Tweaking guest fees and optimizing pricing rules only moves your business by inches. The fastest and highest-ROI way to multiply revenue in short-term rentals is scaling your inventory. Yet, the vast majority of property managers struggle to consistently sign new owners.

In this episode of The Accommodation Show, Bart Sobies sits down with Brooke Pfautz, founder and CEO of Vintory. Having helped over 1,000 vacation rental companies grow their supply, Brooke reveals the core reasons most owner acquisition strategies fail—starting with the "scratch and sniff" marketing trap where every manager pitches the exact same generic promises.

Brooke breaks down how to engineer real operational differentiators (like luxury home exchange perks and weather guarantees), how to construct compelling offers that stop owners standing over their recycling bins, and the story behind Vintory's "Kill Team Six" AI pivot. Plus, learn the CRSC framework (Context, Rules, Skills, Connectors) to deploy high-converting outbound campaigns without generating robotic "AI slop."

Guest: Brooke Pfautz, Founder & CEO of Vintory
Website: https://vintory.com

📋 In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - Introduction & The Supply Growth Engine
02:40 - The "Kill Team Six" Pivot: Rebuilding Vintory with Native AI
07:15 - Why Property Managers Must Assess AI Disruption Now
11:30 - How to Strategize with AI When You Don't Have an Executive Team
14:20 - The Math of Inventory: The Highest ROI Investment in STRs
17:05 - The "Scratch and Sniff" Marketing Trap: Avoiding Commoditization
20:45 - Real Differentiators: ThirdHome Access & Sunny Days Guarantees
25:10 - Crafting Compelling Offers That Stop Owners at the Recycling Bin
28:30 - US vs. International Homeowner Data Acquisition
32:15 - The CRSC Framework: Context, Rules, Skills, Connectors
37:40 - Outbound Consistency: Cold Email, Direct Mail, and Landing Pages
41:10 - Brooke's #1 Rule for Acquiring More Property Owners

#ShortTermRentals #BrookePfautz #Vintory #PropertyManagement #VacationRentals #ScaleSTR

SHOW LINKS
Vintory — https://vintory.com
The Accommodation Show — https://www.theaccommodationshow.com

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

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🥊 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.

As AI tools and automated platforms flood the short-term rental industry, the greatest risk to your business isn't lack of software, it's the rapid erosion of trust. In this episode of The Accommodation Show, Bart Sobies sits down with Margot Schmorak, CEO and co-founder of Hostfully, to examine what it takes to build a truly resilient accommodation business heading into 2027.

Margot opens up about Hostfully's internal tech evolution, candidly discussing why they refocused on product after underinvesting in engineering for several years, why they strictly hire senior engineers in an AI-driven environment, and why they are completely comfortable letting 1,000-unit enterprise clients walk away to focus obsessively on growing 5-to-30-unit managers.

Drawing from her recent stays across Colombia and Greece, Margot also breaks down why operators must stop orienting strictly around physical inventory and start designing their operations around traveler personas. Plus, we explore the reality of AI adoption: why true automation is still unfinished, why operators must "squint" at data, and how to maintain authentic human accountability.

Guest: Margot Schmorak, CEO & Co-founder of Hostfully
Website: https://www.hostfully.com

In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - Conference Season Wrap-Up & Global STR Stays
02:30 - Hostfully's Engineering Overhaul & Strategic Investment
05:15 - Why Hostfully Refuses to Hire Junior Engineers in the AI Era
08:40 - The "All-in-One" Myth: Why Hostfully Doesn't Target 1,000-Unit Enterprise Portfolios
12:10 - Apple vs. Google: Curating In-House Tech vs. Wild West Marketplaces
16:00 - Travel Insights: Cartagena, Athens, and Bogota
19:30 - Orienting Around Clientele vs. Physical Inventory
23:15 - The Two Waves of Tech: Unfinished Automation vs. Sentiment Listening
27:00 - Why AI Is Never "Set and Forget": Training Intercom's Fin
30:45 - Looking Ahead to 2027: The Erosion of Trust in Data & Software
34:20 - The Importance of "Squinting" at AI Outputs and Self-Assessment

Show links
Hostfully: https://www.hostfully.com
The Accommodation Show: https://www.theaccommodationshow.com
Join the mailing list: https://news.theaccommodationshow.com/
Accommodation Owners and Managers Facebook Community: https://bit.ly/AMoFacebookCommunity
Connect with Bart Sobies: https://www.ibooked.online/bart/
Come to STRIVE: https://www.striveconferences.com

Hotel, BNB and STR owners: need more direct bookings or a brand new website? https://www.ibooked.online

Disclaimer: The content shared on this podcast reflects personal opinions and insights. It is not intended as legal, financial, or investment advice. Always consult with licensed professionals before making decisions.

Most software companies supporting 9,000 clients carry 120 to 150 employees on the payroll. OwnerRez manages it with roughly 50.

In this episode of The Accommodation Show, Bart Sobies sits down with Paul Waldschmidt, CEO and co-founder of OwnerRez. Paul breaks down the operational philosophy that allowed OwnerRez to bootstrap to 9,000 customers without taking a single dollar of venture capital, seed money, or outside investment.

We dive deep into why OwnerRez intentionally feels the friction of scale before hiring, how their tenure-based Employee Profit Sharing (EPS) program has paid out for 28 consecutive quarters, and why shipping 1,000+ software updates a year keeps their engineering team light years ahead of bureaucratic competitors.

Paul also shares the personal turning points of the business: the framed text message from his wife in 2012 that kept him from shutting down, giving away 50% equity to his childhood friend Chris Hines on pure trust, and how designing onboarding into a "pit of success" for 1–30 unit operators reignited rapid growth.

Guest: Paul Waldschmidt, CEO & Co-founder of OwnerRez
Website: https://www.ownerrez.com

📋 In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - Introduction & Company Philosophy: Creating Happiness
03:40 - The History of OwnerRez: From Cabin Renovations to 9,000 Customers
07:15 - The 2012 Turning Point: The Framed Text That Saved the Business
10:30 - Splitting Equity 50/50: Bringing on Co-Founder Chris Hines
15:10 - The Power of Bootstrapping: Why Profit Equals Freedom
19:45 - 9,000 Customers with 50 Employees: The Lean Headcount Strategy
24:10 - Inside the Employee Profit Sharing (EPS) Program (28 Quarters Strong)
28:50 - Speed as a Feature: Shipping 1,000+ Software Releases a Year
32:40 - Post-COVID Normalization vs. Reigniting Rapid Growth in 2025/2026
36:15 - The "Pit of Success": Doubling Down on 1–30 Unit Operators
40:30 - Paul's Number One Advice for Founders and Operators

#ShortTermRentals #OwnerRez #PropertyManagement #Bootstrapping #SaaS

SHOW LINKS
OwnerRez — https://www.ownerrez.com
The Accommodation Show — https://www.theaccommodationshow.com

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.