Being connected is an asset. In every industry, it’s important to build a network beyond your immediate professional circle. Both to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and to create business opportunities that won’t find you on their own.
In the vacation rental world, networking can speed up your success. And while this year, most in-person events have been cancelled or postponed, you still have lots of opportunities to liaise with industry peers.
To help you find them, we’ve put together a list of newsletters, Facebook groups, forums and YouTube channels where you can engage in conversations with other vacation rental professionals and learn from industry experts.
So go ahead and start signing up!
Click here for online vacation rental events to attend this autumn
Vacation rental newsletters
1. Rentals United Blog Newsletter
Frequency: weekly
Do you want to be the first to hear about the latest marketing and distribution tactics in the vacation rental world? Join the Rentals United blog newsletter! We work tirelessly to make our blog the go-to resource for property managers – and we deliver one article a week to your inbox.
Whether it’s innovative technologies, new business models, growth strategies or other insights you’re interested in, we’ve got you covered. Our weekly newsletter is a deep-dive into relevant topics with the only goal of providing value to our community.
What you’ll find in your inbox:
- Actionable tips on how to improve your distribution
- Data insights from a company that works with X property managers
- First-in-the-line access to reports, whitepapers, webinars, podcasts and other exclusive content
- Info about the hottest listing sites on the market on the market right now
2. VRMB Newsletter by Matt Landau
Frequency: weekly
Matt Landau, the Founder of VRMB, is committed to helping property managers build sustainable businesses. He created the VRMB Newsletter to serve up the tips and tricks for vacation rental marketing, all delivered to your inbox.
Matt’s newsletter consists of three sections. He starts with a motivational thought that would inspire even the most indifferent reader. He continues with the latest industry news summarised in bite-sized pieces. And lastly, he closes with the newest episode of his vacation rental podcast, featuring interviews with the industry’s greatest.
What you’ll find in your inbox:
- Inspiring nuggets of knowledge to fuel your hard work
- International industry news curated by an expert
- Invaluable business tips
3. Hostfully Blog Newsletter
Frequency: weekly
The Hostfully team is great at giving you exactly what you need, when you need it. Their newsletter is full of useful content like industry reports, podcast interviews, webinars and more.
Their mailers are always beautifully designed with easy-to-understand infographics that showcase industry trends and other data.
What you’ll find in your inbox:
- Market data that’ll help you gauge how you compare to your competitors
- Colourful content from fun quizzes to in-depth guidebooks
- Hostfully product updates
4. Lighthouse by Yes Consulting
Frequency: monthly
Lighthouse is a newsletter by Yes Consulting started in July 2020.
Aimed at hosts, managers, agencies, and operators in the short-term and vacation rental sector, the newsletter aims to bring you the latest industry news, opinions and statistics.
The Yes Consulting team curates information carefully, filtering out the noise and presenting only the essential to their subscribers.
What you’ll find in your inbox:
- Current data on changes in market trends
- Links to other important industry resources
- An update on the latest tech innovations
5. Rental Scale-Up Newsletter
Frequency: weekly
Rental Scale-Up’s newsletter wants to help you navigate the changing waters of the short-term rental industry.
It’s a fun, easy-to-browse read with a perfect combination of lighthearted articles and crucial industry insights.
Rental Scale-Up also runs a Facebook group where their community can join discussions, ask questions to fellow entrepreneurs and share their own tips.
What you’ll find in your inbox:
- Industry insights
- Updates about major OTAs (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo) and other players
- Invitations to Rental ScaleUp’s online conferences
6. The Beyond Brief
Frequency: weekly
A newsletter by Beyond Pricing, The Beyond Brief brings you weekly data insights straight from the leading dynamic pricing company.
By constantly updating their charts with fresh data, Beyond Pricing hopes to provide property managers with the market insight they need to build a solid pricing strategy.
What you’ll find in your inbox:
- Hot markets
- Beyond Pricing’s customer of the week
- Insightful interviews
Vacation rental Facebook groups
Connect with peers in Top Facebook Groups.
1. VrTech: Technology and Vacation Rentals
The VrTech Facebook group is where vacation rentals and technology collide. It’s a network for vacation rental professionals and technology companies to share ideas and promote innovation in the industry.
What’s more, the members of this Facebook group are the first to receive exclusive news about the annual VrTech startup competition. You can discover young tech companies in the vacation rental space and vote for your favourite every year!
What members share:
- Links to industry resources
- Questions/polls about vacation rental technology
- Newest developments and research by tech providers
2. Vacation Rental World Summit
The Vacation Rental World Summit Facebook group is run by Antonio Bortolotti, Founder of VRWS. It was started as a way to help the participants of the annual VRWS keep in touch after the event, but it’s outgrown itself.
With nearly 1,000 members, the VRWS group is a great forum for networking, asking fellow property managers for feedback, and starting conversations around current events in the vacation rental world.
What members share:
- VRWS updates
- Property manager stories
- Questions and polls
3. Tech4Rentals
The Tech4Rentals Facebook group focuses on the technology needs of short-term rental property managers. If you want to participate in discussions about channel managers, property management software, guest experience and messaging tools, this is the group to join.
If you’re a tech company that’s just starting out, why not use Tech4Rentals as a focus group to test your solution? As long as you’re prepared to receive honest feedback!
What members share:
- Vacation rental technology news
- Reviews of vacation rental tech solutions
- Surveys, polls and questions around vacation rental tech
For more vacation rental groups on social media, check out:
Forums and online communities for vacation rental professionals
Engage with top Vacation Rental Consultants.
1. Nokori Pulse
Nokori Pulse is a new, invite-only community exclusively for vacation rental professionals. It was created by Wes Melton, co-founder and CTO of property management company SmokyMountains.com and travel tech startup StaySense.
The aim of the community is to facilitate networking and sharing data, news and best practices among property managers and other short-term rental professionals around the world.
After just a few weeks of launching, Nokori Pulse already has over 500 members. For more info, check out this article.
2. VRMB Forum
Matt Landau’s VRMB Forum has more than 700 members, 4,500 threads and nearly 50,000 messages!
If you want to discuss topics related to the vacation rental industry with a highly active community, you should become a member.
Vacation Rentals Youtube Channels
Meet at leading 2023 Industry Events.
1. STR University
Frequency: 1 video a week
Short-Term Rental University is one of the fastest-growing YouTube channels in the real estate/short-term rental space.
Founder Richard Fertig created the channel in order to share his knowledge from decades of experience owning, renovating, flipping, and renting real estate.
Using large OTAs, Richard Fertig has built a real estate portfolio generating over $500k per year and gives viewers tips and tricks on how to grow their own business.
What you’ll learn:
- Tips and tricks to scale your vacation rentals business
2. Airbnb Automated
Frequency: 3 videos a week
Airbnb automated has been posting videos for three years documenting the rise of a rental arbitrage startup run by Sean Rakidzich.
Airbnb Arbitrage is not Sean’s first venture – he owns four businesses. On his Youtube channel, Sean discusses how to manage and lead staff (especially through these trying times) as well as discussing what it takes to become unbreakable as a business owner and leader.
What you’ll learn:
- How to maximise occupancy
- Design ideas
- Property management advice and strategies