HCH Podcast 066: David Jacoby & Fred Bassili: The hottest STR trends of the year!

Holiday Cottage Handbook

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In this episode of the Holiday Cottage Handbook Podcast, we’re thrilled to welcome not one, but two special guests: David Jacoby and Fred Bassili from Hostfully!
Fresh off the release of the eighth edition of their ‘Hospitality Trends in the Vacation Rental Industry’ report, David and Fred sit down with HCH Founder, James Varley, to unpack the latest in the STR world.
Here’s what’s in store:
🔹 How AI is transforming property management and guest experiences.
🔹 The rise of direct bookings and what it means for hosts.
🔹 Why Airbnb is losing market share – and where guests are booking instead.
🔹 Key challenges and opportunities for STR hosts worldwide.
If you’re eager to stay ahead in the STR industry, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t miss out on the expert insights that could shape your hosting strategy for the year ahead!
David named Hudson Creative Studio as his favourite brand and gave Robin Craigen a special shout-out, while Fred praised both Key Data and Madeleine Raiford-Holland.
This episode includes sponsor mentions for HCH Financial Services, Zeal, Smiling House Luxury, and Search and Stay.
3:28 A tool to gather industry data
5:22 How AI is shaping the space
10:12 Direct bookings are rising and Airbnb is slipping
13:55 Direct bookings will keep growing
14:58 The strategies owners with 100+ rentals are using to get direct bookings
17:32 The tech divide
19:59 Surprising stats
23:59 Challenges and opportunities: the industry is ripe for disruption
26:56 Challenges and opportunities: regulation
29:29 How Hostfully supports hosts and property managers
31:23 Hostfully’s top tier integrations, including with Airbnb and Vrbo
33:10 View the report: https://www.hostfully.com/2024-hospitality-industry-study/ Find out more about Hostfully: https://get.hostfully.com/46p7pafubra1
36:36 David’s favourite brand: Hudson Creative Studio
38:16 Fred’s favourite brand: Key Data
39:19 David’s individual shout-out: Robin Craigen
40:59 Fred’s individual shout-out: Madeleine Raiford-Holland
42:32 David’s advice: focus on what you can control
43:02 Fred’s advice: avoid shiny object syndrome
Links:
James Varley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdsvarley/
Holiday Cottage Handbook: https://www.holidaycottagehandbook.com/
Free e-book: https://www.holidaycottagehandbook.com/e-book
David Jacoby: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjacoby/
Fred Bassili: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-bassili/
Try Hostfully's PMS or digital guidebook: https://get.hostfully.com/46p7pafubra1
Hostfully trends report: https://www.hostfully.com/2024-hospitality-industry-study/
Mentions:
Hudson Creative Studio: https://hudsoncreativestudio.com/
Robin Craigen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robincraigen/
Key Data: https://www.keydatadashboard.com/products/prodata?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=holiday_cottage_handbook
Madeleine Raiford-Holland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-raiford-holland/
Sponsors:
HCH Financial Services: https://www.hchfs.com/
Zeal: https://gozeal.co.uk/services/industries/hch-furnished-holiday-lets/
Smiling House Luxury: https://smilinghouse.ch/
Search and Stay: https://www.searchandstay.com/
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