Short-term rentals have matured fast. But many operators are still stuck paying rising distribution costs while losing control of the guest relationship.

In this episode, Eric Goldreyer, hospitality entrepreneur and founder of BedandBreakfast.com, former co-founder of TurnKey Vacation Rentals, and creator of Savvy, joins Brian to unpack what's happening behind the scenes in vacation rental distribution.

Eric has built, scaled, and sold companies in the space. He also owns and operates a 20-key boutique hotel outside Austin, giving him both strategic and ground-level insight into hospitality operations.

This conversation focuses on one core issue: Who owns the guest relationship — and what does that cost you?

What We Cover:

Why vacation rental distribution costs have increased while hotel distribution costs have decreased
The "Airbnb tax" and how it affects long-term profitability
Why hosts don't truly own their customer data on major OTAs
The difference between transaction fees and customer acquisition costs
Why professional property management is separating from gig-economy hosting
How book-direct marketplaces are changing the economics of short-term rentals
What it takes to scale a property management company nationally
Leveraging tech stacks, automation, and AI in modern vacation rental operations
How Eric approaches hiring high-performance teams
Why hospitality — not just technology — is the real differentiator

Eric also shares how his company Savvy is building a book-direct marketplace designed to reduce fees for travelers while giving property managers ownership of their customer relationships.

Key Themes

Short-term rental profitability
OTA dependency risk
Distribution strategy
Hospitality vs platform control
Direct booking models
AI in vacation rental tech stacks

Resources Mentioned

Savvy: https://savvy.com
Eric Goldreyer on LinkedIn
Sage Hill Inn (Boutique Hotel outside Austin)

Today's episode is brought to you by Green Property Management, managing everything from single family homes to apartment complexes in the West Michigan area.

https://www.livegreenlocal.com

And RCB & Associates, helping Michigan-based real estate investors and small business owners navigate the complex world of health insurance and medicare benefits.

https://www.rcbassociatesllc.com