Share
Get Paid For Your Pad | Airbnb Hosting | Vacation Rentals | STR Revenue Management
The Definitive Show On Airbnb Hosting from Freewyld Foundry
Latest episode
726. From One Beach House to a 20-Person Custom Build: David Dodge on STR Portfolio Growth and Earning 1.4M Travel Points From Your Mortgage
27:43||Ep. 726I today's episode, Jasper sits down with David Dodge, founder of OR Getaways and Freewyld RPM client, for a conversation about what it looks like to build a high-performing vacation rental portfolio from the ground up and a platform called Built that lets real estate investors earn travel points on their mortgage payments.David started in Lincoln City, Oregon in 2021 with one five-bedroom property. Three years later he is running a custom-built property that sleeps 20, a new development in progress, and a management company with two client properties. His portfolio is up 25% year over year, July over July.You will hear:How David went from one off-the-shelf five-bedroom to a custom-built 20-person property designed specifically for short-term rental performanceWhy larger properties produce dramatically better ROI in his market and how the Ebb and Flow duplex structure unlocks occupancy beyond Lincoln City's 16-guest capWhat changed when he handed revenue management to Freewyld: the risk tolerance shift that turned available summer weekends into premium bookings instead of discounted last-minute fillsHow BILT works and why $22,000 in monthly mortgage spend generates 739,000 points per year that transfer to 1.4 million travel points on rent dayThe math behind redeeming BILT points for international business class versus economy versus cash toward a down paymentWe also talk about:David's next development: a custom 8-bed that sleeps 24, a planned yoga studio for retreat bookings, and a spa with cold plunge and saunaWhat an actuary background taught David about pricing and where the risk tolerance gap between self-managing and professional management shows up mostWhy flexibility is the key to getting outsized value from travel pointsMentioned in the Episode:BILT points calculator built by David (link to be added)OR Getaways on LinkedIn: David DodgeFree Revenue ReportFavorite Takeaway:"I like to close. I want the certainty of the property being booked. What working with Freewyld has done is just following the methodology. The demand signals are there. Keep the price higher for longer. That has been a huge difference."
More episodes
View all episodes
725. June Market Update: World Cup Impact, New Airbnb Discounts, and What's Coming in July
25:53||Ep. 725June's Market report. Freewyld's portfolios closed the month up 22.36% year over year, $14.4M in revenue generated across 75+ client properties. The market averaged 9%. That's a 13-point gap, and Jasper breaks down exactly where it came from. World Cup month delivered for some cities, not for most. Jasper pulls the numbers market by market, covers what's coming in July, and gets into a new Airbnb discount that just quietly launched and could affect how you price.You will hear:How Freewyld portfolios outperformed the market by over 13 percentage points on comparable units in JuneWhich World Cup host cities actually moved the needle, and why the overall market only lifted 9% despite the largest sports event in historyThe markets that surprised on the upside: Kansas City up 44%, Dallas up 40%, Miami up 28%, Philadelphia up 20%Why managing the full booking window is where the real revenue advantage is built, not last-minute discountingAirbnb's new top-rated guest discount: 15% off for guests with a 4.8+ rating and 3+ reviews, what it stacks with, and how to think about itWe also talk about:Markets that underperformed in June: Calgary down 20%, Grand Canyon down 14%Reports of a new mobile-only discount appearing on Airbnb, and why OTA discounting is becoming a bigger variable in your revenue strategyWhat to watch heading into July and the second half of summerMentioned in the Episode:Freewyld Foundry Revenue Report: https://freewyldfoundry.com/get-startedAirbnb top-rated guest discount (new feature in host dashboard)Favorite Takeaway:"The portfolios that outperformed weren't doing anything magical. They were just booked earlier. When you manage the full window, you're not competing for the scraps."Want us to audit your pricing strategy?Get your free, personalized revenue report at https://freewyldfoundry.com/get-started724. Best PMS Systems for STR Revenue Management
21:18||Ep. 724Choosing the wrong PMS doesn't just cause operational headaches. It limits the revenue strategies you can run. Jasper Ribbers manages revenue for 75+ STR companies worldwide and has worked inside nearly every PMS on the market. Most of them cause complications. A handful don't.In this solo RevUp episode, Jasper walks through the five PMS systems Freewyld Foundry recommends, the exact criteria they use to evaluate every system, and why the wrong choice now can cost you years of workarounds as you scale.You will hear:Why switching PMS systems is one of the most disruptive moves in any STR business, and how to avoid ever having to do it twiceThe five systems Freewyld Foundry recommends: Guesty, HostAway, Hostfully, OwnerRez, and Hospitable, and what makes each one stand outWhy Guesty is Jasper's top pick and what separates it from the rest of the marketHow OwnerRez compares as a budget-friendly option, and the one limitation to know before you sign upWhy OTA-native discounts (early bird, last minute, length of stay) are becoming a core revenue strategy, and why your PMS has to support themWe also talk about:Why Hostfully is the system Freewyld actually uses internally, sloth mascot and allWhat to look for in a PriceLabs integration before you commit to any PMSWhy simplicity in your tech stack matters more at 50 units than it does at fiveHow AI is changing reporting, and why that shifts the criteria for choosing a PMSOne newer system Jasper is keeping an eye on: BoomMentioned in the Episode:Guesty: https://guesty.comHostAway: https://hostaway.comHostfully: https://hostfully.comOwnerRez: https://ownerrez.comHospitable: https://hospitable.comPriceLabs: https://pricelabs.coFavorite Takeaway:"Simplicity is huge when you scale. Things that don't cause a challenge when you have five or ten units might cause a challenge when you have 50. Every single step that you can avoid, every little action item, you want to eliminate it."Want us to audit your pricing strategy?Get your free, personalized revenue report at FreewyldFoundry.com/get-started723. How to Outsource Revenue Management Without Losing Control
28:42||Ep. 723After reviewing more than 1,000 companies applying for revenue management at Freewyld Foundry, Jasper keeps seeing the same costly mistake: operators outsource before they're set up for success. The result is wasted time, wasted money, and a bad experience for everyone involved. In this RevUp episode, Jasper walks through the full checklist of what you need to have in place before you hand off revenue management, whether you're hiring in-house or working with a service company.You will hear:Why revenue management is too specialized to juggle as a founder once you're past $1M in bookings, and too risky to leave to a cheap hireThe mindset shift you need before outsourcing: the difference between leading a revenue manager and micromanaging oneHow to define the real constraints in your business (minimum prices, turnover restrictions, blackout dates) without letting personal opinions limit your revenue manager's ability to performWhat a real in-house hiring process looks like: a structured job description, multiple interview rounds, test tasks, onboarding, and a coverage plan for when your hire is sick, offline, or quitsHow to evaluate a service provider: experience, team size, whether they're operators themselves, and whether they manage pricing in your tool or theirsWe also talk about:Why hiring cheap for revenue management is a false economy, and what great revenue managers actually cost on the marketThe transparency red flag: any company that manages pricing in their own account and won't give you access is a problemWhat good ongoing support looks like: daily Slack access, weekly Zoom calls, and a live dashboard you can check any timeWhy total portfolio revenue growth is a misleading KPI and how to compare performance correctly using only units that were active the prior yearFavorite Takeaway:"The more freedom your revenue manager has to do their job, the fewer restrictions you put on them, the higher your revenue is going to be."Want us to audit your pricing strategy?Get your free, personalized revenue report at FreewyldFoundry.com/report722. 7 Hidden PriceLabs Features Most Hosts Are Not Using
18:56||Ep. 722Most PriceLabs users are only scratching the surface. In this episode, Jasper walks through seven features and functionalities that he keeps seeing go unused, many of them request-only, which is why most operators don't even know they exist. From combined listings that fix your KPIs when you have master listings, to check-in and check-out profiles that keep your calendar clean, these are the settings that separate operators who are guessing from operators who are optimizing.You will hear:Combined listings: how to route revenue from a master listing back to individual units so your KPIs don't get distortedSubgroups: how to organize your portfolio by both market and bedroom size at the same timeHow to upload historic booking data directly to PriceLabs when your old PMS didn't transfer it overSafety minimum price: what it does, why it can backfire on weekday dates, and how to turn it offForecasting in Report Builder: how to see PriceLabs' revenue and occupancy projections for the year aheadRental revenue formula: how to customize what counts as revenue so your reports reflect what actually matters to your businessCheck-in and check-out profiles: the cleaner way to restrict turnovers on holidays without cluttering your calendar with overridesWe also talk about:Which features are request-only and require contacting PriceLabs support to activateWhy the control panel is the second step after requesting a feature (it still has to be toggled on)Why equal revenue splitting across units doesn't always reflect real-world value differencesHow to use Claude to format historic booking data into the PriceLabs CSV templateMentioned in the Episode:PriceLabs: https://pricelabs.coFavorite Takeaway:"Some of these features are request only. They don't show up in PriceLabs unless you actually reach out to PriceLabs support. And when we ask operators if they're using them, the answer is usually: oh, I didn't know you could do that."Want us to audit your pricing strategy?Get your free, personalized revenue report at FreewyldFoundry.com/get-started721. FIFA World Cup Update: The Demand That Disappeared
17:41||Ep. 721The FIFA World Cup is here, but the demand everyone was counting on hasn't shown up. In this Rev Up episode, Jasper pulls real data from Price Labs dashboards across every major host city to show what's actually happening, why it happened, and what STR operators should do right now to protect their revenue.Occupancy is down in every single host city compared to last year. Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Vancouver - all down 10 to 15 points. ADRs are up, but not enough to compensate. Jasper explains the two main reasons: regular travelers are avoiding World Cup cities because prices are too high, and international visitors haven't arrived in the numbers anyone expected.You will hear:Why occupancy is down 10-15 points in major host cities despite the biggest soccer event in the worldReal market data: Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, and Vancouver compared to last yearWhy high airfare and accommodation costs are keeping both local and international travelers awayHow visa fears and immigration news stories are suppressing international travel to the USWhy July is still shaping up to be a strong month overall, up 14% on average across marketsWe also talk about:Why the group stage requires a competitive pricing approach right nowWhy the knockout rounds could still bring a surge if big football nations like Brazil, Germany, France, or England advanceWhy being in the stadium for your country's potential World Cup win is worth any priceMentioned in the Episode:Price Labs: https://pricelabs.coWant us to audit your pricing strategy?Get your free, personalized revenue report at FreewyldFoundry.com/get-started720. How to Allow Pets in Your STR Without the Risk (With John Bradford)
27:31||Ep. 720Most vacation rental hosts either ban pets entirely (leaving bookings on the table) or accept all animal claims without verification (leaving pet fees on the table). John Bradford, founder of Pet Screening, reveals that 60% of emotional support animal claims don't meet federal standards, meaning hosts waive fees when they legally shouldn't. His platform manages pet policies for one out of every seven rentals in America, helping hosts capture legitimate pet revenue while navigating complex ADA and Fair Housing laws.John shares why service animal fraud hurts people who legitimately need assistance animals, how visiting pets create liability even when guests don't own animals, and why being more pet-friendly actually increases revenue without increasing risk.YOU WILL HEAR:Why 60% of emotional support animal claims fail federal standards and how hosts lose pet revenue by accepting fraudulent documentationWhat two questions you can legally ask when someone claims a service animal (and how to challenge answers that don't meet ADA standards)How visiting pets create liability even when the booking guest doesn't own an animalWhy post-reservation verification takes minutes but never slows down your booking rateWhat documentation you can request for ESAs versus service animals (the laws are completely different)WE ALSO TALK ABOUT:How Pet Screening verifies ESA healthcare provider letters through phone calls, emails, and faxesWhy federal law prevents states from making assistance animal requirements more restrictiveThe difference between ADA service animals and Fair Housing ESAsHow hosts using verification tools become more pet-friendly because they can confidently manage riskWhy there are more pets than children under 18 in American households and what that means for your businessRESOURCES:Pet Screening: https://petscreening.comFAVORITE QUOTE:"60% of the people who say they have an ESA do not meet the standard. If you're just accepting it without review, you're missing out on pet revenue because really it's a pet."