Branded & Booked

What happens when a vacation rental investment turns into a portfolio of boutique hotels? In this episode of Branded & Booked, Steph sits down with Tony Stancato to talk about his journey from buying his first short-term rental in 2020 to purchasing three boutique hotels in three years. What started as a way to offset travel expenses quickly turned into something much bigger as Tony and his business partner began recognizing opportunities in multi-unit properties and eventually hotels. Tony gets into the actual numbers and decisions behind the growth, including how they financed their hotel acquisitions, brought investors into deals, approached renovations, and learned to operate properties in completely different markets. They also dig into Tony's group buyout strategy and why positioning smaller hotels as one large property on Airbnb and Vrbo has created an entirely different revenue opportunity. Plus, they talk about the less glamorous realities of hotel investing: construction budgets that almost always go over, timelines that get pushed, finding financing, navigating seasonality, and the amount of work that actually goes into putting these deals together. One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation? Know why you're trying to grow. If you're looking for additional income, vacation rentals may be exactly what you need. But if your goal is to leave your job or build significant wealth, Tony's advice is to think bigger faster. Set the goal, go after it, and consider setting it a little higher than you're comfortable saying out loud. Connect with Tony: Podcast: Michigan Short-Term Rentals Podcast Instagram: @TonyStancato LinkedIn: Tony Stancato If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you're subscribed to Branded & Booked so you don't miss what's coming next Own a boutique hotel or short-term rental? We help hospitality brands build a brand guests remember. Apply to work with us at TheWeberCo.com.

One of the reasons we decided to spend this year traveling full-time in our RV was because Collin and I have talked for a long time about eventually buying a campground. I knew living this lifestyle would teach me a lot. What I didn't realize was how quickly it would change what I'm actually looking for. We're only about two months into this trip, we haven't toured a single campground for sale, and we definitely haven't started running numbers. Right now, I'm doing what I think every hospitality investor should do more of: experiencing the product as the guest. And I've been taking notes everywhere we go. In this episode of Branded & Booked, I'm sharing what I've noticed at the campgrounds we've stayed at so far, including the amenities that have genuinely made a difference, the layouts that work (and the ones that absolutely do not), what matters when you're traveling with kids, and the small details that have completely changed the experience. I'm also getting into some of my favorite ideas I've seen along the way, from individual bathhouses and spacious sites to private hot tub rentals, indoor gathering spaces, pools, playgrounds, and even the beginnings of my dream hammock forest. But more than anything, this experience has reinforced something I talk about constantly in branding and hospitality: you have to know who you're building for. The campground built for someone looking for a quick, inexpensive overnight stop should be completely different from the campground built for a family looking for an experiential destination. That decision impacts your amenities, layout, pricing, location, hospitality, marketing, and ultimately what people are willing to pay to stay with you. I'm also sharing what my campground buy box is starting to look like, why I'm thinking about 50+ sites, multiple ways to stay, indoor gathering spaces, seasonality, and the kind of experience I'd want us to create if and when the right opportunity comes along. This is very much the beginning of the journey. And that's exactly why I wanted to document it. Maybe someday I'll listen back to this episode from the campground we actually own and see just how much the vision changed along the way. If you're thinking about investing in a campground, growing a hospitality brand, or simply want a behind-the-scenes look at how I'm thinking about our next potential investment, this episode is for you. Ready to build a hospitality brand people actually want to book? Apply to work with TheWeberCo.com and connect with Steph @theweberco.

What actually happens when you stop treating your short-term rental like a property and start building it like a hospitality brand? In this episode of Branded & Booked, I'm sitting down with Debra Getts, owner of Shiny Apple Cabins in Blue Ridge, Georgia, to talk about exactly that. Debra and her husband have built an incredibly clear brand around being some of the most dog-friendly stays in their market. And when I say dog-friendly, I don't just mean they allow dogs. They've thought through the entire experience, from fenced yards and crates to dog blankets, treats, cleaning supplies and the little details that make traveling with your dog significantly easier. But what I really wanted to dig into with Debra is what happened once she took that strong brand and started intentionally marketing it. After going through my STR Marketing Bootcamp and continuing to build out her marketing strategy, Debra put the foundational pieces in place first: a clear brand, a direct booking website, email funnels and systems designed to turn attention into actual guests. Then she started working with influencers. It wasn't an overnight success story. Her first few collaborations came with plenty of learning curves, contract changes and lessons about choosing the right creators. But she kept refining the process until she found the alignment that mattered. One of those collaborations eventually resulted in a reel that reached nearly 3 million views. Since then, Shiny Apple Cabins has grown its Instagram audience from a few hundred followers to more than 6,000, built a waitlist of creators wanting to work with the brand and, most importantly, grown to roughly 80% direct bookings this year. And that's the part I want you to pay attention to. The viral reel wasn't the strategy. The brand and marketing ecosystem behind it were. We're talking about why your brand needs to be established before you bring influencers into the equation, how Debra vets and builds relationships with creators, why email marketing matters when your social reach takes off, and what it actually takes behind the scenes to turn visibility into bookings. We also get into how Debra has built Shiny Apple Cabins around a very specific guest, why being radically dog-friendly has actually helped the business rather than hurt it, and how knowing exactly who you serve influences everything from your amenities to your pricing. If you own a short-term rental or boutique hospitality brand and you're trying to figure out how branding, influencer marketing, social media, email and direct bookings actually work together, this episode is going to give you a very real look at what that can look like in practice. And if you're ready to build the brand and marketing foundation that makes this kind of growth possible, apply to work with us at The Weber Co. We help short-term rentals, boutique hotels and hospitality brands build the strategy, branding and marketing systems designed to turn more of the right people into direct-booking guests.

For the first time, I'm pulling back the curtain on what our first full peak season actually looked like at Cabins on the Cumberland. There are so many conversations online about buying boutique hotels, building micro resorts, and creating passive income, but very few people are willing to talk about the numbers behind the scenes. In this episode, I'm sharing ours. I break down our June and July performance year over year, where our ADR and occupancy landed, how a completed guest experience changed everything, and why branding, revenue management, direct bookings, and thoughtful hospitality all worked together to produce our strongest season yet. I also talk honestly about the realities that don't make it into Instagram posts: construction delays, unexpected expenses, cash flow, saving for slow season, and why a profitable hospitality business is about so much more than big revenue months. If you've ever wondered what it actually looks like to build a hospitality business from the ground up, or you're trying to increase revenue at your own property, I think you'll find this episode refreshing, practical, and hopefully encouraging. If you're ready to build a hospitality brand that drives more direct bookings, stronger guest loyalty, and long-term growth, I'd love to help. Learn more about working with my team at theweberco.com. Curious about the property behind today's numbers? Take a look at Cabins on the Cumberland and see how we've built the guest experience from the ground up at cabinsonthecumberland.com.

What separates a hotel that's simply beautiful from one that guests can't stop booking? In this episode, I sit down with hospitality designer Courtney Petrovich, founder of Deanery Designs, to talk about the role design really plays in the success of a hospitality brand. We dive into why boutique hotel design is so much more than selecting furniture and finishes, how thoughtful design can help attract investors before a project is even built, and the operational decisions that can save owners time and money for years to come. We also talk about the shift we're seeing as more short-term rental investors move into the boutique hotel space, why creating a true sense of place matters more than following design trends, and how the smallest details often create the most memorable guest experiences. If you're developing a boutique hotel, planning a micro resort, or simply want your hospitality brand to stand out in a crowded market, this conversation is full of practical insights you won't want to miss. Connect with Courtney: Website: https://www.denoridesigns.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denoridesigns/  Connect with Steph: Website: https://www.theweberco.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theweberco Podcast: https://www.theweberco.com/podcast