The STR Growth Show

Hosted by Patryk Swietek

Business InvestingInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn YouTube

Episodes

116

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

The STR Growth Show is a podcast for short-term rental operators who want to scale their business. Hosted by Patryk Swietek, founder of The Cohost Company, which manages 150+ properties in the Joshua Tree market and has been featured on Netflix, Dwell, The New York Times, Condé Nast, and Architectural Digest. Patryk interviews industry experts in our space with the focus of sharing real actionable insights on growth, operations, branding, and scaling in the evolving short-term rental industry.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 4, 2026Episode 11644 min

116. What Luxury Homeowners Actually Want From Their Property Manager

Lucas Piper went from earning $30,000 a year as a social worker to building Five Star VHR, a luxury short-term rental management company with roughly 70 properties in Austin generating about $9M in booked revenue. In this episode, Lucas shares how he started by renting out his own home, scaled through rental arbitrage, survived COVID and partnership mistakes, and eventually went all-in on property management. We break down how he used Facebook groups, meetups, networking, and free education to build a reputation that helped him win luxury management contracts and grow through referrals. Lucas also shares his approach to owner retention, competing on value instead of fees, building strong local teams, and fixing financial and bookkeeping challenges. Finally, we discuss what’s next for Five Star VHR, including mergers and partnerships, growing to 85–100 high-quality properties, and using AI to improve the guest experience. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Lucas Piper on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fivestarvhr/

August 18, 2026Episode 11536 min

115. They Bought the STR Property Management Business Private Equity Passed On

I sit down with Cameron and Jeremy to break down how they acquired a 46-year-old Lake Tahoe property management company, growing from 10–15 homes to nearly 140 in a single deal.We discuss how they built their partnership, navigated messy financials and non-assignable contracts, used a Quality of Earnings professional, and valued the business based on its management contracts rather than traditional EBITDA.We also dive into what happened after closing from improving revenue management and listings to automating guest communication, rebuilding maintenance workflows, hiring key team members, and implementing EOS.Cameron and Jeremy share the realities of acquiring a legacy STR management company and their plan to strengthen operations, regain Superhost status, and scale toward $30 million in annual gross bookings. Connect with me....YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/Connect with Jeremy & Cameron:Cameron on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameron.masters_/Cameron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronemasters/Jeremy's email: jeremy@tahoeaccommodations.com

August 10, 2026Episode 11452 min

114. Used AI to Build A Replacement for Turno & Breezeway

How do you scale a short-term rental management company without becoming another bloated, generic property manager?In this episode of The STR Growth Show, Alex Bykov shares how he and his wife, Natalie, grew their Lake Arrowhead short-term rental management business from just 5 properties to 37 units, with 50 in their sights.Alex breaks down how they’ve carved out a middle ground between self-management and the large national property management companies by going deep on what matters locally: operations, reliable vendors, guest experience, regulations, and technology.But where things get especially interesting is how Alex is using AI and custom-built software to run the business more efficiently.With a background in web development, Alex started using Claude AI, APIs, MCP integrations, and automation to build internal tools specifically around the problems his property management company faces.If you run a short-term rental management company, this episode is a practical look at where the industry is heading: smaller teams using AI, automation, and custom technology to operate like much larger companies. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Alex Bykov on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bykovalex/

June 29, 2026Episode 11349 min

113. How AI Search Will Drive More Direct Bookings

AI search is changing how guests find places to stay and most STR operators aren't ready for it. We sit down with Jason Cincotta, CEO of Kismet, to break down how tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews are reshaping guest discovery. Jason brings a hotel development background to the conversation and explains why Kismet is now building infrastructure for short-term rentals, starting with the three things AI needs to recommend and book a property: visibility, operability, and bookability. We run a live search for boutique hotels in Sarasota to see exactly how AI ranks results, and what it's actually pulling from ratings, reviews, location data, and structured property content. The gap between operators who show up and those who don't comes down to whether their properties are machine-readable. If you're relying on OTAs to handle discovery, this episode is a wake-up call. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Jason Cincotta via email jason@kismet.travel or kismet.travel to book a demo.

June 17, 2026Episode 10835 min

112. The World Cup Demand Surge: Myth vs. Reality

I sat down with James Varley, CEO of Host Planet, to break down STR education and how to actually make money hosting around mega-events like the World Cup. James spent nearly 10 years in corporate communications for Qatar's 2022 World Cup before buying UK holiday lets and noticing a massive gap in quality STR education. That gap became Host Planet. We dig into the real demand picture: pricing comes in waves, depends on which teams play in your market, and concentrates in the group stage. Stay nimble, manage your minimum stays, and ditch the "riches all month" fantasy. Plus, what Host Planet has coming next, including a potential US expansion. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with James Varley on: Email: james@hostplanet.club LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdsvarley/ Website: hostplanet.club

June 13, 2026Episode 1091 hr 3 min

111. The Revenue Expert Behind the World’s Largest STR Company Shares His Pricing Philosophy

Dr. Zak Ali joins the show to break down what modern revenue management really looks like in the short-term rental industry and why it's far more than just setting prices in software. With over 20 years of experience across airlines, hotels, vacation rentals, and hospitality technology, Dr. Zak shares lessons from leading revenue management for 110,000+ units at Awaze and consulting with operators around the world. We dive into the metrics that actually matter, how to price unique properties, why most operators focus on the wrong data, and how AI is changing (but not replacing) revenue management. If you're a property manager, vacation rental operator, or hospitality professional looking to increase revenue, improve forecasting, and stay ahead of market trends, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Dr. Zak on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/zak-a-056b2714/

May 30, 2026Episode 11039 min

110. 5 to 40 STR Units: Here's What Actually Changes

In this episode, we sit down with Mariam of Lume Stays and Natalie Bykov of The Orange Cabins, two powerhouse co-hosts and full-time moms who built thriving short-term rental businesses from the ground up. They share what it actually took to scale from a few properties with no software to 40 units and beyond.We get into the real operational stuff: when to hire your first VA, how to structure shifts, what a boots-on-the-ground person actually does, and how to know when your ops manager is maxed out. Mariam breaks down her referral incentive strategy with vendors and how dominating Desert Hot Springs gave her a natural path into Palm Springs. Natalie shares how a single viral video drove millions of views and turned social media into her biggest lead source. At the same time, she and her husband Alex, run active outbound sales calls to grow their Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear portfolio.We also talk about working with spouses, letting go of guest messaging, and why they both believe hospitality still needs a human touch. Connect with me....YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Mariam & Natalie on:Mariam: https://www.instagram.com/mariam.av_/Natalie: https://www.instagram.com/nataliebykov/Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/confessionsofahost/

May 5, 2026Episode 10942 min

109. The Challenges Of Growing to 100 Units

Chris Petzy, co-owner and CEO of Seacoast 2 Summit Vacation Rentals, discusses scaling from a self-managed two-family property to 120+ short-term rentals through inbound leads, referrals, and operational discipline. In this episode, we cover how Chris and his partner divide responsibilities between sales, marketing, and operations, what changes as you grow from operator to CEO, and why scaling a vacation rental management company is really about people, roles, systems, and quality control. You’ll also hear how Chris thinks about direct bookings, AI tools, CRM systems, homeowner communication, maintenance workflows, VAs vs. stateside staff, and building the leadership structure needed to grow without sacrificing service or family time. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Chris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispetzy/

April 17, 2026Episode 10837 min

108. High-Touch Hospitality in Luxury Homes In Cabo

In this episode, we sit down with Mishan Andre of Cabo Platinum to break down how luxury short-term rentals can actually compete with hotels. Managing an 85-villa portfolio in Cabo, he shares the systems, service standards, and operational discipline behind high-end STRs. You’ll learn how they scaled from VRBO into a premium brand, how they protect $10M+ homes with detailed inspections, and why human service still beats AI in luxury hospitality. If you’re building or scaling a high-end STR business, this episode is for you. Connect with me.... YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with Mishan Andre at caboplatinum.com

April 3, 2026Episode 10741 min

107. How AI Is Transforming Vacation Rental Operations

JJ King, founder of Beachside Vacation Rentals, joins the show to share how he scaled to 300 units in three years and how he’s using AI in real STR operations. We break down where AI actually works (guest messaging, SOPs, internal tools) and where it can hurt like fully automated messaging leading to worse guest experiences and team disengagement. JJ also shares lessons from over-automation mistakes, the rise of AI agents like Claude tools, and how to implement AI without overcomplicating your stack. Connect with me.... Podcast: YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@patrykswietek Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/patryk_swietek/ Facebook Group: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/strnation/ Connect with JJ King on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjking321/