STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry
The short-term rental industry is evolving fast, and Simon Lehmann isn’t afraid to say what others won’t.
STR Global Unlocked is where property managers, STR tech founders, vacation rental investors, and hospitality leaders get real about the business. Each episode breaks down what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s coming next: property management operations, direct bookings, vacation rental software, pricing strategies, mergers and acquisitions in real estate, professional host challenges, and the future of automation, AI, and tech stacks.
Hosted by Simon Lehmann, CEO of AJL Atelier and one of the most trusted voices in the global STR space, the show delivers unfiltered conversations with the people shaping the industry. Simon has decades of experience in vacation rentals, travel tech, and hospitality, including leadership roles at Vacasa Europe, PhocusWright and HomeAway.
If you’re scaling a property management company, building short-term rental technology, investing in vacation rentals, or entering this fast-moving market, this podcast is your seat at the table.
STR Global Unlocked with Simon Lehmann: Unfiltered knowledge for the short term rental industry
004: Inside the OTA Playbook: Carl Shepherd on HomeAway, Airbnb Fees & Booking’s Rise to Power
Carl Shepherd is the Co-Founder of HomeAway, the marketplace that helped define the modern short-term rental industry. Before Airbnb became a household name, Carl and his co-founder Brian Sharples built HomeAway into a global platform that changed how people rent and manage vacation homes. The company went public in 2011 and was later acquired by Expedia for $3.9 billion.
If you want to understand how today’s OTA landscape was built, and where it’s breaking, this episode is essential listening. Carl shares how HomeAway scaled through acquisitions, why the industry lost its uniqueness, and what professional property managers must do to stay relevant in a platform-dominated market.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- How Carl and Brian turned an information business into a $3.9B global marketplace
- Why HomeAway’s original model changed the future of short-term rentals
- What Expedia got wrong after acquiring HomeAway and how it reshaped the OTA model
- Carl’s view on Airbnb’s fee structure shift and its long-term effects on hosts and managers
- Why professional property management must evolve toward a franchise model
- What tech-enabled PMs often misunderstand about software, service, and brand consistency
- Why the next phase of STR growth depends on quality control and trust
Explore more:
- Connect with Carl Shepherd on LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/carl-shepherd-1152924/].
Resources
- AJL Atelier – Global STR Consulting [https://www.ajlatelier.com]. Led by our host Simon Lehmann, AJL Atelier is a boutique advisory firm helping professional hosts, property managers, and investors succeed in the short-term rental industry.
- Connect with Simon Lehmann on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lehmann-8375753b/]
Stay connected:
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/str-global-unlocked-with-simon-lehmann-unfiltered/id1842946960
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kke4wOx0tNv0duq9MMWtO
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVkmUOkmhSHcFjzi28AhaQNR98vaG65O
- Website: https://www.ajlatelier.com/podcasts
- Newsletter: https://str-global-unlocked.beehiiv.com/