Heads In Beds Show

Hosted by Conrad O'Connell

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Episodes

214

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

The Heads In Beds Show is your vacation rental & accommodations marketing podcast co-hosted by Conrad O'Connell and Paul Manzey. Learn how to double your direct bookings with search, social & email marketing strategies and tactics.

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60 recent

November 4, 2026Episode 21535 min

Airbnb And Vrbo Are Changing Their Rules. What Else Is New?

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk all things about Airbnb and Vrbo policy changes, rising OTA fees, guest expectations, checkout rules, rental agreements, direct bookings, the challenges of professional vacation rental management, taking back control of your business, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing, 2nd Edition, lands January 13, 2027: get the bonuses early Conrad's monthly newsletter for vacation rental managers Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing (1st edition) Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a marketing agency for vacation rental managers. We build the two engines that grow a rental company: guest demand that books direct, and owner supply that signs more homes.

October 28, 2026Episode 21431 min

Two UGC Platforms You're Probably Ignoring (Reddit and Facebook Groups)

In this episode, Conrad and Paul explore how vacation rental managers can make better use of Reddit and Facebook Groups, from researching guest questions and sharing local expertise to improving search visibility, growing their communities, attracting homeowners, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing, 2nd Edition, lands January 13, 2027: get the bonuses early Conrad's monthly newsletter for vacation rental managers Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing (1st edition) Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 📚 Sources & Further Reading Sistrix: Reddit Domain Analysis Peec AI: Most Cited Domains in AI Search Munich Startup: Reddit and AI Search Citations 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a marketing agency for vacation rental managers. We build the two engines that grow a rental company: guest demand that books direct, and owner supply that signs more homes.

October 21, 2026Episode 21333 min

When Is Is The "Right Time" To Turn Off Your Ads?

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk about all things smarter advertising budgets, booking seasonality, return on ad spend, Google Ads, Meta retargeting, creative testing, diminishing returns, conversion tracking, customer acquisition costs, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

October 14, 2026Episode 21224 min

Where Are We In The Innovation Adoption Curve For AI And Vacation Rentals?

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk about all things AI adoption, AI travel agents, the future of travel planning, changing guest booking behavior, AI search visibility, direct bookings, the future of OTAs, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

October 7, 2026Episode 21137 min

Meta Ads vs Google Ads: When To Use Both For Your Vacation Rental Business

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk about all things Google vs. Meta ads, capturing vs. creating demand, splitting your ad budget, adjusting spend based on seasonality, non-brand search, shoulder season marketing, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

October 7, 2026Episode 21052 min

Airbnb's New "Direct Booking" Link Isn't Direct Booking (Plus What Actually Drives Airbnb Bookings)

In this episode, Jeff Brown of IntelliHost and Conrad O’Connell talk all things Airbnb optimization, impressions and clicks, listing conversion, ranking factors, Airbnb myths, direct bookings, Google vs. Meta ads, email and SMS marketing, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Jeff Brown Intellihost Youtube Video Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

September 30, 2026Episode 20940 min

Lifecycle Of Homeowner Marketing That Works

In this episode, Conrad and Paul cover homeowner acquisition, building better owner prospect lists, personalized outreach, AI-generated marketing, direct mail, getting homeowners to opt in, building brand credibility, improving your sales and follow-up process, and more! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

September 23, 2026Episode 20837 min

Your Cheapest Homeowner Lead Is Your Most Expensive Mistake

In this episode, Paul and Conrad talk about all things homeowner lead generation, why cost per lead can be misleading, qualifying the right property owners, paid social targeting, homeowner lead forms, tracking cost per signed contract, improving your owner acquisition strategy, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

September 16, 2026Episode 20734 min

Google's Ch-Ch-Changes Across Vacation Rental Search, Agents & More!

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk all things Google, the future of Google Vacation Rentals, AI-powered travel booking, how AI agents could change the guest booking journey, Google AI Mode, what WebMCP could mean for vacation rental websites, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 WebMCP Muse AI Article Link 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.

September 9, 2026Episode 20634 min

The Direct Booking Ceiling: When Ranking #1 Isn't Enough

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk about all things vacation rental marketing, the changing value of ranking #1 on Google, the limits of SEO and paid search, creating demand through social media, building a multi-channel marketing strategy, why every market and property requires a different approach, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Paul Manzey Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 LinkedIn Post 🔗 Connect With BuildUp Bookings Website Book A Call With Us 🚀 About BuildUp Bookings BuildUp Bookings is a team of creative, problem solvers made to drive you more traffic, direct bookings and results for your accommodations brand. Reach out to us for help on search, social and email marketing for your vacation rental brand.