STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry

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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. 

  1. 025: Guests Aren't Googling Anymore: AI, OTAs & the Future of STR Distribution | Shaun Stewart

    16H AGO

    025: Guests Aren't Googling Anymore: AI, OTAs & the Future of STR Distribution | Shaun Stewart

    The biggest disruption coming to short-term rentals is not regulation, supply growth, or capital compression. It is distribution itself. In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann sits down with Shaun Stewart, VP of Open Distribution at StubHub and one of the most consequential behind-the-scenes figures in the history of modern travel infrastructure.  Shaun spent 8 years at Expedia building the early supply networks that made online hotel booking possible, 2 years as Global Head of Vacation Rentals at Airbnb where he helped make instant booking a reality in a category that had never transacted live. He has watched distribution power get created, consolidated and disrupted across multiple industries.  This is not just a conversation about tactics. It is also a structural argument for why everything STR operators assumed about distribution is about to be renegotiated. In this conversation, we discuss: How a chance encounter on a flight in the 1960s between two executives named Smith gave birth to Sabre, the GDS, and the entire modern travel distribution infrastructure.Why the moment Airbnb pushed vacation rentals into live inventory transactions was the most important and most resisted shift in the history of the category.How AI is replacing Google as the top of funnel and what happens when ChatGPT and Gemini start taking commercial deals from OTAs to influence what they recommendWhy owning and controlling your own inventory source of truth is more strategically important today than it has ever been.How a Boca Raton property manager with a dozen homes built a suite of AI agents to run his books, staffing, and operations.Why the Uber vs Waymo cost structure is the warning sign for STR operators who have not modernized yet.Why Shaun admits he would have bailed on Airbnb long before it became Airbnb, what the Sonder S1 got wrong about direct booking, and which single infrastructure layer he would own if he could only pick oneExplore more: Connect with Shaun Stewart on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-stewart-07b47b1/] and learn more about StubHub [https://www.stubhub.com] Podcast supported by Pricelabs PriceLabs brings automated pricing and market intelligence together in one platform trusted by property managers at scale. 👉 Get started with Pricelabs here: https://shorturl.at/wvKTa  Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    50 min
  2. 024: Curation Over Volume: How Landfolk Is Redefining Growth in Short-Term Rentals with Christian Schwarz Lausten

    MAR 17

    024: Curation Over Volume: How Landfolk Is Redefining Growth in Short-Term Rentals with Christian Schwarz Lausten

    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 episode of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann speaks with Christian Schwarz Lausten, Founder and CEO of Landfolk, about what he learned inside Airbnb, why uncontrolled expansion dilutes trust, and how a premium positioning paired with proprietary technology creates resilience in an AI-fragmented future. This is not a marketplace story about growth at all costs. It is a conversation about discipline, capital efficiency, culture, and why quality and trust are becoming structurally linked in short-term rentals. In this conversation, we discuss: Why saying “no” to inventory is the foundation of curation and how controlled supply strengthens trust.What Christian learned inside Airbnb about data discipline, global brand building, and marketplace expansion.The $21B European premium segment opportunity and how “affordable luxury” differs from both mass market and ultra-luxury STR.How AI is reshaping search, authenticity, and guest expectations, and why quality becomes the anchor of trust in a synthetic content world.Why owning direct homeowner relationships and achieving 70 percent direct bookings creates resilience in a fragmented distribution landscape.The balance between human onboarding and automation, including personally interviewing every homeowner while deploying AI for instant guest support.Why the next winners in STR will combine direct owner relationships, disciplined capital deployment, curated supply, and brand credibility in an AI-mediated future.Explore more: Connect with Christian Schwarz Lausten on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianschwarzlausten/] to learn more about Landfolk [https://landfolk.com/] - Podcast supported by Pikl Pikl brings insurance-enabled flexible cancellation and new revenue models together for short-term rental operators. 👉 Get started with Pikl here Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry. Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    52 min
  3. 023: Dependability vs Consistency: How Airbnb Redefined Hospitality Standards with Chip Conley

    MAR 10

    023: Dependability vs Consistency: How Airbnb Redefined Hospitality Standards with Chip Conley

    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 boutique hospitality with Joie de Vivre Hospitality. His time at Airbnb as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy was fundamental in professionalizing the platform. Furthermore, he is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), a center for wisdom on leadership and life experience. His unique perspective unites the technological scale of Silicon Valley with the emotional architecture of hospitality. This conversation moves beyond platform narratives and focuses on guest psychology, incentive design, regulation, AI-driven distribution, and the tension between scale and soul in a fragmented STR industry. In this conversation, we discuss: Why the hotel industry misunderstood Airbnb’s early growth and how “more space for less money” and “living like a local” reshaped travel behavior.The difference between consistency and dependability, and why dependability can outperform rigid brand standards in short-term rentals.How Airbnb used the Superhost program and reviews as a quality mechanism instead of imposing strict operational standards.Why guest disappointment is driven by expectations minus reality, and how service recovery can create stronger loyalty than a flawless stay.How AI is reshaping travel distribution, threatening purely transactional intermediaries, and accelerating personalization.What maturity in short-term rentals really means, and why mainstream adoption depends on trust, dependability, and brand credibility.Why scale without soul erodes long-term loyalty, and how STR operators can build belonging in a fragmented market.Explore more: Connect with Chip Conley  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipconleysf/ - https://chipconley.com/] to learn more about Joie de Vivre and Modern Elder Academy [https://www.meawisdom.com/] _____________  STR Global Unlocked is supported by Breezeway. Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    45 min
  4. 022: Why STR Leaders Crack Under Pressure | CEO Coach Gary Cohen

    MAR 3

    022: Why STR Leaders Crack Under Pressure | CEO Coach Gary Cohen

    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 without documentation weakens execution, how ego and humility shape decision quality, and why many STR operators become the bottleneck in their own companies. The conversation also explores how leaders should think about AI, not as advanced search, but as a strategic thinking partner in an evolving discovery landscape. In this conversation, we discuss: Why short term rental leadership failures often begin with human behavior, not financial performance.How scaling STR companies must balance business systems, team dynamics, and executive self awareness.Where decisiveness becomes reactive decision making and how idea overload damages operational clarity.The relationship between ego, humility, and executive effectiveness in fast growing hospitality businesses.How AI is reshaping decision making, search visibility, and strategic leadership in short term rental.Resources and links: Connect with Gary Cohen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/garycohen/] to learn more about CO2 Coaching [https://co2coaching.com].   Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    47 min
  5. 021: Is Luxury Short-Term Rental Really Resilient? - Luxury STR Roundtable with Emerald Stay, Le Collectionist, The Luxe Nomad and Nocturne Luxury Villas

    FEB 24

    021: Is Luxury Short-Term Rental Really Resilient? - Luxury STR Roundtable with Emerald Stay, Le Collectionist, The Luxe Nomad and Nocturne Luxury Villas

    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 founders and CEOs operating at the forefront of luxury short-term rentals across Europe, Asia, and the United States: Maxime Friess, Founder & CEO, Emerald StayMax Aniort, Founder & CEO, Le CollectionistStephanie Chai, Founder & CEO, The Luxe NomadScott Wiseman, CEO, Nocturne Luxury VillasEach represents a distinct operating model and market dynamic within the high-end STR ecosystem. In this conversation, they explore with Simon Lehmann: Whether luxury demand is structurally resilient or simply slower to absorb macroeconomic pressureHow pricing has shifted from a revenue lever to a demand signal, and why overpricing can damage long-term competitivenessThe margin realities of high-touch hospitality, including staffing, fixed costs, and why operational discipline now outweighs topline growthWho truly owns the guest relationship in a fragmented distribution ecosystem, and what separates repeat bookings from genuine brand loyaltyHow regulation, insurance scrutiny, and safety standards are accelerating the professionalization of luxury STRWhether scale strengthens or dilutes luxury positioning, and what it takes to build a globally recognized luxury STR brandConnect with the panelists on LinkedIn: -   Maxime Friess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxime-friess/  -   Stephanie Chai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stchai/  -   Scott Wiseman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottfwiseman/ -   Max Aniort: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaniort/  Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    1h 5m
  6. 020: Trust, Reviews, and AI: How Experience Intelligence Is Shaping Hospitality and STR with Ben Jost of TrustYou

    FEB 17

    020: Trust, Reviews, and AI: How Experience Intelligence Is Shaping Hospitality and STR with Ben Jost of TrustYou

    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 of reputation management, data, and guest intelligence across global hospitality brands. While TrustYou’s roots are firmly in traditional hotels, the conversation repeatedly highlights how the same feedback dynamics apply to short-term rentals as the sector professionalizes and guest expectations increasingly mirror hotel standards. This discussion reframes reviews as strategic infrastructure rather than surface-level scores and shows how review data directly influences pricing strategy, revenue management, and conversion performance. The episode explores why operators who understand and act on feedback build stronger trust, clearer positioning, and more resilient businesses over time. In this conversation, we discuss: Why guest feedback functions as the quality management layer of modern experience intelligence.How small improvements in perceived quality directly influence pricing power, conversion, and long-term revenue performance.The disconnect between collecting reviews and acting on them, and how inaction weakens trust with guests over time.Why trust is created when expectations align with reality, not through brand alone, and how reviews shape that expectation.How consistency challenges in short-term rentals mirror hotel dynamics, and why operating without quality benchmarks creates structural risk.How AI will turn fragmented guest touchpoints into a continuous conversation, making feedback more timely, natural, and actionable across the guest journey. Learn more Connect with Ben Jost on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-jost-7761643/]  to learn more about TrustYou [https://www.trustyou.com/] Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    52 min
  7. 019: Travel Marketplaces That Endure: Lessons from HomeAway to RVshare with Jon Gray

    FEB 10

    019: Travel Marketplaces That Endure: Lessons from HomeAway to RVshare with Jon Gray

    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 discussion about categories, labels, or hype. It is about discipline, tradeoffs, and building platforms that hold up when demand shifts. Throughout the conversation, Jon returns to one core idea. Marketplaces exist to remove friction and expand real choice. Everything else follows from that. In this conversation, we discuss: Why the true job of a marketplace is removing friction and delivering meaningful consumer choice, regardless of category.What felt uncertain in the early HomeAway days but later proved obvious, including instant booking and inventory neutrality.Why guests prioritize experience quality over who manages the inventory, and what that means for professional operators.How RVshare translated STR marketplace fundamentals into a higher-friction, mobile asset class.Why pushing supply sophistication faster than feels comfortable protects long-term experience and reputation.Why resilience, unit economics, and survivability matter more than valuation narratives during growth cycles. Resources and links: Connect with Jon Gray on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangray/] to learn more about RVshare [https://rvshare.com/]  Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    55 min
  8. 018: Where Real Estate Models Are Converging: Lavanda CEO Fred Lerche-Lerchenborg on Flexible Living, STR, and Multifamily

    FEB 3

    018: Where Real Estate Models Are Converging: Lavanda CEO Fred Lerche-Lerchenborg on Flexible Living, STR, and Multifamily

    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-arbitrage collapsed at scale, and how investor psychology, cap rates, compliance, and risk transfer shape real decisions. The conversation also explores why Europe is moving faster than the US in flexible living, and what operators must get right before blending STR into multifamily creates value instead of backlash. In this conversation, we discuss: Why residential real estate systems were never designed for flexibility, and how changing living patterns are forcing new operating models.Where traditional PMS platforms fail when short-term, mid-term, and long-term stays coexist in the same building.Why institutional capital evaluates flexible living through asset value protection, not revenue upside alone.How lease arbitrage broke down at scale, and when selective leasing can still work for smaller STR operators.What flexible living unlocks for student housing, build-to-rent, and urban development in regulated markets.Why risk, liability, insurance, and guest vetting become non-negotiable when STR enters multifamily environments.Explore more: Connect with Fred Lerche-Lerchenborg on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-lerche-lerchenborg] to learn more about Lavanda [http://getlavanda.com]   . . . Podcast supported by Breezeway. Breezeway brings operational workflows, service execution, and standards together in one platform for hospitality operators. 👉 Get started with Breezeway here  Resources AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/] Stay connected: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/

    53 min

Trailer

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

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. 

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