Ep 63 - Growing a Sustainable and Profitable Hospitality Company with Simon Lehmann

GUEST'S BIO Simon is one of the world’s foremost experts on short-term rental and vacation rental. He leads AJL Atelier, a specialized vacation rental and business consultancy while also advising multiple companies as Board Member and Executive Chairman. A sought-after speaker, panelist and moderator, Simon loves to broach high-level and technical topics alike, from the future trends of short term rental to the specifics of online distribution in the top 5 OTAs. Previously, Simon was the Co-Founder & Chairman of Vacasa Europe, former President of PhocusWright, and ex-Board member of HomeAway, to name but a few. He’s also an accomplished operator, having led Interhome, Hotelplan Group and Swissport as CEO. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE 04:36 Simon Lehmann introduction and background 05:59 How Simon started in the hospitality industry 08:11 Transitioning from being an executive vice president of an airport ground company to a CEO of a vacation rental company 11:21 Simon shares his vacation rental journey 14:04 What is AJL Atelier? 14:42 Simon shares his tips for those who are starting their STR business 18:14 E shares his experience when he first started his STRs 20:20 Bridging traditional hotels and the vacation rental spaces 29:37 Simon's insight about traditional hotels acquiring STRs 33:21 The best business model to use in starting your STR business 37:00 Building a management company and selling it 42:45 Demand vs supply 43:31 Taking a balanced approach from owners to guests 45:45 How to connect with Simon 46:41 Simon's #1 secret to success with STR 50:23 Acknowledgments to Simon NOTABLE QUOTES "There is no one size fits all, we need to be flexible." - Simon Lehmann "The demand is here but we need to professionalize."  - Simon Lehmann CONNECT WITH THE GUEST Simon Lehmann: Clubhouse | Instagram | Linkedin AJL Atelier CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS Michael Sjogren: Short Term Rental Secrets Facebook Group | Clubhouse | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook Page | Linkedin https://linktr.ee/the_airbnbguy Emanuele Pani: Clubhouse | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin FREE MASTERCLASS TRAINING - https://www.strsecrets.com/masterclass Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices