Heads In Beds Show

Hosted by Conrad O'Connell

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Episodes

212

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

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.

September 2, 2026Episode 20546 min

Beyond E-commerce: How BuildUp Bookings Uses Mailchimp To Drive Direct Bookings

In this episode, Conrad O’Connell sits down with William Howard from Mailchimp to share how vacation rental managers can use email marketing to turn past guests and prospects into future bookings. We talk list building, segmentation, automations, abandoned booking campaigns, win-back strategies, email performance, and a lot MORE! Enjoy! ⭐️ Links & Show Notes Conrad O'Connell Conrad's Book: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing Conrad's Course: Mastering Vacation Rental Marketing 101 William Howard Mailchimp Webinar YouTube 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.

August 26, 2026Episode 20437 min

Build Your Growth Engines For Homeowner And Guest Marketing Success

In this episode, Conrad and Paul break down when your vacation rental business is actually ready for different marketing channels and why jumping into more ads, SEO, email, or direct mail isn’t always the answer. They walk through the before, during, and after of both guest and homeowner marketing, from finding your niche and crafting the right message to converting leads, delivering a great experience, driving referrals, tracking the right KPIs, 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.

August 19, 2026Episode 20344 min

Seeing Through the Marketing BS

In this episode, Conrad and Paul talk all things marketing metrics, misleading agency reports, inflated ROAS, broken conversion tracking, brand vs. non-brand performance, the numbers vacation rental managers should actually trust, building your own marketing scoreboard, 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.