ARTICLES

Articles

Insights on vacation rentals, interior design, and Tokyo.

BUSINESSJune 15, 202614 min read

"Minpaku" and Airbnb are not the same thing — why we run our Airbnbs the way Airbnb was meant to be

In Japan, "minpaku" has come to mean "a cheap hotel inside a house." But what Airbnb originally set out to be was something quite different. Once you see the difference clearly, the whole blueprint of your operation changes.

BUSINESSMay 2, 202615 min read

Series Recap: Vacation rentals are a "business" — foundations summary

People come into vacation rentals from many different starting points. They wanted to use a spare property, started it a...

BUSINESSApr 25, 202628 min read

Bonus: What language do you use with guests? — We don't have the answer yet

Last time we talked about the direction of guest communication, looking at Airbnb-style hospitality through the 5 hospit...

BUSINESSApr 18, 202625 min read

Part 6: Where is your property aiming? — Airbnb hospitality through the 5 hospitality types of accommodation

Last time we covered cleaning, and the idea that "hotel-standard cleanliness isn't necessarily the right answer for vaca...

BUSINESSApr 11, 202618 min read

Part 5: Redesigning vacation rental cleaning — rising rates and the cleanliness you actually need

Last time we mapped the three-party profit structure of vacation rental operations. Notably, for cleaning vendors, "more...

BUSINESSApr 4, 202614 min read

Part 4: The real reason your revenue stalls — the three-party profit structure of vacation rental operations

Last time we covered Length of Stay (LOS): build a stable revenue base on long stays and don't miss the short bookings b...

BUSINESSMar 28, 202618 min read

Part 3: Using "average length of stay" a little more carefully — an LOS primer for vacation rental and short-term operators

Last time we covered ADR (Average Daily Rate). This time we look at the metric to know alongside ADR: **Average Length o...

BUSINESSMar 21, 202622 min read

Part 2: Is "lowering prices brings in worse guests" really true? Shifting markets and the right way to think about ADR

"We're listing at the same prices as last year, but bookings just aren't coming in. And we don't even know what to ad...

BUSINESSMar 14, 202617 min read

Part 1: Is your vacation rental's profit margin really okay? A clear guide to GOP, the hotel industry's essential metric

"Our Airbnb revenue is JPY 500,000 a month. Even after fees, we should be comfortably in the black… and yet, somehow,...