EP006 – Interview w/ Kelly Kampen, Airbnb host in Bangkok, Thailand
Summary
This article discusses revenue management strategies for short-term rentals, emphasizing the importance of a structured pricing routine, reviewing booking data, and adjusting prices based on demand signals. It highlights the differences between hotel and STR revenue management and explores how to avoid the 'hectic host' stage. Hosts should implement a daily or weekly pricing routine, analyze booking behavior, and be aware of how STRs differ from hotels in terms of pricing and operations.
Key Insights
- •Smaller markets like Kansas City, Boston, Seattle and Philadelphia may outperform larger cities in terms of ADR lift during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- •Most STR operators underperform not because they lack tools, but because they don’t know what to look at, when to look at it, or how to interpret booking behavior once it shows up.
- •STR pricing is dramatically harder than hotel pricing, due to product uniqueness (every listing being like its own mini-hotel), booking windows, and operational constraints.
- •Countries such as Germany, Brazil, Spain, England and Argentina drive heavy international travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Action Items
- ✓Review every booking to reveal pricing and demand signals.Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓Consider the impact of the FIFA World Cup on potential ADR, particularly in cities and matchups expected to produce the strongest lift.Effort: lowImpact: medium
Tools & Resources
- →Freewyld Foundry: Learn more about Freewyld Foundry
Watch Out For
- ⚠Underpricing listings due to early attempts to fill them.
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