Top 15 Airbnb Podcasts to Grow Your Vacation Rental Business

As a busy host or property manager, you have to handle a bunch of daily tasks on the go, making it hard to find time in your tight schedule to dedicate to thoughtful reading. It is no wonder that vacation rental podcasts have become popular among hosts to stay on top of trends and improve their hosting game. In fact, according to statistics by Infinite Dial, more than half of the US population has listened to a podcast, with close to 40% having listened to an episode in the last month. 

Are you looking for podcasts that can provide valuable information related to the short-term rental industry and enhance your property management knowledge and skills? Check out our list of the top 15 Airbnb podcasts and find the best ones to your liking. 

1. Get Paid for Your Pad by Jasper Ribbers 

Jasper Ribbers is the CEO and co-founder of Get Paid for Your Pad, one of the leading resources and communities on Airbnb hosting. Since starting his blog, he has also co-founded STR Legends and Overnight Success. 

Jasper is also a Superhost on Airbnb and the author of the book Get Paid For Your Pad: How to Maximize Profit From Your Airbnb Listing. He started his hosting journey back in 2012 by renting out his apartment in Amsterdam. In 2017, he sold his rental as the government imposed new restrictions on Airbnbs in the Netherlands. To continue his hosting career, Jasper invested in properties in Thailand, the Philippines, and Colombia. 

As a very experienced host and an owner of a successful Airbnb business, he has a lot of knowledge that he can share. For top tips and tricks, be sure to tune into this popular Airbnb podcast. Episodes are typically around 30 minutes long and get added on a weekly basis. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to scale your Airbnb business
2. How to improve your ranking in the search results
3. How to promote your short-term rental

Where to find this podcast: 

You can listen to Get Paid for Your Pad directly via its website. 

2. Hosting Journey by Evelyn Badia

Evelyn Badia has been an Airbnb host for 10+ years. She is an Airbnb Superhost and coach and will help you reach your full potential by sharing the latest tips and actionable steps. She is currently based in New York and typically uploads new podcast episodes twice a month and often invites expert guests to join her show. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. Understanding your market
2. How to get your Airbnb listings guest-ready (and tips for renovating)
3. Tools and products geared towards Airbnb hosts

Where to find this podcast: 

You can listen to The Hosting Journey directly via its website.

3. Vacation Rental Formula by Heather Bayer

As the CEO of a very successful cottage rental agency, Heather Bayer brings valuable experience relating to managing and owning multiple short-term rental properties to the table. Not only is she one of the most popular podcasters, but she is also an author and a blogger. She regularly shares her thoughts on real estate and travel topics in daily newspapers and magazines.  

Her podcast episodes are about 45 minutes long, and she adds a new episode once a week. Practically every episode is sponsored by a business in the industry. This goes to show that she’s one of the most respected experts in the industry.

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to make the most of your peak season
2. Managing direct bookings
3. Preparing your property for guests

Where to find this podcast: 

You can listen to Vacation Rental Formula directly via its website.

4. Airbnb Investment Properties Podcast by David Leroux

If you don’t have much time to devote to listening to podcasts, you’ll love David Leroux’s approach. He is a successful real estate investor and the author of the book Airbnb Investment Properties Cash Flow Method.

His podcast episodes are less than 5 minutes long, and there are more than 670 episodes that you can listen to. While hosts will also learn valuable tips, his podcast is more aimed at real estate investors and entrepreneurs who want to find out more about buying, renting, or subleasing a property. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to find the best Airbnb investment properties
2. Dealing with difficult guests
3. Furnishing your Airbnb

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to the Airbnb Investment Properties Podcast on Spotify.

5. Thanks for Visiting by Annette & Sarah

Once a week, you can listen to the advice shared by this successful duo and their guest speakers. Annette boasts experience in business operations, while Sarah’s background is interior design and hospitality management. Whether you simply want to operate it as a side hustle or turn it into a full-time business, the ladies’ stories, insights, and ideas will help you to make the most of your listing(s) and achieve rental success. 

Key points you will learn:

1. Safety and preventative maintenance
2. Secrets of the hospitality industry
3. Marketing

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Thanks for Visiting via its website. 

6. BiggerPockets by Brandon Turner and David Greene

Every Thursday, hosts and property managers can tune into the BiggerPockets Podcast. The hosts, Brandon Turner and David Greene, interview investors about their failures, success stories, motivations, and lessons learned. 

Both Brandon and David have also written a number of books regarding rental property investing. Together they boast years of experience in real estate. So, you’re bound to learn the ins and outs of the real estate market. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to grow a rental portfolio
2. Long-distance investing
3. How to generate a passive income stream

Where to find this podcast:

You can find the podcast on the BiggerPockets website.

7. Vacation Rental Machine by Jon Bell and Julian Sage

Hosted by Jon Bell and Julian Sage, the Vacation Rental Machine podcast focuses on which systems you should implement if you want to automate your vacation rental business. Episodes range anything from 4 minutes to 14 minutes, and new episodes get added every Tuesday.

Key points you will learn: 

1. Cleaning management
2. Using smart home devices and other PropTech tools
3. Co-hosting

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Vacation Rental Machine on Listen Notes or iTunes. 

8. STR Secrets Podcast by Mike Sjogren

Short-Term Rental Secrets is a training and mentorship program developed for new and experienced real estate investors. In May 2020, it also started a podcast. Hosted by Mike Sjogren, the podcast has featured many guests, including the well-known author Julie George and the co-founder of PriceLabs. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to build a short-term rental business
2. Creating a memorable guest experience
3. What to consider when buying vacation rentals 

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to the podcast via the STR Secrets website. 

9. Unlocked by Matt Landau

Unlocked is an Airbnb podcast that is hosted by Matt Landau. Not only is he a popular podcaster, but he is also the founder of VRMB. In the episodes, he features esteemed members of the Inner Circle community of VRMB and innovative vacation rental pros. Past guests include Carl Shepherd, the co-founder of HomeAway, Julie Brinkman, the CEO of Beyond Pricing, and Heather Bayer, fellow podcaster and BFF.  

Key points you will learn: 

1. Using vacation rental automation
2. Growth secrets
3. Challenges of housekeeping

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to the podcast on the Unlocked website.  

10. Shampoo and Booze Ryanne and Jay

If you are wondering what the name of the podcast has to do with vacation rentals, it refers to the two items that are most often left behind by guests. After living in San Francisco, the hosts, Ryanne and Jay, moved to a rural area and bought and renovated several properties to rent them out on Airbnb. 

They do not regularly add new episodes, but the ones that are currently available will teach you loads about how you can make a living via the home-sharing platform. They have also recently added a design consultation service, making them an ideal resource for hosts who need help and advice with the visual aspects of running a vacation rental business. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to run a vacation rental remotely
2. Renovation tips
3. Sourcing furniture

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Shampoo and Booze directly via its website. 

11. STRU by Richard Fertig

STRU is hosted by one of the leaders in the vacation rental industry, Richard Fertig. In fact, he is a highly sought-after motivational speaker. So, be sure to tune into his podcast for a good dose of optimism and insights. 

The former Wall Street Hedgefunder is no stranger to the world of real estate. Before starting his short-term rental empire a couple of years ago, he used long-term rentals to generate a rental income. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. Short-term rental tax secrets
2. How to manage your business during a pandemic
3. Tips for ranking better in Airbnb’s search results

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to the STRU podcast on Soundcloud. 

12. The Property Podcast by Rob Bence and Rob Dix

The Property Podcast is the Property Hub’s show aimed at new and experienced property investors. Each month they give a market update about vacation rentals in the UK, making it a particularly useful resource for hosts and property managers situated in the UK. They also have “Ask Rob & Rob” shows during which listeners can direct their questions at the property investor duo. To date, they have added over 430 episodes, and the podcast has been downloaded more than 180,000 times a month.

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to find good property deals
2. Best ways to finance a property
3. Best areas to invest in the UK

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Property Hub on its website. 

13. Sarah and T by Sarah Bradford and Tim Cafferty

The Sarah and T podcast focuses completely on the professional vacation rental manager. It is the first podcast that is solely dedicated to this niche. It is hosted by Sarah Bradford and Tim Cafferty, and between the two of them, they manage more than 500 vacation rentals.  

Key points you will learn: 

1. How to increase your short-term rental revenue
2. How to measure key short-term rental metrics
3. Industry predictions

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Sarah and T via their own website.  

14. Hosting Your Home by Debi and Rob Hertert

Debi and Rob Hertert are the hosts behind the Hosting Your Home podcast. The wife-and-husband team has been renting out properties for over a decade. During this time, they have encountered countless stories of hospitality that show how the sharing economy is driven by hosts’ desire to connect with their guests. In their under-represented hosts series, they interview Superhosts about their trials, tribulations, and guest experiences. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. Photography tips
2. The financial aspect of hosting
3. Crafting memorable guest experiences 

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Hosting Your Home via its website.

15. The Skift Podcast

For insights into the habits of travelers, be sure to subscribe to Skift’s podcast. Every week, they interview creatives, executives, and entrepreneurs from around the world about a wide range of topics. While the episodes do not necessarily specifically focus on the short-term rental industry, it offers valuable perspectives on the travel industry which can help hosts and property managers to make the right changes to their strategies. 

Key points you will learn: 

1. Predictions about the future of the travel industry
2. Pandemic-related updates
3. Major trends

Where to find this podcast:

You can listen to Skift’s podcast directly via its website, Spotify, iTunes, or Podbean. 

Putting Your Vacation Rental Knowledge Into Practice Gets Easier with Automation

It’s essential for property managers and hosts to be able to put the knowledge that they get through podcasts to good use. As many of these podcasts recommend, to go one step further and improve their property management, vacation rental professionals should give automation a try to streamline their routine operations. For example, iGMS, one of the top vacation rental software solutions, can help property managers and rental hosts with numerous routine tasks, such as: 

• Managing multiple accounts and listings on the top vacation rental platforms from a single interface
• Enhancing your guest communication by utilizing automated messages
• Using the unified inbox to organize your messages into a single feed 
• Synchronizing reservations across multiple platforms to eliminate the risk of getting a double-booking
• Receiving payouts and creating invoices by connecting your Stripe account to iGMS
• Automating the process of guest reviews send-outs
• Managing direct bookings using a direct booking management toolkit
• Streamlining your guest communication with PROtrack, a unique add-on functionality for tracking the productivity of your employees offering guest support
• Creating essential reports on your company results within minutes
• Adjusting your pricing regularly through integrations with PriceLabs and DPGO.

About the Author
Olga Vasylieva is the Content and Social Media Team Lead at iGMS. Olga is on a mission to help hosts and property managers grow their businesses and deliver an excellent guest experience. She is a travel enthusiast and is inspired by life in all its aspects.