STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

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14 episodes

4 days ago

“2025 wasn’t about growth at all costs. It was about margins, execution, and whether your operation actually works.” — Simon Lehmann 2025 marked a turning point for the short-term rental industry. Not a year of hype or breakout growth, but a year of recalibration. In this Holiday Special of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann reflects on the conversations, tensions, and signals that defined the industry throughout the year. These insights are drawn not only from the podcast, but also from in-p...

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Episodes (14/14)

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

013: 2025 Holiday Special - A Year That Changed the STR Conversation

4 days ago

16 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

012: Europe's STR Growth Challenge: Fragmentation, Regulation, and Execution - Panel with GuestReady, COCOONR, and Happy.Rentals

Europe is often discussed as a single market. This panel makes clear why it is not. In this panel, Simon Lehmann brings together three leaders navigating growth across Europe’s most fragmented markets: Alexander Limpert (GuestReady and RentalReady), Antoine Serrurier (COCOONR), and Harold Lubberdink (Happy.Rentals). Together they break down what sustainable growth really looks like when regulation, local execution, and trust change country by country. You’ll hear why there is no single Europe...

1 week ago

1 hour

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

011: What VCs Really Look For in STR Tech: Insights from TCV’s Woody Marshall

Woody Marshall is a General Partner at TCV, one of the most influential investment firms in global technology and a long-standing backer of travel companies including Expedia, Airbnb, HomeAway and TripAdvisor. With more than two decades of experience investing in category-defining platforms, Woody brings a unique view of how technology evolves and what it takes for a company to break through in fragmented markets. In this episode, Simon Lehmann speaks with Woody about the state of short-term ...

2 weeks ago

45 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

010: The Midterm Rental Shift with Furnished Finder’s Jeff Hurst and Cami Narino

Cami Narino, Chief Operating Officer, and Jeff Hurst, Chief Executive Officer at Furnished Finder, join Simon Lehmann to analyze one of the most important shifts happening in housing and hospitality today: the rise of midterm rentals. Over the past decade, Furnished Finder has grown from zero to more than 300,000 listings, powered by independent landlords, changing mobility patterns and a growing need for flexible housing across the United States. In this episode, Cami and Jeff explain why mi...

3 weeks ago

50 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

009: Booking Holdings President and CEO Glenn Fogel on AI and Why STR Is the Next Big Travel Shift

Glenn Fogel is the President and CEO of Booking Holdings, the parent company of Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak and other global brands that shape how the world travels. With more than two decades at the forefront of online travel, he has guided Booking through major industry shifts, emerging technologies and changing traveler behavior. In this episode, Simon Lehmann speaks with Glenn about how AI, search and short-term rentals are redefining the future of travel. Glenn explains why STR is now ...

1 month ago

51 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

008: Hospitality or Tech? A Closer Look at AvantStay’s Approach to STR with its Founder and CEO, Sean Breuner

Sean Breuner is the Founder and CEO of AvantStay, one of the most ambitious hospitality brands in the short-term rental industry. Since launching in 2017, AvantStay has raised significant capital, expanded across the United States, and set out to define what a national hospitality brand could look like in STR. In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Sean for an open conversation on scale, brand building, operational reality, and the tough decisions required to grow during one of the mos...

1 month ago

46 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

007: What Really Happened at Vacasa? Cliff Johnson, Co-Founder and Former COO, Shares Lessons for STR Founders

Cliff Johnson is the former Co-Founder of Vacasa, one of the largest short-term rental management companies in the United States, and now serves as President of PadSplit, a fast-growing affordable housing marketplace. His journey from startup founder to industry veteran gives him a rare perspective on how far the STR sector has come (and what still holds it back). In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Cliff to trace Vacasa’s early days, the decisions that shaped its rise, and the less...

1 month ago

49 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

006: Can Revenue and Operations Work as One? Breezeway & PriceLabs CEOs Redefine STR Technology

Two systems drive every property management company: revenue and operations. For years, they’ve worked in silos. But what happens when they finally connect? In this episode, Simon Lehmann brings together Jeremy Gall, Founder and CEO at Breezeway, and Richie Khandelwal, Co-founder at PriceLabs, to explore how smarter data, clearer demand signals, and integrated tools can redefine how professional operators run their businesses. The discussion uncovers why market fragmentation continues t...

1 month ago

54 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

005: Behind the Scenes of Guesty’s Rise to Global PMS Powerhouse with Amiad Soto, Co-founder & CEO

Amiad Soto is the co-founder and CEO of Guesty, one of the most recognized property management software platforms in the short-term rental industry. His journey started in Tel Aviv, where he and his brother Koby launched the company more than a decade ago, before taking it through Y Combinator in Silicon Valley. Under his leadership, Guesty has grown into a global player, shaping the way property managers and hosts scale their businesses across markets worldwide. Our conversation dives into ...

2 months ago

51 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

004: Inside the OTA Playbook: Carl Shepherd on HomeAway, Airbnb Fees & Booking’s Rise to Power

Carl Shepherd is the Co-Founder of HomeAway, the marketplace that helped define the modern short-term rental industry. Before Airbnb became a household name, Carl and his co-founder Brian Sharples built HomeAway into a global platform that changed how people rent and manage vacation homes. The company went public in 2011 and was later acquired by Expedia for $3.9 billion. If you want to understand how today’s OTA landscape was built, and where it’s breaking, this episode is essential listenin...

2 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

003: Why Has Nobody Built a Truly Global STR Operator? Inside the Real Challenges of Scale with Forge Group, Casago, and MadeComfy

Every major player in short-term rentals has chased the idea of building a truly global operator. None have cracked it. In this panel, Simon Lehmann brings together three leaders shaping the next phase of professionalization: Graham Donoghue (Forge Group, UK), Steve Schwab (Casago, US), and Quirin Schwaighofer (MadeComfy, Australia). Together they break down what it really takes to scale across borders and why local expertise still defines success. This episode goes beyond theory. You’ll hear...

2 months ago

56 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

002: How Brian Egan Built Evolve Into a Profitable Short-Term Rental Business & What’s Next for Vacation Rentals

Brian Egan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Evolve, a Denver-based hospitality company with a mission to become the most trusted brand in vacation rental. Since launching Evolve in 2011 alongside Adam Sherry, Brian has grown the company to support over 35,000 properties and more than $5 billion in rental revenue. If you're navigating the complexities of short-term rentals, this episode offers insights you won't find in a press release. Brian shares what it takes to build trust at scale, how...

2 months ago

57 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

001: 6 Hot Takes on the Future and Growing Pains of Short-Term Rentals with Simon Lehmann

“Short-term rental is mainstream hospitality. It makes up 14% of global hospitality. And mainstream industries must operate by a different set of rules.” — Simon Lehmann The short-term rental industry is at a turning point. Regulation is tightening, OTAs are shifting power, and owners are demanding more transparency. Technology and AI promise efficiency but raise new risks. Safety sits at the center of it all. This is the roadmap industry leaders will be referencing all year. Simo...

2 months ago

16 minutes

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann | Official Podcast Trailer

STR Global Unlocked is the podcast built to say what others won’t. Hosted by Simon Lehmann, one of the most trusted voices in the global STR space, every episode takes on the hard questions shaping property management, STR tech, investment, and hospitality such as: Is regulation now existential for STR? Are OTAs making operators fragile? Will short-term rentals become just another hotel product? The short-term rental industry is evolving fast, and this is where the unfiltered conversations be...

3 months ago

1 minute