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STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry
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.
Episodes
20 episodes
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 groun...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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54:34
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 i...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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53:04
017: Decisions, Not Forecasts: How Professional STR Operators Win in 2026 with Simon Lehmann
The short-term rental industry is entering a more demanding phase. In 2026, performance will be defined by execution, discipline, and decision-making under pressure.In this solo episode, Simon Lehmann outlines what professional operators...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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29:24
016: Flexible Living Is Reshaping STR: An Institutional Capital Perspective with Jaja Jackson of ICONIQ Capital
Short-term rentals, flexible living, and multifamily are no longer separate conversations. For institutional capital, they are converging into a single question around risk, yield, and long-term durability.In this episode, Simon Lehmann ...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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55:21
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015: Is Raising Capital Like Ecommerce the Answer to Real Estate’s Funding Problem? Insights From DealMaker Co-Founder and CEO Rebecca Kacaba
In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Rebecca Kacaba, Co-Founder and CEO of DealMaker, joins Simon Lehmann for a candid conversation on why traditional capital raising no longer works for most founders and what a modern alternative looks like...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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45:08
014: From Road to Air: How Drone Delivery Is Reshaping Last-Mile Economics and Guest Experience
In this episode of STR Global Unlocked, Bobby Healy, Founder and CEO of Manna Drone Delivery, joins Simon Lehmann for a grounded discussion on why last-mile delivery is structurally broken and how autonomous aerial delivery could reshape logist...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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47:56
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013: 2025 Holiday Special - A Year That Changed the STR Conversation
2025 marked a turning point for the short-term rental industry.Not a year of hype or breakout growth, but a year of recalibration.In this Holiday Special of STR Global Unlocked, Simon Lehmann reflects on the conversations, t...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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16:52
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012: Europe's STR Growth Challenge: Fragmentation, Regulation, and Execution - Panel with GuestReady, COCOONR, and Happy.Rentals
Europe is often discussed as a single market. This panel makes clear why it is not.In this panel, Simon Lehmann brings together three leaders navigating growth across Europe’s most fragmented markets: Alexander Limpert (GuestReady and Re...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:00:52
011: What VCs Really Look For in STR Tech: Insights from TCV’s Woody Marshall
Woody Marshall is a General Partner at TCV, one of the most influential investment firms in global technology and a long-standing backer of travel companies including Expedia, Airbnb, HomeAway and TripAdvisor. With more than two decades of expe...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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45:29
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010: The Midterm Rental Shift with Furnished Finder’s Jeff Hurst and Cami Narino
Cami Narino, Chief Operating Officer, and Jeff Hurst, Chief Executive Officer at Furnished Finder, join Simon Lehmann to analyze one of the most important shifts happening in housing and hospitality today: the rise of midterm rentals. Over the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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50:53
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009: Booking Holdings President and CEO Glenn Fogel on AI and Why STR Is the Next Big Travel Shift
Glenn Fogel is the President and CEO of Booking Holdings, the parent company of Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak and other global brands that shape how the world travels. With more than two decades at the forefront of online travel, he has guided ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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51:20
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008: Hospitality or Tech? A Closer Look at AvantStay’s Approach to STR with its Founder and CEO, Sean Breuner
Sean Breuner is the Founder and CEO of AvantStay, one of the most ambitious hospitality brands in the short-term rental industry. Since launching in 2017, AvantStay has raised significant capital, expanded across the United States, and set out ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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46:22
007: What Really Happened at Vacasa? Cliff Johnson, Co-Founder and Former COO, Shares Lessons for STR Founders
Cliff Johnson is the former Co-Founder of Vacasa, one of the largest short-term rental management companies in the United States, and now serves as President of PadSplit, a fast-growing affordable housing marketplace. His journey from startup f...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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49:05
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006: Can Revenue and Operations Work as One? Breezeway & PriceLabs CEOs Redefine STR Technology
Two systems drive every property management company: revenue and operations. For years, they’ve worked in silos. But what happens when they finally connect?In this episode, Simon Lehmann brings together Jeremy Gall, Founder and CEO at Br...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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54:21
005: Behind the Scenes of Guesty’s Rise to Global PMS Powerhouse with Amiad Soto, Co-founder & CEO
Amiad Soto is the co-founder and CEO of Guesty, one of the most recognized property management software platforms in the short-term rental industry. His journey started in Tel Aviv, where he and his brother Koby launched the company more than a...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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51:43
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004: Inside the OTA Playbook: Carl Shepherd on HomeAway, Airbnb Fees & Booking’s Rise to Power
Carl Shepherd is the Co-Founder of HomeAway, the marketplace that helped define the modern short-term rental industry. Before Airbnb became a household name, Carl and his co-founder Brian Sharples built HomeAway into a global platform that chan...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:01:50
003: Why Has Nobody Built a Truly Global STR Operator? Inside the Real Challenges of Scale with Forge Group, Casago, and MadeComfy
Every major player in short-term rentals has chased the idea of building a truly global operator. None have cracked it.In this panel, Simon Lehmann brings together three leaders shaping the next phase of professionalization: Graham Donog...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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56:44
002: How Brian Egan Built Evolve Into a Profitable Short-Term Rental Business & What’s Next for Vacation Rentals
Brian Egan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Evolve, a Denver-based hospitality company with a mission to become the most trusted brand in vacation rental. Since launching Evolve in 2011 alongside Adam Sherry, Brian has grown the company to support ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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57:25
001: 6 Hot Takes on the Future and Growing Pains of Short-Term Rentals with Simon Lehmann
“Short-term rental is mainstream hospitality. It makes up 14% of global hospitality. And mainstream industries must operate by a different set of rules.” — Simon LehmannThe short-term rental industry is at a...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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16:00
STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann | Official Podcast Trailer
STR Global Unlocked is the podcast built to say what others won’t. Hosted by Simon Lehmann, one of the most trusted voices in the global STR space, every episode takes on the hard questions shaping property management, STR tech, invest...
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Season 1
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