Behind the Stays
The stories behind your favorite Airbnbs — and the hosts who've made them memorable.
Episode 54
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Episode 53
How He Discovered, Bought, and Scaled an RV Membership Program — Meet Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts
Episode 52
She Bought a Bank in the Ozarks and Transformed it into an Airbnb — How Tyann Marcink Builds Regional Vacation Rental Brands.
Episode 51
He Dreamed of Being a Pilot, But Was Destined to be an Entrepreneur — Meet Marcus Rader, Founder of Hostaway
Episode 50
How to Transform Your Airbnb into a Native Shopping Experience
Episode 49
How to Create a Unique Story and Brand for Your Airbnb
Episode 48
He Won “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” in Ireland at Age 13. Today, He’s Building Uplisting — A Leading Short-Term Rental Software Company.
Episode 47
How to Build an Independent Vacation Rental Brand — Musings from Arthur Colker, Founder of StayFi
Episode 46
He Sold His Cannabis Dispensary to Become an STR Entrepreneur
Episode 45
Meet Chad Ludeman — The Engineer Turned Entrepreneur Building Design-Driven Hotels and STRs
Episode 44
How to Build a Bespoke Hotel Brand and Management Company in 2022
Episode 43
How to Market Your Airbnb Like a Pro
Episode 42
How to Build a Short-Term Rental Business — And Also Change the World.
Episode 41
How to Upsell Amenities at Your Airbnb — Ideas from Madison Rifkin, Founder of Mount
Episode 40
How to Design Highly-Experiential Stays for the Next Generation of Travelers
Episode 39
Is Home Swapping the Future of Travel? Justine Palefsky Thinks So. Meet the Co-Founder of Kindred.
Episode 38
She Designed the First Eco-Luxe Vacation Rental in Hocking Hills in Honor of Her Father — Meet the Creator of The Carpenter’s Cabin
Episode 37
He’s a Serial Entrepreneur And His Latest Venture is an Off-Grid Housing Technology Company — Meet Jeff Wilson, Founder of Jupe
Episode 36
He’s a Doctor by Day, a Twin Girl Dad at Night, and an STR Entrepreneur In-Between
Episode 35
314,000 People Applied for Airbnb’s Live Anywhere Contest — And They Won. Meet the Family Traveling the World and Living Full-Time on Airbnb for a Year.
Episode 34
He’s An Accountant, Artist, and Airbnb Superhost — Meet Isaac French the Creator of Live Oak Lake
Episode 33
He Lost His Job During COVID — So He Watched 200 Hours of YouTube Videos And Then Went All in on STRs (And Twitter)
Episode 32
Why These Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs Built an Airbnb in Virginia Wine Country
Episode 31
How They Used Human-Centered Design to Build a Scandinavian Villa in Asheville
Episode 30
How They Knew It Was Time to Go All In — And Just Get The Lake House
Episode 29
He’s An Actor By Day and Super Airbnb Host by Night — Meet the Creator of Airstream Island
Episode 28
He’s Worked at Fairmont, Sonder, and Airbnb — Now He’s Pioneering The Next Big Thing in Hospitality
Episode 27
They Left It All Behind to Build a Luxury Micro-Resort in Highlands, North Carolina: The Story of Flat Mountain Farm
Episode 26
Meet the Founder of BnB Buyer — A Curated Newsletter Featuring the Best Airbnb Investment Properties
Episode 25
He Built a Story in the Form of a House — Meet the Creator of The Nook, a Hyperlocal Airbnb in Asheville
Episode 24
How He Built One of San Diego’s Most Artistic Escapes — The Story of Shelltown Sanctuary
Episode 23
How They Built a Top-Rated Collection of Airbnbs in Southern California — The Story of Arrivls
Episode 22
They Left Campus Ministry for a New Calling — How the Corbett’s Built a Collective of Airbnbs Where All Belong.
Episode 21
How (and Why) a Tech Entrepreneur Built an Off Grid Eco-Hotel: The Story of Safa Farms
Episode 20
How to Renovate an A-Frame Airbnb by Yourself
Episode 19
How to Buy and Build Airbnbs Thousands of Miles Away from Where You Live
Episode 18
From HGTV Producer to STR-Tech Start Up Founder — Meet Annie Sloan
Episode 17
How They Built a Luxurious, Eco-Friendly Escape in the Canadian Forest — The Hinter Story.
Episode 16
How They Built a Tiny Cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Episode 15
From Serving in Afghanistan to Hosting on Airbnb: Meet the Founders of Seasons‘ Yield Farm
Episode 14
How She Transformed a Horse Barn into an Enchanting California Airbnb Retreat
Episode 13
How They Launched an Airbnb Glamping Resort for Under $700
Episode 12
How to Build a Modern Mountain Home That Stands Out on Airbnb
Episode 11
How They Built Bespoke Airbnbs to Help Fund Their Goat Dairy: The Story Behind Big Picture Farm
Episode 10
How to Transform a Backyard Shed into a Luxury Airbnb Cottage
Episode 9
How to Design a Luxury Airbnb in Harmony with Nature
Episode 8
How They Built 5 of the Most Unique Stays on Airbnb — Meet the Clark Family Silos
Episode 7
How to Choose a Design Style for Your Airbnb and Why It Matters
Episode 6
Fourth Generation Dairy Farmers, First Generation Airbnb Empresses — Meet the Brodt’s.
Episode 5
How to Build a Tiny House Airbnb with No Money — Meet the Woodruffs
Episode 4
How She Built It — Meet the Founder of Bees Nees Getaways Who Brought an Airbnb to Life During a Global Pandemic
Episode 3
From Flight Attendant to Top-Rated Airbnb Host — Meet the Creator of the Sparrow's Nest
Episode 2
Meet the Family of Hospitality Entrepreneurs who Turned a WW2 Train Car and an Aircraft Hanger into Top-Rated Airbnbs
Episode 1
An Escape to the Cape at Camp Adelaide — A Rustic-Chic Airbnb Stay in Barnstable, Massachusetts
Episode Trailer
Welcome to Behind The Stays — Trailer
About Behind the Stays
When COVID hit, we decided to break out of our 750-square foot apartment in Washington, DC, and beta test the digital nomad lifestyle by hopping around to new Airbnbs every 2-4 weeks. If you care to follow our personal journey and watch us pretend to be Instagram influencers, you can do so at AirGnZ.
After our first couple of Airbnbs, we found ourselves talking most nights about the character of the bungalow, apartment, or lake house we were staying in. Our hosts were all fantastic communicators, but there’s only so much you can learn via the guest book and the occasional “check-in” texts.
We were hungry to learn more about the story behind the place. Was this their first home? What’s up with the mural in the bathroom? Was the dining table custom made? Did they build the home from the ground up specifically to rent out on Airbnb?
And that’s when the idea of hosting a podcast that featured the stories of the hosts behind the stays was born.
Our goal is to use this space to bring you the stories behind your favorite Airbnbs and the hosts who’ve made them memorable.
