came to life.
When it was finally ready to rent, she booked it! On arrival, it truly met all of her luxury requirements. From the music playing as she entered, to the stunning furniture, to the labelled pantry.
Jamie discusses what luxury really means to her, and the importance of storytelling in showcasing holiday accommodation to guests. Discover how you can use channels such as social media influencers to captivate guests before they book.
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Hannah, Touch Stayâs Creative Media Manager, hijacks The Guest Cast to shine a spotlight on the hosts who made her feel extra safe as a solo traveller.
From tonsillitis in Galicia, to catcalling in Cuba, Hannah has experienced it all whilst exploring new regions on her own. And sheâs come to understand that there are ways hosts can make solo travellers feel more comfortable arriving in a new area.
With the rise of remote working making our working and living patterns more flexible, more and more people are choosing to take off on solo trips. Listen in to find out how you can cater to a growing market of independent travellers.
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In this episode of the Guest Cast, Andy and Tyann talk to travel journalist and content creator, Jill Starley-Grainger.
In this "illuminating" episode (expect more puns like this...!), Jill talks about her wealth of travel experiences - and how there's a pet peeve she runs into time and time again... bad lighting.
Join Andy, Tyann and Jill as they share several different "bad lighting" experiences, and discuss how something so seemingly small can have such a profound effect on guest experience.
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In this Aha-moment episode, Vacation Rental leader and Co-Founder of Vacation Rental Formula, Heather Bayer shares a story on how she became the "Bunkbed Baddie!"
Listen first hand about the importance of making sure your guests know when you make a change to your property... because you never know what they're counting on having in their property!
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This week, Andy and Tyann speak to Amber Hurdle, public speaker, author and vacation rental industry influencer.
Amber talks about how a journey to Europe to connect with her Italian heritage left her feeling completely at home - even though she'd never even been to Italy before!
While Ambers' story starts with a deep longing to understand herself better through her ancestors, it unfolds into a conversation about ways vacation rental owners can tap into the history of their guests.
She suggests that by focusing on the heritage, background and history of a property or area, hosts can provide a unique stay that evokes a far more compelling guest experience - and make you stand out of the vacation rental crowd.
And - Tyann again challenges you to find the special, historical or cultural experience that is local to you - and make sure your guests know about it!
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In this episode, our very own Touch Stay CTO Drew Pearson talks about two of his life changing trips to Italy - one where he to proposed to his wife, and another when he returned with his family some years later.
He talks openly and lovingly about how his love of Travel writer, Rick Steves, influenced the way he travels. He explains how he chooses not to follow the tourist routes "just because" and instead, following his own interests, resulting in far more fulfilling, and memorable experiences
In this episode, Tyann, Andy and Drew talk about how hosts can help their guests achieve this kind of experience. Tyann even challenges hosts to create a list of ways that guests can avoid the tourist traps and feel more Spanish, Italian - or, in Tyann's case, Missourian ;).
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This week, we're bringing you a super short snippet - an "aha" moment from the Touch Stay team about something they've learnt about guest experience.
This week we're hearing from Touch Stay's CMO, Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies.
Last year, Kate played vacation rental host for the first time, and learnt the hard way about why assuming her guests had understood how equipped her home was, wasn't good for her - or them!
And we'll be back next week with another guest story!
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In this episode of the Guest Case, hospitality expert and influencer Will Slicker talks to Tyann and Andy about his extensive experiences staying in hotels and short-term rentals.
Touching on how he feels that the hotel guest experience is dwindling, Will, Andy, and Tyann discuss what short-term rental operators can do to help keep the guest experience alive - not just during the more challenging times of covid, but on an ongoing basis.
Listen in as they discuss everything from the importance of branding and how well your photos represent your accommodation, to the importance of health and safety - and how the latter of that list often receives less focus than it should.
You can find out more about Will by following him on LinkedIn, heading to his directing booking website and you can even listen to his podcast The Slick Talk.
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This week, weâre taking a look back on some of our favourite guest stories from 2021 - with snippets from guests such as:
Co-founder of SparkToro and Moz, Rand Fishin HR influencer Gethin Nadin Editor of Behind the Shutter, Alissa Cincotta Speaker and Solutions Advocate for the travel industry, Johana Haugen and the adventurous travel bloggers, Dave and Deb from Planet D.You can listen to all our podcast episodes at touchstay.com/podcast
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In this episode of the Guest Cast, VR guru Jasper Ribber discusses his stand-out experiences as a guest, which always find a balance of professional efficiency and quirky warmth.
A detailed check-in process in Singapore took the stress out of Jasper's trip before he'd even arrived in the country. Other trips, to Central and South America, stood out because of the enthusiasm of the local hospitality culture - Jasper's hosts really wanted him to have a wonderful experience.
Join Jasper, Andy, and Tyann as they discuss the joys and the challenges of catering to modern vacation rental guests. They touch on how hosts can be both unique and professional at the same time - while highlighting the necessity of defining, and meeting the needs of, your "guest avatar".
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Author and travel blogger Karen Beddow, talks to Touch Stay about some of her amazing adventures in Africa - and how she coped taking her young children along for the ride.
In this episode, the Andy and Tyann touch on the importance of expectation versus reality, plus the power of the Tour Operator - and how having someone to guide you in an unfamiliar place enhances experience.
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