Claim OwnershipSTR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry
Subscribed: 11Played: 52
Subscribe
© 2026 STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry
Description
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.
25 Episodes
Reverse
Is short-term rental growth a volume game, or is quality becoming the real competitive advantage? In a market flooded with inventory, inconsistent standards, and increasing AI-driven discovery, Christian Schwarz Lausten argues that the future of STR belongs to curated supply, disciplined execution, and brand-led trust. After selling his previous company to Airbnb, Christian returned with a deliberate strategy: say no to scale for scale’s sake and build something designed to last. In this epis...
Short-term rentals disrupted hospitality by challenging one of its core assumptions: that consistency is the ultimate brand promise. But as Airbnb scaled globally, the real shift was not about standardization. It was about redefining what quality means at scale. In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Chip Conley to explore how the platform matured from scrappy disruptor to mainstream hospitality player. Chip Conley is a globally recognized thought leader, known for transforming boutiq...
As short-term rental moves from rapid expansion into a more disciplined phase, leadership quality becomes the differentiator. In fast-scaling STR businesses, execution rarely breaks because of strategy. It breaks under pressure, idea overload, unclear decision rights, and human blind spots. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann speaks with Gary Cohen, CEO coach and leadership advisor, about what actually changes in founders when complexity increases. They examine why scaling w...
Luxury short-term rental has long been viewed as the most resilient segment of the STR industry. But resilience does not mean immunity. Rising interest rates, tighter capital, geopolitical instability, regulatory scrutiny, and growing operational costs are reshaping the landscape. Demand remains strong, yet it is more selective, more price-sensitive, and less forgiving than in previous cycles. In this special roundtable episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann convenes four global founde...
Reviews are everywhere in hospitality, yet most operators still misunderstand what they actually represent. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann sits down with Ben Jost, CEO of TrustYou, to unpack why guest feedback analytics, reputation management, trust, and experience intelligence are emerging as critical drivers of decision-making and long-term performance in hospitality and short-term rentals. Ben brings more than 15 years of experience working at the intersection ...
Some platforms optimize for growth. Others optimize for survival. Very few manage both. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann sits down with Jon Gray, CEO of RVshare and former executive at HomeAway (now VRBO), for a grounded conversation on what actually makes marketplaces last. Jon has seen multiple cycles from the early days of short-term rentals, through the $3.9B sale of HomeAway to Expedia, to scaling the largest RV rental marketplace in the world. This is not a discussi...
In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann speaks with Fred Lerche-Lerchenborg, CEO of Lavanda, about how short-term rentals, mid-term stays, and multifamily are converging inside the same assets. This is not a tech pitch. It is a practical discussion on institutional real estate, operating risk, and why flexible living is becoming a core strategy for owners and investors. Fred breaks down why legacy long-term rental systems fail at daily pricing and mixed inventory, why lease-arbi...
The short-term rental industry is entering a more demanding phase. In 2026, performance will be defined by execution, discipline, and decision-making under pressure. In this solo episode, Simon Lehmann outlines what professional operators must change, what they must stop doing, and where time and capital should be focused to protect margin and build durable businesses. The 6 Decisions Shaping STR Performance in 2026 Quality of earnings – Why unit-level profitability matters more than portfoli...
Short-term rentals, flexible living, and multifamily are no longer separate conversations. For institutional capital, they are converging into a single question around risk, yield, and long-term durability. In this episode, Simon Lehmann sits down with Jaja Jackson, Senior Vice President of Real Assets at ICONIQ Capital and Corporate Development Officer at Sentral, to unpack how large-scale investors evaluate short-term rentals, midterm stays, and flexible living models. This conversation cut...
In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Rebecca Kacaba, Co-Founder and CEO of DealMaker, joins Simon Lehmann for a candid conversation on why traditional capital raising no longer works for most founders and what a modern alternative looks like. Rebecca is a former capital markets attorney who left Big Law to build one of North America’s leading online capital raising platforms. DealMaker has helped companies raise more than $2 billion online and has become a key infrastructure layer for foun...
In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Bobby Healy, Founder and CEO of Manna Drone Delivery, joins Simon Lehmann for a grounded discussion on why last-mile delivery is structurally broken and how autonomous aerial delivery could reshape logistics, cities, and the short-term rental guest experience. Bobby brings decades of experience building travel and infrastructure businesses. Today, he leads Europe’s largest commercial drone delivery operator, running real operations at scale across Europ...
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 from the podcast, but also from in-person events, operator discussions, and real-world industry dialogue across global markets. This episode captures where short-term rentals stand tod...
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States