This episode breaks down the real-world shift Airbnb made to an AI-driven review removal system and how hosts can get negative review removed within the new system.
Tony shares the exact framework he used to get two unfair reviews removed in under 90 minutes after weeks of failed attempts. Jordan adds insight on why strong systems, clear guest expectations, and consistent communication make these appeals stick.
If you’ve ever felt powerless dealing with retaliatory or irrelevant reviews, this one gives you a roadmap to take control again.
Join the Michigan Short Term Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Tony and Jordan make a strong case for a bias toward action. They show how tiny first steps lead to deals, skills, and momentum. From analyzing numbers to touring homes to placing offers, each move compounds.
They share how one Stevensville buy opened the door to more properties, a management company, and even a conference. The takeaway is simple. Write the next three steps. Do one today. Repeat tomorrow.
Join the Michigan Short Term Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
This episode is a tactics deck for closing when “the numbers don’t pencil.” Fresh from a conference insight that effectively saved ~$150K on a deal, Tony and Jordan break down offer architecture (price vs. terms), including 0% seller financing, long amortizations with balloons, and master lease/lease-option approaches that let you invest into operations first and finance later. They walk through a 5-unit partnership that jumped from $60K → ~$235K in annual revenue using zero-interest furnishings and smart ops, explain how to pitch seller tax advantages, and cover lender realities (hospitality caps, new partners). If you need a path when traditional loans kill returns, this is your blueprint.
Join the Michigan Short Term Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Tony and Jordan break down what separates Michigan’s top 1% of short-term rentals from the rest. From hot tubs and privacy to 50-photo listings, perfect reviews, and pet-friendly policies, this data-driven episode reveals what elite operators are doing and how you can apply it to your own property.
Join the Michigan Short Term Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Is Q4 secretly the best time to buy a short-term rental? Tony and Jordan break down fall deals, stale listings, cost-seg deadlines, and why onboarding during certain seasons can impact your year one revenue.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Vacation rental SEO veteran Roberto Sidoti breaks down how to win direct bookings today. From local SEO and Google Business Profile to LLM-ready content, smart backlinks, and conversion funnels that actually turn traffic into stays.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
This episode is a mini-masterclass on hospitality marketing. Steph Weber explains how she financed and launched a 12-cabin riverfront development, marketed it mid-construction, and grew direct bookings.
Steph talks all things Instagram/FB, influencers, email capture, retargeting, and paid ads. She details naming, mood boards, guest experience design, and the metrics that matter (engagement → list growth → bookings). Expect honest lessons on bank expectations, cash calls, team roles, and the one non-negotiable: brand clarity that drives every decision.
Checkout The Weber Co
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Three lessons. That’s what Tony and Jordan pulled from their trip to Boutique Hotel Con in Tennessee, and they’ll change the way you think about building wealth in hospitality. In this recap, they cover why the people you surround yourself with matter more than tactics, how to spot if you’re only “trying” instead of moving mountains, and why grinding through setbacks is the price of entry for big wins. If you’re ready to level up, this episode is your blueprint.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
In this episode, Tony and Jordan break down the five biggest lessons they learned from Michigan’s 2025 peak season. From vetting properties more carefully to avoiding unreliable service providers, they reveal the costly mistakes that can drag your business down. Why not all markets are truly “saturated,” and why building a strong team is the ultimate growth multiplier.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Tony and Jordan open up about reinventing themselves again. From barber to broker, factory floor to founder, they break down the mental barriers (fear, comfort, “golden handcuffs”) that keep entrepreneurs stuck.
You’ll hear how masterminds, better circles, and defining your “perfect day” create clarity; why moving from player → coach → owner changes everything; and how to build confidence through action, not theory. If you’re living business Groundhog Day, this is your roadmap out.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Is your STR underperforming? Tony and Jordan reveal the five revenue multipliers that separate winning properties from average ones. You’ll hear how a few small design tweaks flipped a property from zero bookings to fully booked, why investing in amenities like pools and pickleball courts can deliver huge ROI, and why networking, photos, marketing, and dynamic pricing aren’t optional anymore. If your revenue has slipped or if you want to crush 2026, this episode is your playbook.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
This episode gets real about development math. They discuss site work, vertical builds, and amenities, so they’re planning multiple paths: operate as a high-end resort or pre-entitle as PUD/site condos to give banks a clear exit if needed. They discuss financing realities, raising capital, community alignment, and why scarcity (no true resort-focused stays in the area) creates pricing power.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
What happens when you take a tired five-unit building and flip it into a powerhouse STR property? Tony and Jordan share the full story of their Southwest Michigan five-unit acquisition from botched arbitrage beginnings to closing on the property with creative financing and no money out of pocket.
They reveal the wins and the challenges. Along the way, they share practical lessons on cutting costs, boosting revenue, and why versatility (breaking a large property down into midterm rentals in the offseason) can be a game-changer.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
In this episode, Tony and Jordan break down Airbnb’s Q2 earnings call and unpack the key insights for short-term rental owners and investors. From revenue surprises to subtle warnings hidden in the details, we explore what Wall Street’s numbers actually mean for Main Street hosts. If you want to understand where the market is heading and how it could impact your business, this episode delivers the must-know takeaways.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
In this episode, Tony Stancato and Jordan Painter share how they’ve narrowed their motel acquisition focus to one powerful corridor: St. Joseph to New Buffalo, Michigan. They reveal why chasing every “good deal” nearly slowed their growth, the hidden costs of operating outside your core market, and the systems they’ve built to dominate locally. If you’ve ever struggled to turn down opportunities, this conversation will help you protect your time, team, and bottom line.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Tony and Jordan unpack one of the biggest mindset shifts for STR operators: chasing consistency instead of perfection. Whether it's installing a new AC before it fails in peak season or responding to guests in 10 minutes instead of 40, they explain how consistent execution builds trust, saves money, and reduces stress.
They also highlight the importance of culture, team training, and proactive communication with owners. If you're tired of swinging between burnout and hero moments, this episode will help you build a more stable, scalable vacation rental business.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
In this episode, we sit down with Dustin Baker from Hidden Gem Media to talk about what most STR owners get wrong about their photos and videos.
Better storytelling leads to more bookings.
Dustin shares how he blends cinematic visuals with direct response marketing frameworks (like hook, story, and offer) to help vacation rental listings stand out in a crowded marketplace. If you want guests to fall in love with your property before they even click “Book Now,” this one's for you.
Follow Dustin Baker on Instagram
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Not every client has to be the right fit, just like not every employee has to be the right fit.
This episode is about protecting your time, your team, and your peace of mind.
Hear how the team identifies poor-fit clients early, handles tough conversations, and ultimately makes space for the kind of clients who help grow the business.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
From Mount Rushmore to New York, Federico Zimerman has scaled a nationwide STR business—and learned a lot about what works (and what doesn’t). In this conversation, he shares the behind-the-scenes strategies for entering new markets, building local vendor networks, and optimizing pricing in real-time. It’s a deep dive into data, execution, and long-term success in the vacation rental space.
Follow Federico on Instagram
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn
Buying a short-term rental in Michigan? In this episode, Tony Stancato and Jordan Painter break down five common but easily overlooked pitfalls that could derail your investment—before you even hand over the down payment.
From sneaky three-day minimums to unpredictable HOAs, deed restrictions, and over-saturated markets, they share what every buyer should consider to avoid painful surprises later.
Join the Michigan Vacation Rentals Facebook group
Connect on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Connect with Tony on LinkedIn
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn