Learning Lessons from 13 Years’ Experience in the STR Industry

Yes, we learn a lot from personal experience. But smart short-term rental hosts also learn from each other.

We take advantage of our peers’ and predecessors’ experiences, implementing best practices from the very beginning.

Koryn Okey is the Vice President of Client Experience at Breezeway, the leading property operations and services platform for short-term rentals. Prior to joining Breezeway in 2017, Koryn spent seven years as Director of International Accounts at FlipKey.

On this episode of Get Paid for Your Pad, Koryn joins me to explain how the FlipKey model differed from that of Airbnb and explore what gives Airbnb the brand recognition it enjoys today.

Koryn offers advice on optimizing your property listings, and we discuss when hosts should start using a tool like Breezeway to manage their STR portfolio.

Listen in for insight on investing in tech early on in your Airbnb business and master Koryn’s top three habits of highly successful STR hosts!

Topics Covered

What differentiated the FlipKey model from Airbnb

• Host paid per lead vs. percentage of booking
• Get guest contact info, communicate directly

Koryn’s advice on building a listing for your STR

• Ask friends for honest feedback
• Compare to other listings in market

How Koryn thinks about choosing a lead photo

• Consider why guests coming to your market
• Pick image to stand out from competitors

What made Airbnb more successful than FlipKey

• Focus on urban markets, young travelers
• Mind for design = user-friendly site

How Breezeway technology serves STR hosts

• Operations and guest services platform
• Ensure space clean, functional and safe

When hosts should consider tools like Breezeway

• Any time manage listing(s) remotely
• Essential once responsible for 5 properties

The benefit of implementing tech right away

• Leverage best practices from beginning
• Efficiency gains, avoid mistakes

Koryn’s top 3 habits of highly successful hosts

1. Invest in technology early on
2. Build community (learn from others)
3. Know what’s happening in industry

Connect with Koryn

Breezeway

Koryn on LinkedIn

Email vip@breezeway.io

Resources

FlipKey

Jeremy Gall on Get Paid for Your Pad EP387

Breezeway’s STR Inspector Course

Legends X 90-Day STR Accelerator

Email jasper@getpaidforyourpad.com

Sponsor

Hostfully [Discount Code PAD]

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