Differentiating Your Vacation Rental Business in a Crowded Market with Meredith Rumsey of Vacation Rental Co

12/10/24 • 20 min

Join Lynell Gordon as she is joined by Meredith Rumsey, Director of Operations And Business Development at Vacation Rental Co. Together they explore:

Meredith’s career path
Launching a mid-term rental business
A unique mid-term rental model
The challenges of transitioning from employee to business owner
Building strong relationships with property owners and guests
Practical advice for aspiring property managers
Finding a niche in a competitive market

Meredith Rumsey is Director of Operations And Business Development at Vacation Rental Co, a partnership comprising a well-established housekeeping company, a certified public accountant, and a veteran of the hospitality industry. VRC does standard short-term vacation rentals as well as 30+ night rentals, and provides stress-free and comprehensive all-in-house property management. Before working at VRC, Meredith was Director of Strategy and Business Development at Mountain Vacation Lodging. This episode is sponsored by LiveRez.Episode Highlights [01:02] Traditionally, short-term rentals have been Vacation Rental Co’s “bread and butter”, according to Meredith. However, since zoning restrictions are limiting where short-term rentals can operate, VRC are now shifting to mid-term rentals. Meredith explains that mid-term rentals are those that last for thirty nights or more. This model benefits people who bought homes that are now restricted from renting them out on a short-term basis due to the new zoning laws. Meredith outlines how this approach kills two birds with one stone: by offering mid-term rentals, they provide solutions for these homeowners while meeting a growing demand from renters who want longer stays. [12:20] Meredith discusses the issues faced by a small business, as opposed to a large one. As the main point of contact for her vacation rental business, she has to juggle responsibilities, from answering emails and managing listings on online travel agencies (OTAs), to handling legal contracts. Meredith describes the challenges of balancing the budget between growth and infrastructure. In short, how much to invest in marketing to grow the business vs. how to strengthen operations? Finding the right balance is especially difficult for a smaller operation, especially when funds are tight. [18:28] Meredith highlights the importance of carving out a niche in the property management industry. Since the market is saturated with property managers delivering similar services, Vacation Rental Co specialized within a smaller market: the mid-term rental space. Meredith notes how although Vacation Rental Co are relatively small, being the only business focused on this area gives them a larger market share. She recommends differentiation, using the examples of adopting a travel agent-like approach or partnering with a local business. It’s crucial to find ways to stand out. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to:

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Episode Resources:
👉 Google - https://bit.ly/gp-how-we-grow
👉 Apple - https://apple.co/3lYc2gU
👉 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3InYanV
👉 bCast - https://bit.ly/hwg-podcast
👉 iheartradio - https://ihr.fm/3Z8qqlg
👉 RSS - https://bit.ly/how-we-grow-rss
The Vacation Rental Show is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Lisa Stinnett of Inhabit, and many more.
Check out the three most downloaded episodes:

Are you a vacation rental industry leader looking to share your expertise? We're seeking innovative voices to join our conversation about growing and scaling vacation rental businesses.
Th...

Join Lynell Gordon as she is joined by Meredith Rumsey, Director of Operations And Business Development at Vacation Rental Co. Together they explore:

Meredith’s career path
Launching a mid-term rental business
A unique mid-term rental model
The challenges of transitioning from employee to business owner
Building strong relationships with property owners and guests
Practical advice for aspiring property managers
Finding a niche in a competitive market

Subscribe, rate, and review
Share this episode

Are you a vacation rental industry leader looking to share your expertise? We're seeking innovative voices to join our conversation about growing and scaling vacation rental businesses.
Th...

Previous Episode

Data-Driven Decisions in Vacation Rental Management with JJ King of Beachside VR

In this episode of The Vacation Rental Show: How We Grow, host Lynell Gordon is joined by JJ King, the co-founder of Beachside VR. Together they explore:

Enhance guest experiences and streamlining operations with new technology
Authentic communication
Effective reputation management
Building a strong online presence
Collecting and analyzing data to make decisions about property management and maintenance

JJ King is the co-Founder of Beachside VR, a locally owned and operated vacation rental management company headquartered in downtown Cocoa Beach, Florida. Beachside VR offers investors end-to-end service, from marketing properties and managing the rentals, to coordinating year-round preventative and responsive maintenance. JJ is also a Member of the Board of Directors at the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA), and on the Board of Advisors at NowBoarding.
This episode is sponsored by Streamline.
Episode Highlights: [08:51] JJ says that the first step in Beachside VR’s reputation management process is a checkout survey done on the Suiteop app. Once a guest has finished their stay, they are asked to rate their experience between one and five stars. JJ outlines how if a guest rates five stars, they are directed to Google to leave a review, whereas for anything less than five, the entire customer service team receives an internal Slack notification that prompts them to contact the guest. JJ says that this proactive approach allows the team to “catch something before it goes public”. The key here is to make the guest feel heard. [15:33] Discussing the technologies that people start with to help save time and to manage reputation, JJ recommends Zapier (though notes that this depends on what their software can integrate with). Zapier’s "if-then" structure allows for easy automation. For instance, JJ highlights how Zapier can set a trigger where receiving an email automatically sends a Slack notification. This program’s capabilities mean it is possible to quickly improve efficiency across a range of processes. [24:59] JJ looks forward to the possibilities offered by AI messaging, with a particular focus on guest messaging. Although this tool currently lacks the authenticity required to be rolled out to Beachside VR’s customers, in the future JJ believes more and more rental businesses will communicate using AI. Indeed, he highlights a number of operators that already fully automate all their messages to customers. JJ stresses that in the hospitality business, the key is to blend efficiency with personal touch. He adds that he’s “worried about losing that personal touch in the hospitality space”, so anticipates some brands differentiating themselves by emphasizing human interaction, perhaps even branding themselves AI-free to attract guests who value personal engagement. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to:

Subscribe, rate, and review
Share this episode

Episode Resources:
👉 Google - https://bit.ly/gp-how-we-grow
👉 Apple - https://apple.co/3lYc2gU
👉 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3InYanV
👉 bCast - https://bit.ly/hwg-podcast
👉 iheartradio - https://ihr.fm/3Z8qqlg
👉 RSS - https://bit.ly/how-we-grow-rssThe Vacation Rental Show is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Lisa Stinnett of Inhabit, and many more.
Check out the three most downloaded episodes:

Are you a vacation rental industry leader looking to share your expertise? We're seeking innovative voices to join our conversation about growing and scaling vacation rental businesses.
The Vacation Rental Show reaches thousands o...

Next Episode

Transforming Guest Experience Through AI in Vacation Rentals with Chad Elmore of Inhabit & Justin Dahl of Streamline

Join Lynell Gordon as she is joined by Chad Elmore, VP of Digital Marketing Services at Inhabit, and Justin Dahl, Director of Product at Streamline.Together they explore:

Emerging digital marketing trends for 2025
The impact of AI on guest communication and booking processes
Innovative tools for property description generation
The importance of maintaining personal touch while leveraging automation
Strategies for implementing AI solutions in vacation rental operations

Chad Elmore is VP of Digital Marketing Services at Inhabit® Vacation Division, where he leads a team of expert creators, strategists, and developers who empower the vacation industry with innovative software solutions. His experience spans digital strategies for brands of all sizes, from large national campaigns to hyperlocal niche focus markets.
Justin Dahl is entering his 14th year with Streamline, now serving in a new role on the product team. With years of experience in support and operations, Justin brings deep insights into property manager needs and vendor relationships, focusing on innovation and technological advancement.
This episode is sponsored by Streamline.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to: