If you want to know where the STR industry is headed, talk to someone who was doing revenue management before Airbnb and VRBO even existed. Matt and Austin sit down with Michelle Marquis, founder of The Marquis Effect and co-founder of ShortCuts4STR, for a wide ranging conversation with one of the most seasoned and respected voices in the vacation rental technology space.

Michelle started her career as a hotelier doing revenue management manually, tracking pace in Excel spreadsheets before dynamic pricing tools were even a thought. She spent 12 years on the property management side before transitioning to the technology world, first at Navis (now Revinate) where she helped pioneer CRM and direct booking strategies, then at TravelNet Solutions where her leadership helped drive two massive exits, including a north of $250 million acquisition. Today she serves as a fractional CRO and CMO for STR operators and technology companies through The Marquis Effect, and sits on the board of BookingPal.

Here is what you will learn:

Why most STR operators are leaving serious money on the table by ignoring ancillary revenue streams and what to do about it, how distribution strategy has evolved from manual Expedia conversations to AI powered channel management and why most operators still are not using it correctly, what a fractional CRO actually does inside your business versus what a consultant does, why your KPIs need to go beyond occupancy and ADR if you want to truly understand the health of your business, how companies like Abode are generating over $2 million a year in ancillary revenue and what you can learn from that model, why Amazon affiliate links, referral commissions, and upsell services are some of the easiest and most overlooked revenue opportunities for any STR operator, and what the single biggest mindset shift is that separates operators who build real businesses from those who stay stuck.

Michelle also shares her thoughts on AI adoption in the STR space, why operators who are overwhelmed by new tools need a simpler framework for deciding where to start, and why it is time to get serious about running your STR like the business it actually is.

Find Michelle on LinkedIn and at themarquiseffect.com. You can also follow her work with ShortCuts4STR at shortcuts4str.com.

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