Podcast
STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry
Hosted by Powered by AJL Atelier · EN
The short-term rental industry is evolving fast, and Simon Lehmann isn’t afraid to say what others won’t.
STR Global Unlocked is where property managers, STR tech founders, vacation rental investors, and hospitality leaders get real about the business. Each episode breaks down what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s coming next: property management operations, direct bookings, vacation rental software, pricing strategies, mergers and acquisitions in real estate, professional host challenges, and the future of automation, AI, and tech stacks.
Hosted by Simon Lehmann, CEO of AJL Atelier and one of the most trusted voices in the global STR space, the show delivers unfiltered conversations with the people shaping the industry. Simon has decades of experience in vacation rentals, travel tech, and hospitality, including leadership roles at Vacasa Europe, PhocusWright and HomeAway.
If you’re scaling a property management company, building short-term rental technology, investing in vacation rentals, or entering this fast-moving market, this podcast is your seat at the table.
29episodes
Episodes
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038: Short-Term Rentals Are Entering Their Most Dangerous Era | Shaun Shirazian
5d ago00:58:07Tap to summarizeIn this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with Shaun Shirazian, CEO of Lodgify, about one of the biggest shifts happening in short-term rentals and hospitality: the rise of AI search, direct bookings, and the future of guest experience.Shaun shares what Lodgify is seeing across more than 30,000 hosts and 100,000 listings, why the short-term rental market has become more competitive, and why the old price advantage over hotels is disappearing. He explains why direct bookings are becoming more important, how hosts can reduce dependency on OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia, and why some operators are already seeing bookings come directly from ChatGPT.Which questions are answered in this episode?How is AI changing the way travelers search for short-term rentals?Why are hosts already getting bookings from ChatGPT?Are direct bookings becoming more important for STR operators?What percentage of direct bookings is realistic for hosts today?Why is the short-term rental price advantage over hotels disappearing?What do the best operators understand that average hosts still miss?How can hosts reduce their dependency on Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia?Why is guest experience becoming the real competitive advantage?What role will technology play in professionalizing short-term rental operations?ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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037: Will AI Replace Hospitality Teams? | Stone Fish, Vancauwenberghe, Ullrich, Rubin
2w ago01:03:11Tap to summarizeBook a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultationAI is transforming guest communication in short-term rentals and hospitality. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I speak with industry leaders Aarlo Stone Fish, Anthony Vancauwenberghe, Jay Ullrich and Cole Rubin about AI agents, automation, guest experience, operations, reviews, upsells, and the future of hospitality.We discuss what operators often get wrong about automation, why guest communication is no longer just a support function, how AI can improve response times and guest satisfaction, and where the human touch still matters. The conversation also explores the future of STR operations, revenue opportunities through upsells, and whether guests will still talk to humans in an AI-powered hospitality world.Which questions are answered in this episode? How is AI changing guest communication in hospitality and short-term rentals? What do operators often get wrong when implementing AI agents? Should AI fully replace human guest communication teams? Where is the line between automation and human hospitality? How can AI improve response times, reviews, and guest satisfaction? What is the real ROI of AI automation for property managers? Can AI reduce headcount and increase company value? How can AI identify upsell opportunities like early check-in, late checkout, and add-on services? Why is guest communication connected to operations, cleaning, locks, PMS, and workflows? Will guests still talk to humans in the future of hospitality?ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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The Margin Mistake Killing Most STR Companies!
3w ago00:14:34Tap to summarizeBook a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultationProfit margins can make or break a short-term rental business - but most operators are looking at the wrong numbers.In this video, I break down the real profit benchmarks for STR operators across different business models, including property management companies, aparthotels, hybrid models, urban portfolios, and resort/vacation rentals.You’ll learn what healthy gross and net margins look like, why revenue alone can be misleading, and which KPI reveals whether your business is truly profitable or just looks good on paper: contribution margin per unit per year.ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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036: How to Build a Business That AI Can’t Replace | Siddhi Mittal
4w ago00:53:18Tap to summarizeBook a strategic consultation with me now: https://bit.ly/simon-consultationIn this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I sit down with Siddhi Mittal, co-founder of yhangry, a Y Combinator–backed hospitality marketplace scaling across the UK and US.Together, they explore what AI-first hospitality really means beyond faster guest messages, automation tools, and surface-level efficiency. Siddhi shares how yhangry is rebuilding parts of the company around AI-native workflows, including an internal agent that reached 75% autonomous bug resolution in under 14 days.This conversation dives into the future of hospitality, marketplaces, operations, AI agents, customer experience, and human value in a world where execution is becoming automated. We discuss why average businesses are becoming more exposed, why technical competence alone is no longer enough, and why the next competitive advantage may come from judgment, taste, curiosity, trust, and emotional intelligence.Which questions are answered in this episode?- What does AI-first hospitality actually mean beyond faster guest communication?- How is AI changing the way operators, founders, and leaders think about work, value, and execution?- Why is “being good” or technically competent no longer enough in an AI-native business environment?- What happens when operational consistency, SOPs, and execution become easier to automate?- How can hospitality companies use AI to remove manual workflows without losing the human experience?- Why does Siddhi Mittal believe curiosity, judgment, taste, character, and emotional intelligence are becoming more valuable?- What can operators learn from yhangry’s AI-first rebuild across product, operations, and customer experience?ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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035: The Best Way to Make Money in Property Management | Julie Brinkmann
Jun 200:53:32Tap to summarizeIn this episode of STR Global Unlocked, I sit down with Julie Brinkmann from Beyond to discuss how short-term rental operators can move from simple dynamic pricing to true profit-first property management.We explore why revenue management is no longer just about changing nightly rates, why occupancy can become a vanity metric, and how property managers can use better data, smarter pricing strategies, and AI to make more profitable business decisions.Julie shares her perspective on the evolution of the short-term rental industry, the shift from revenue growth to profit optimization, and why the next generation of hospitality companies will need to think beyond bookings, RevPAR, and occupancy. The conversation also covers market normalization, operator behavior, private equity in STR, AI adoption, owner lifetime value, direct bookings, brand visibility, and the future convergence of hotels and short-term rentals.Which questions are answered in this episode?How can property managers move from simple dynamic pricing to true profit-first revenue management?Why is occupancy often a misleading metric, and what should operators focus on instead?How can pricing data reveal deeper insights about market demand, guest behavior, owner profitability, and business performance?What mistakes are short-term rental operators making when it comes to pricing, booking windows, and last-minute discounts?How can AI create real value in property management, and where is it currently being overestimated?Why is clean, structured, proprietary data becoming so important for STR operators?How should property managers think about owner lifetime value, unit economics, profitability, and long-term growth?What role will brands, direct bookings, and AI-powered search play in the future of hospitality?ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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034: The AI Shift Most Property Managers Are Missing | Sab Mulligan, Arnon Cavaeiro, Chris Sorensen
May 2600:57:27Tap to summarizeIn this episode of STR Global Unlocked, we explore what an AI-native property management company really looks like and how AI is already changing operations, guest communication, distribution, PMS systems, scaling, and hospitality brands.Together with Sab Mulligan, Arnon Cavaeiro and Chris Sorensen, we break down why AI is not just another tool or chatbot, but a deeper shift in how short-term rental and hospitality companies operate. The conversation covers where AI is already reducing costs, where it still fails, why human expertise remains essential, and how property managers can prepare for a future where AI, automation, brand, and guest experience become increasingly connected.Questions answered in the episode:What does AI-native property management actually mean?How are leading property management companies already using AI in daily operations?Where can AI reduce costs without damaging the guest experience?Why is the PMS no longer the brain of the business?What happens when broken processes are automated with AI?Where does AI still fail in hospitality and short-term rentals?Should property managers build their own AI tools or work with tech partners?How could AI change travel discovery, direct bookings, and OTA dependency?Why will human connection still matter in an AI-driven hospitality business?What will property management companies look like in the next five years?ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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033: Why Booking Trips Is About to Change FOREVER (CEO Explains) | Amirali Mohajer
May 1900:55:06Tap to summarizeAI is changing how people search, plan and book travel and this shift could reshape the future of direct bookings, guest relationships and platform dependency in the short-term rental industry.In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann speaks with Amirali Mohajer, Co-Founder & CEO of Host.AI, about the future of travel search, the rise of AI assistants, and why operators may finally have a real opportunity to reduce their reliance on OTAs like Booking.com, Airbnb and Expedia.They discuss why direct bookings have been so difficult to scale, how AI could change guest acquisition, why owning guest data matters more than ever, and what short-term rental operators need to understand as travel discovery moves beyond traditional Google search.If you want to understand how AI could transform travel distribution, direct bookings and the future of hospitality, this conversation is a must-watch.Questions answered in the episode:How is AI changing the way people search, plan and book travel?Why could AI become a major turning point for the travel industry?Why are short-term rental operators so dependent on OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia?Why have direct bookings been so difficult to scale until now?Why is having a direct booking website alone not enough?How can operators build more trust and stronger guest relationships outside of OTAs?How does guest data influence future bookings and platform independence?What should operators do now to prepare for AI-powered travel discovery?ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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032: How HomeToGo Shifted Beyond Its Marketplace | Dr. Patrick Andrae
May 1200:52:14Tap to summarizeMarketplaces were built to aggregate supply. Not to own it. That assumption is breaking faster than most operators expected.Dr. Patrick Andrae is the Co-Founder and CEO of HomeToGo, one of the world’s leading vacation rental marketplaces, aggregating millions of listings across platforms and property managers. Since founding the company, he has expanded it into software, services, and property management, including the acquisition of Interhome, one of Europe’s largest rental operators. The combined group generates nearly $400 million in revenue, with more than 60% coming from its B2B segment, and over 200,000 properties connected through software and services.This is not a conversation about marketplace growth. It is a breakdown of what changes when platforms move closer to supply, and how that reshapes control, margins, and competitive advantage.In this conversation, we discuss:Why owning supply is no longer seen as a margin tradeoff, and what changes when platforms move closer to operations and the last mileHow HomeToGo’s shift from marketplace to B2B changes where value is captured, and why that redefines the role of distribution platformsWhat most operators underestimate about direct bookings, and why having traffic does not translate into control without conversion infrastructureHow AI is changing travel discovery behavior, and why vacation rentals present a fundamentally harder decision layer than flights or hotelsWhy Europe’s fragmented supply remains largely unconsolidated, and what that reveals about the limits of traditional marketplace-driven growthWhat changes when a company operates across marketplace, software, and services, and how that creates optionality in uncertain distribution environmentsResources and links:Connect with Dr. Patrick Andrae on LinkedIn and learn more about HomeToGo.-Podcast supported by PiklPikl brings insurance-enabled flexible cancellation and new revenue models together for short-term rental operators. 👉 Get started with Pikl here ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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031: Beyond STR and Hotels: How Numa's Third Model Uses 100+ Automations to Rewrite Urban Hospitality | Christian Gaiser
May 500:48:29Tap to summarizeShort-term rentals and hotels are converging into a single operating model.The real shift is not about category. It is about who can deliver better economics, better experience, and better scalability in urban markets.In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Christian Gaiser to break down how Numa built a hybrid model between short-term rentals and hotels, and why that model is gaining traction as the industry matures.Christian Gaiser is the CEO and Co-Founder of Numa, one of Europe’s fastest-growing urban hospitality platforms. With a background in building digital platforms and scaling operations, he brings a product and technology mindset into a traditionally fragmented industry. At Numa, he has led the development of a tech-driven, asset-light model designed to operate across cities with high efficiency and consistency.This conversation moves beyond the STR vs hotel debate and focuses on operating models, automation, distribution strategy, regulation, and how technology is reshaping both supply and demand in hospitality.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Numa was built around three structural gaps in hospitality, demand outpacing supply, fragmented assets, and a lack of technology across operations.How the “third model” combines short-term rentals, hotels, and serviced apartments into a single system driven by guest use cases rather than categories.Why capital efficiency and financial discipline became a competitive advantage after the collapse of overfunded STR models.How Numa captures both short and long stay demand while maintaining lower costs through density, standardized units, and lean operations.Why building more than 100 internal tools became central to improving reviews, reducing costs, and scaling operations.How labor shortages, including a projected 8 million workforce gap in Germany, are forcing operators to rethink staffing and automation.Why AI will reshape both operations and demand, increasing travel activity and changing how supply is discovered and consumed.Explore more:Connect with Christian Gaiser [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiangaiser/] to learn more about Numa [https://numastays.com/] -Podcast supported by PricelabsPriceLabs brings automated pricing and market intelligence together in one platform trusted by property managers at scale. 👉 Get started with Pricelabs here: https://shorturl.at/wvKTa ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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030: No Phone, No OTAs, No VC Time Horizons: Can Unplugged's Digital Detox Cabins Actually Scale? | Hector Hughes
Apr 2800:47:06Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Hector Hughes, Co-Founder & CEO of Unplugged, a UK-based cabin brand built entirely around one conviction: that spending three days offline in nature changes people.Founded in 2020, Unplugged operates a portfolio of off-grid cabins across the UK, runs a direct-only booking model with a mandatory three-night minimum, and has never listed a single property on an OTA. The company is on track to reach profitability and generates a 40 to 45% return on capital per cabin.This conversation examines what happens when brand conviction becomes the only distribution strategy and whether that is a ceiling or a compounding advantage.In this conversation, we discuss:Why going direct-only was never a revenue decision, and how removing OTAs as an option forced Unplugged to build brand and community muscles most STR operators never have to developHow the three-night minimum, a deliberate friction point in a market averaging 1.8 nights, became one of Unplugged's most defensible product choices.Why direct bookings only work at scale if you are remarkable enough to stay front of mind and how Unplugged engineers word-of-mouth as a core growth mechanism.How Unplugged's movable cabin model redefines the unit economics and risk profile of STR supply expansion.What the tension between venture time horizons and brand compounding reveals about the type of capital Unplugged needs, and why most funds are structurally the wrong fit.What the rise of AI-driven distribution means for experiential hospitality brands that don't live on OTAs, and why being genuinely remarkable is no longer optional.Explore more:Connect with Hector Hughes on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hector-hughes-10082195/ to learn more about Unplugged https://unplugged.rest/-Podcast supported by BreezewayBuilt around the work that happens behind the scenes, Breezeway coordinates the operational service touchpoints that define guest experience. Their focus on execution and standards aligns with a core insight from this conversation: growth only works when operations can keep up. 👉 Get started with Breezeway here: https://shorturl.at/moW7U ResourcesAJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/
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