No guest. No agenda. Just Matt and Austin sitting down and saying what is actually on their minds about the state of the short-term rental industry right now.

Episode 121 is one of those rare solo episodes where the Co-Host Bros skip the interview format and just have a real conversation. And with everything happening in the STR space right now, there is a lot to unpack. From the Airbnb chores controversy blowing up everywhere to VRBO quietly raising their fees, from AI tools being oversold to the growing pile of software subscriptions that may be costing you more than they are worth, Matt and Austin hold nothing back.

Here is what they get into:

– Why the Airbnb no-chores policy is more complicated than the media is making it sound and what the real liability concern is that nobody is talking about

– Why Matt thinks Airbnb is going to keep pushing host restrictions regardless of the backlash and what that means for your business long term

– Why VRBO has not updated their platform in what feels like 47 years and why that matters for operators who rely on it

– The Amex Platinum and Airbnb partnership coming in 2026 and what it signals about where Airbnb is trying to position itself

– Why Matt is pumping the brakes on adding any new tech right now and only interested in cutting costs and removing subscriptions

– How Matt reverse-engineered a software solution using AI for a fraction of what he was paying in subscription fees and why that mindset is the right one for most operators

– Why leveraging AI where you are weak instead of solving problems that do not matter is the key distinction between operators who win with AI and those who just stay busy

– Why the STR tech space is too crowded, too noisy, and too consolidation-heavy right now to be making big new software commitments.

Matt also announces a Houston STR meetup on November 14th 2026 at Carbox. If you are in the Houston area reach out to Matt on Facebook or DM the podcast to get the details. Austin is not going but will absolutely have FOMO.

Be a bro and share the show. And if you want to be a sis, that is cool too!

👥 Follow The Show

The Co-Host Bros Podcast

Instagram: @CoHostBros

Facebook: @CoHostBros

YouTube: @CoHostBros

TikTok: @cohost.bros

⸻

Follow the Hosts

Matt Codd

Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @Matt Codd.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger

Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

What if you could flip the majority of your bookings away from Airbnb and VRBO and own that relationship directly? Chris Walker did not just talk about it. He built the tools to make it happen and took his own portfolio from 23% direct to 72% direct this year. Matt and Austin sit down with Chris Walker, CEO and co-founder of Direct Booking Tools, owner of Luxury Rentals of Hilton Head, and one of the most battle-tested operators in the vacation rental industry, for a conversation packed with strategies you can start using immediately.

Chris came up the hard way. Johnson and Wales culinary school, 15 years in hospitality serving presidents of the United States, pivoting to real estate in 2003, launching a vacation rental company on Hilton Head Island in 2007, and building from the ground up over nearly two decades. After getting tired of being at the mercy of OTA rule changes and fee structures, he and his CTO partner Josh built a real-time price comparison tool that lives directly on your website, showing guests exactly how much they save by booking direct. The result has helped over 220 vacation rental companies increase direct bookings, with a 97% client retention rate and an average 4-month ROI.

Here is what you will learn:

– Why most operators think direct bookings require a massive expensive lift and why Chris says that is completely wrong

– How a real-time price comparison widget on your website changes the entire guest decision-making process and why showing the savings is the missing piece most operators never address

– How Chris went from 23% to 72% direct bookings and what specific steps drove that shift, why travel insurance is one of the most overlooked revenue streams in the STR industry and how Chris is converting 18 to 20% of his guests compared to the industry average of 8 to 10%

– How to structure a resort fee bundle that includes damage protection, car passes, and ancillary services in a way that guests actually appreciate

– What Vacay Gear is and how offering a $250 beach gear credit per booking moves the conversion lever at the point of decision, why the VRMA conference is evolving and what Chris thinks needs to change to bring more cohesion back to the industry

– Why building your direct brand now is the only long term play that actually protects your business from OTA dependency.

Chris also shares his take on the current state of the STR industry, what operators at every size can do to take back control of their bookings, and why he is passionate about helping the whole industry win, not just his own company.

Find Chris at directbookingtools.com and follow him on all social media at Chris Walker. Do not miss this one; be a bro and share the show!

👥 Follow The Show

The Co-Host Bros Podcast

Instagram: @cohostbros

Facebook: @cohostbros

YouTube: @cohostbros

TikTok: @cohost.bros

⸻

Follow the Hosts

Matt Codd

Instagram: @creativecodds

TikTok: @creativecodds

Facebook: @matt.codd.3

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger

Instagram: @austin_spitzz

TikTok: @austin_spitzz

Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/

Michael Dinwiddie is back and a lot has changed in the year since his first appearance on the show. A new baby, a burned software company, and a brand new product that might be the most practical operations tool built specifically for vacation rental managers. Matt and Austin welcome back the founder and CEO of RentalMind for a deep dive into the operating system he built to give STR operators their lives back.

Michael manages 27 properties in Washington State through his company Togethere Vacation Rentals, and built RentalMind out of his own pain of trying to run a growing portfolio without a centralized system. The result is an AI-powered operations platform that combines your knowledge base, SOPs, tasks, projects, and property data into one place, and even imports your messy Google Drive and Notion exports and organizes them automatically in under a day.

Here is what you will learn:

Why getting your operations out of your head and into a system is the single highest leverage move you can make in your STR business, how RentalMind’s AI import feature can take your disorganized Google Drive and get 80% of your system built in less than one day, why Michael set a hard rule to never work after 5 PM or on weekends and how RentalMind made that possible, what Macaw is and how it functions as an AI that your team asks questions to instead of texting you at 11 PM, why pricing per property instead of per user is a game changer for growing property management teams, at what stage Michael recommends operators get started (hint: property three is the tipping point), and how to go from zero to a fully functional operations system in 60 to 90 days.

Matt also gives a behind-the-scenes update on how Claude Code is now editing the podcast, creating reels, and writing descriptions automatically, which is kind of meta given the guest.

Watch the 15-minute demo and start your free trial at rentalmind.ai/demo. Find Michael on LinkedIn and follow along on Instagram at @rentalmind.ai.

👥 Follow The Show

The Co-Host Bros Podcast Instagram: @cohostbros Facebook: @cohostbros YouTube: @cohostbros TikTok: @cohost.bros

⸻

Follow the Hosts

Matt Codd Instagram: @creativecodds TikTok: @creativecodds Facebook: @matt.codd.3 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-codd-9a3761375/

Austin Spitzenberger Instagram: @austin_spitzz TikTok: @austin_spitzz Facebook: @austin.spitzenberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spitzenberger-70481111b/