Mike Bayer:

Welcome back to the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, and the final episode of SSTIR Crazy Month 2025. Can you believe it? We've made it through five weeks of insights, challenges, and game-changing lessons.

From trust to safety, insurance, regulations, and sustainability, StayWise Rentals has faced it all. And just like you, they've grown, adapted, and come out stronger. But before we dive into today's episode, I want to give a huge shout-out to Guesty, our top sponsor for SSTIR Crazy Month, and the Vacation Rental Success Podcast. Guesty is a game-changing property management system, or PMS, giving hosts and managers the tools that they need to streamline operations, optimize bookings, and scale their business with confidence. And if you're serious about managing your short-term rentals at the highest level, Guesty is the platform that makes it all possible. Check out the link in the description of this episode for a code to get 50% off your first year with Guesty. And don't stress about the PMS switch. Guesty will handle all of that by working with you to make the transition seamless. 

Now, to wrap up this incredible journey, I'm handing things over to Heather Bayer, who will guide us through this final chapter of StayWise Rentals transformation.

Let's get started.

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Heather Bayer:

So I'm super delighted to have with me today, Bob Garner from EnviroRental, who's coming along to help StayWise Rentals to deal with their sustainability issues. And we'll talk about this a bit in a sec, Bob, about this word sustainability, because I know it's something that frightens a lot of people off and then we should perhaps be using something different. But first of all, I'm just excited and delighted to have you with me to share your knowledge in this great Sustainability Week.

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Bob Garner:

My pleasure. I love talking about this topic, as you know, so yeah, my pleasure to be here.

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Heather Bayer: 

Well, we've called it Sustainability Week. Could we have done something better? Could we have called it something else? Because I hear from quite a few people that sustainability is this big overarching thing that gets some bad press.

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah, I think it's one of those subjects that people don't fully understand and it scares them and they sort of keep away from it. Maybe it should be responsible travel, you know, would be another way of dealing with it. Because also, I think with sustainability, I always say it covers more than just being eco-friendly and combating climate change. It's also about doing the right thing for your community as well.

And so it does go wider than just climate change and taking action. So responsible travel is also another good way of describing it, I think.

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Heather Bayer: 

I like that one. And we've talked about this before in previous episodes, and I will make sure that anybody listening to this episode has access to all the previous episodes that I've done with Bob and a link to his website, EnviroRental, which is a really great resource for anybody thinking about this seriously, which I hope after this conversation that you're going to think about taking this a little bit more seriously. 

So in this week of SSTIR Crazy Month, we are talking about environmental issues and how these are impacting our fictional property management company, StayWise Rentals. And I was just mentioning to Bob as we were chatting before we started the interview that if any property management company is experiencing what StayWise has experienced for the last few weeks and what it's experiencing now, you probably would have gone out of business before this episode started. But what we're doing is condensing all these issues down into one solid month of content on the foundational issues that face anybody that's entering this short-term rental business, whether you be an independent owner or a small property manager or an enterprise operator, we all face exactly the same things. And responsible travel and eco, green, environmental protection for our guests and for ourselves as a company is really important. 

So let's just kick off with StayWise's current problems. So, the first thing is that they've got 50 odd properties and they don't pay the bills for their owners, but the owners are telling them that their power bills, their electricity bills have gone up. Their water bills have gone up. Their HVAC systems are running constantly. Then they have guests that are complaining about high cleaning fees and their cleaning supplies budget because they're trying to cover this high cleaning fees, their budget's increased by 40 percent and then they've got higher waste management costs.

Are these all the sorts of issues that you can help them with, Bob?

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah, I think so. With all of these topics it's understanding what the source of the problem is, and you've just described it very well. And let's take energy. It's one of the biggest issues in terms of cost for an organization. And it's also one of the biggest elements of its climate footprint.

So if we can tackle the energy issue, then we're getting the costs down. And we're also reducing our footprint. So that's a win win. And I think one of the ways I would start there is how they're using tech to help them. So what I mean by that are, are there sensors in the apartments in the properties that are monitoring whether there were people there and turning off the systems when they're not. Are there waste management technologies that they're using? Are they monitoring in case they have any excessive water use and understanding the cost of that? It's thinking about what are their costs and do they know what their costs are unit by unit and have they analyzed what they are compared to 1 unit with another and best understanding which units are suffering with those costs and what they can do about it? 

But I think the tech solutions, and there are so many on the market now, they can cover everything from fire protection, to movement, to smoke, to even they can detect marijuana is being used in the properties now.

So if they're not using tech, then I think start to look at some of the tech solutions that are going to help them reduce their costs. And I think that would be a great way forward to sell it to those owners who are struggling with these additional costs.

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Heather Bayer: 

Yeah, because that's the big thing. You know they're getting the complaints from owners, but the owners may not be as willing to accept the solutions, because it could cost them in the long run. But I'm really interested in hearing more about the tech because tech is changing.

It's just amazing how we're moving forward with tech and every day there are new tech solutions and platforms coming on board. So it's one thing to research and see what's out there, but how do you determine which is the best? So you don't end up with this massive tech stack, and I know this because I used to buy into just about everything that was going.

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah.

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Heather Bayer: 

And then, when we did some evaluation and audits before we sold our company, then realized that we were actually paying subscriptions to things that we'd not really used or utilized well enough, because you can buy into something and think, Oh, this is solving a little problem, not realizing that it has much broader applications. So could you give them a little bit of advice on how to select their tech and maybe give us some examples of what is out there that's really, really good.

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah. Well, this is a really timely conversation, because I've just signed off a blog that we've just finished, which will be published tomorrow. So by the time this goes out, it will be on envirorental.earth's blog page. 

So we analyze a lot of the tech in that blog. We talk about the advantages of each piece of tech. We talk about the importance of integrating the tech, so you don't want to be buying too many systems that don't talk to each other. And there are some great tech out there. You know, Aperto have some amazing tech, Minit, ResiCentral. There are lots out there. They each do slightly different things. There's a lot that overlap. They do many things together. 

So I think it's about understanding your needs, actually being really structured about what are my needs? What do I want to monitor? What do I want to achieve? And then go into these tech companies. Read our blog first, because we cover off most of these points, and then go to these companies, and say these are the things that I want you to manage, will your tech achieve that? And most of them are moving forward in leaps and bounds and I'm struggling to actually keep up with what each of those techs are doing. So that's why we're producing this blog to try and help people, because it's really important and it will pay for itself over and over and over again if you get the right tech and put it in place, you'll save a lot of money.

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Heather Bayer: 

Well, I will make sure there is a link to that post on the Show Notes.

Just as an aside, Bob, I know when somebody goes to envirorental.earth, they have to register. Could you just talk us through that part? Because normally you go to a website and you're straight in, but with this you're not. And I want to make sure people are prepared for that.

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Bob Garner: 

Yes, sure. So environmental. earth, it's a free platform. It's a not for profit. I've set it up to try and bring all the resources that people could possibly need if you're in short-term rentals and put it on this platform. A lot of the topics are easily accessible on the platform with no signing.

But we do want sign-ins so we can see where people are going, what they're using, what they're finding most useful and tracking them, not as individuals, but as a group, so we can best understand what we need to deliver. 

We think we're delivering the right thing, but sometimes you need to see where people are going. Are they going to the roadmap? Are they going to the blogs? Are they going to the case studies? And once we can see that, we can best understand how to produce more of what people are really looking for. But you just register, a simple 30 seconds, and you're in and everything is free. There are no costs whatsoever.

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Heather Bayer: 

And I would encourage anybody that's listening to this to go to envirorental.earth, because it is the one and only resource for our industry that's totally focused on this industry. So you're going to find everything you need on there, all in one place. You don't have to go searching, although searching these days for me involves going to Perplexity[.ai]], not Google. And I'm sure if I went to Perplexity and said give me some information on waste management practices in the short-term rental business, envirorental.earth is going to come up in that. So yes, please go there and take a look. So, some of the issues that Say Wise are encountering at the moment is their review ratings are dropping, and they're putting this down to the fact that people are talking about wasteful practices.

So they used to have all five star reviews. They've dropped down to the mid fours now due to wasteful practices. And I guest recently posted a photo of an overflowing trash bin outside of the rental that they arrived at. There are clearly issues here. I know from my experience when we ran a property management company that getting rid of waste in Ontario's Cottage Country was really, really difficult.

If you've got a property that's 15 kilometers down a dirt road, there is no garbage collection. The nearest trash outlet is 15 kilometers in the other direction and the cleaner won't go there. So there were big issues involved with dealing with trash. And the first thing was getting people to recycle and take care of the garbage before they left the property. And of course, we're being exhorted all the time now that, you know, we're being told all the time now that a vacation rental is really no different from a hotel. You just walk in, you have your vacation, you walk out. You don't have to do anything and people are complaining if they have to lift a finger on the way out. How can companies like StayWise deal with some of these issues? And I know there was a lot packed into that couple of sentences.

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of this comes down to communication, but also firstly understanding. I actually don't know where State Wise are located geographically, but it's important that they understand or their owners understand what the policy is for waste in that area. Being really clear about what the local authority will or will not do, or will not take and how that is to be managed. 

So that's stage one, is having a really clear understanding. Then it's about making sure that that is communicated well to the guests in really simple language, that isn't ambiguous and isn't complicated. And it also isn't too onerous, to pick up your point, because some people just will not do it if it's too onerous. So having it explained to them is another stage.

I think the other, and it's wider topic here than just waste. I think and from my personal experience of running units in Italy, it's also about communicating your whole sustainability ethos, policy, the way and why you do what you do to your guests and trying to involve them in helping you achieve what you want to achieve.

So let's stick with waste. Making it clear to the guests that you have a sustainability policy, that you're trying to do the right thing for the environment, that you're trying to not have a necessarily bad impact on the local community, you might be in a wildlife area, doing the right thing by nature, et cetera, and then trying to encourage the guests to understand why you're doing it and what you're doing and seek their involvement, seek their support. 

People are perhaps more likely if they understand why you're doing what you're doing and what you're doing and what you're trying to achieve. And they go, Oh yeah, I can do that. I can play my part. I can help StayWise, be more sustainable, do the right thing by the local community, because they're doing it for the good reasons, and I'm going to play my part. 

But also, and we'll probably touch on this in lots of the topics, I think that really comes down to communication. If you don't communicate, and we do it through a digital guide, because it's a great way of starting to lay that groundwork even before people have arrived, but communicate it really clearly, put stickers up if you need to, put signs up if you need to. Find out where it is that the guests find your information and understand all the things they want to know about for their stay and put it in there. It might be on a page on your website, it might be in your email communication, you might use WhatsApp, you might do it on the welcome call if you're not on site. It might be on digital guides, find a way that you're communicating and make sure you make that really clear and involve them. And all you can do is try your best. It doesn't always work. There's always some difficult people. But I think if you try and communicate, most reasonable people will meet you where you are and help you on that journey.

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Heather Bayer: 

We raised some really interesting points and suggestions there. Because in my discussion with Chris Maughan at I-PRAC, we talked about trust and we talked about building a better website, which is one of the issues that StayWise is having is that their website is not comprehensive enough. It doesn't lead to that feeling of, I trust these people to look after me when I'm on vacation, and also for their owners who say, I trust these people to look after my property. So I talked with Chris about having a page on the website, which deals with trust and out of that came the ideas that there should be a page that deals with safety and sustainability, what our green practices are. And this I'm guessing, and I'll come back to you on this, this leads into the movement towards guests now looking for more sustainable vacations. They're looking for vacations that are..., they're looking for companies that are talking about their green policies. Can you talk to that a little bit?

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Bob Garner: 

Absolutely. Yeah. So we know from the survey data that comes out from Booking.com and Expedia each year that around 80 percent of travelers would like to stay sustainably. They want to do the right thing. They understand the importance of what's happening to our planet, and they want to play their part.

Now, of course, there's always a gap between intention and action. But let's assume that a large proportion of people would like to do the right thing. Then the important thing then is, as you were just saying about the website, is brand yourself in that category. So if I talk about my properties in Italy, and it would be just the same for StayWise, then have a page on your website that talks about what you do, why you do it, the things you do and how the guests can be involved, as I was talking about before.

Nobody could come to my website and not be understand within five seconds that they're coming to a place that's trying, that's prioritizing sustainability. So if StayWise wants to do the right thing and get that traction from that 80 percent of people who want to stay sustainably, then start to take some actions, and we'll go into those, and brand yourself as sustainable.

I talk about this all the time. People do some amazing things around sustainability or responsible tourism, but then they don't talk about it. There's nothing on their website. There's nothing in the guest guide. You know, there's no blog about it. I mean, how are people supposed to know? So if you want to find those people and you want them to find you, then it's really important that you brand and that you talk about it.

And that does not mean that you're greenwashing, just talk honestly and openly about the simple things you have done. Even if it's two or three things, that's absolutely fine. And perhaps talk about what you intend to do next year in an honest and open way with no exaggeration and people will appreciate that. They will judge it for what it is. That you're on a journey as we all are, and that you're trying to do the right thing and that will attract people. 

And then you'll get those guests coming to you and they will come back and they'll refer. And that is a great way to build your business around sustainability, and do it before your competitors are doing it so that you have an advantage over them. And we'll probably talk about some of those competitive things as we go along. Cause there's some really interesting examples.

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Heather Bayer: 

So, you made some great points there just about, you know, people are doing great things, but they're not talking about them. And yeah, whatever you do, talk about them, and I will put links to your website, Casal dei Fichi. Am I saying this right? I did say it right, probably for the first

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Bob Garner: 

Fichi. [Fiki].

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Heather Bayer: 

I'm also going to put a link to Rachel Parsons from New Forest Escapes, because her website is another great example of really being out front and saying, this is what we're doing to be environmentally friendly, eco-friendly, and this is what you could expect when you come and stay with us. 

When I see websites, Bob, that just have, it's just properties. That's it. It's properties. Some fancy wording they've got from ChatGPT and really nice photos. But there's nothing else. There's nothing, you know, and you've got to do something more to stand out in the crowd these days.

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Bob Garner: 

And I know Heather, you've talked about it many, many times on your podcast. Some people do not even have an about us page. You know, people are interested in people. People want to know who they're staying with, or who owns their property. They want to see what sort of personality they have. So talk about yourselves and talk about what things are important to you around sustainability, for example, about supporting the local community, about doing the right thing. 

And I always say, if you've got two properties that are exactly the same in every possible way; price, location, services, everything, the only difference is one's sustainable and one's not. It's the sustainability one that people...., they're not going to go, Oh, I'm not going to stay there because they're trying to be sustainable. It's only going to be an added advantage. So you've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

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Heather Bayer: 

Yeah, absolutely. 

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Mike Bayer:

We're going to take a short break to hear from David Angotti at Guesty to share how Guesty might be the solution to your property management system challenges.

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Heather Bayer:

So it's great to have David back to talk more about Guesty and their property management software. So David, how do experienced property managers make updating their listings as seamless as possible?

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David Angotti:

So in Guesty, which is the property management software that I represent, or in your property management software, there should be a place to go and update a listing. Now, when you update that listing, you want to hit save on that and distribute it to as many channels as possible. Now, this is where your property management software can either really, really help you or put you behind the curve a bit.

How many native integrations do they have out to third party channels? So you want to make sure they have at a bare minimum the big three: Booking.com, Vrbo, Airbnb, but a lot more channels as well. So the more channels, the better here, because if it's no work to distribute out to all of those and it's a seamless distribution process, you're just talking about more and more revenue, the more you can distribute too. And so really, you want that one click solution that distributes out to tons and tons of channels to deliver tons of revenue to you. And if you're dealing with the right software, that should be seamless.

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Heather Bayer: 

So let's get into some really practical actions that StayWise and everybody else that's listening can actually take. Some really affordable, high impact practices that they could introduce immediately given what we've just talked about.

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah. Okay. So not necessarily in order of importance, but it's just a few simple things, because I always say, do the easy things first that won't cost you any money. And that will have impact on your business in a positive way. And then you'll be more motivated to take some of the other actions further down the line.

So, one of the things I always start with is for StayWise and for all the properties is look to see if there is a green energy tariff for electricity in that area. It's certainly very easy in Europe, perhaps in North America and other parts of the world not quite as easy, but check. Check if you're on a green energy tariff, and if you're not, and there's an alternative available, then sign up for it.

It shouldn't cost you any more money. It's the same electricity coming down the wires, but what it means is the money you give each month or each quarter goes to support renewable energy. That's the single biggest thing that you can do that will have the biggest impact on your carbon footprint. And then, of course, when you're creating your website and your page about sustainability, you'll mention that.

A second thing would be to also see if your servers that run your website are run on green energy. We've talked about this before and there's a website called The Green Web Foundation. Just Google that and you'll get straight to it. Punch in any URL, yours or anybody else's, and it will instantly tell you whether the servers that are running your websites are using green energy or not.

If you get the thumbs up, the green smile, fantastic, you've had to do nothing. You can download a piece of code and put a badge on your website. It's a small thing, but these small things add up to a larger piece of the puzzle. So put it on your website. If you're not, then talk to your service provider about why they're not using green energy to run their servers; really simple and easy, a quick win. 

And then other things, you know, practical things in the units themselves. Think about the things that people use and things that people do. So for example, in the bathroom, an obvious one, we talk about this all the time. Don't go leaving those little plastic bottles of shampoo and hand wash, et cetera. Put those big dispensers on the walls that you can refill, so you will save money and there's no wasted plastic, because you're just refilling the unit each time and you can buy in bulk. People appreciate it, people expect it and you'll save some money as well, so that's great.

And then another thing that we all use is toilet paper. Think about using one of the companies that are doing great things with toilet paper in terms of good quality. And I do stress the quality recycled paper that's made into toilet paper. We use a company called Who Gives a Crap. It's a funny name, Australian company. They work all over the world. Now you're not going to pay much more for your paper. It's delivered to your door in bulk. It's all got some fun and some jokes with it. Each piece of toilet paper is individually wrapped. But. You're doing the right thing because you're using recycled paper and just think about how much toilet paper, these 50 units, they can get through in a year. That's an awful lot of toilet paper. 

But it also goes to another area that I'm always really passionate about, is your procurement policy. If you're going to buy things, services and products, as we all do as people and as businesses, then buy from ethical companies, buy from companies that are also doing good. So, for example, Who Gives a Crap give 50 percent of their profits to build water facilities in the developing world for people who don't have them. So that's a fantastic initiative, and you can play your part. StayWise can play their part by talking to Who Gives a Crap or one of the other companies.

There are many out there doing it. And get the right paper. And use a company that are doing good back in the community. I always think it's a great way of amplifying your impact. So I'm really passionate about that. Spend your dollar wisely.

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Heather Bayer: 

I just want to move on to perhaps something that they're going to have to spend on a little bit, maybe the owners are going to have to spend on things like low flush toilets and those that will monitor the output of water to showers and bathtubs. What could you recommend on those?

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah, I mean, obviously you can get those units that you can fit onto taps and onto faucets and onto shower heads, which will restrict the water slightly without taking away the pleasure of the good, hot, strong shower, or the water runs smoothly in the kitchen, whatever it might be. But that can actually massively reduce the water consumption and obviously if you're on a tariff and you're paying for water by the litre, by the gallon, you can save considerable amount of money there over the year.

Yes, I'd also think about it, particularly if you're remote, then think about one of those tech solutions again, where the technology will monitor for leakage, because particularly with properties that are remote, and obviously, if there's a leak in the bathroom, somebody's going to notice it quite quickly. But sometimes these leaks are not noticed straight away. They're starting to damage the property. They're going into the ground so nobody's seen anything and you find out six months later when there's a wall gone moldy and you've used 5,000 gallons of water that you needn't do. So use technology to monitor these things for you.

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Heather Bayer: 

Yeah, I've been lucky for the last 20 odd years since I've lived in Ontario. We've been on wells. Our water comes straight out of the ground right in front of us from our own well, and it's the best water ever. Nothing is added to it and we have it tested frequently to make sure it's OK, and goes through minimal filtering. It is the best water. So I'm not a great one for limiting the water I use, because it just seems like it's free.

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Bob Garner: 

Abundant.

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Heather Bayer: 

I don't pay anything for that. But you know, we're also on a septic system. So we have to monitor the outgoings as well.

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Bob Garner: 

Yes.

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Heather Bayer: 

A lot of people who have vacation rentals are on these septic systems too. So that's certainly something to take into account. 

I just want to move on to sharing this information or looking at behavioral change within the stakeholder group of a property management company. So stakeholders got staff, owners, guests, and of course a community. How is it possible to create that culture of sustainability across all these stakeholders?

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Bob Garner: 

Yeah, I think this one is often overlooked. It's a really good question. If you try and do it on your own as one individual, then you'll come up with some amazing solutions, but you won't necessarily get buy in from your community, from your suppliers, from your staff, from your cleaning teams, etc. So I always think a great way to start is to involve other people. Talk about what you want to do and why you want to do it. Seek their input, seek their advice and their ideas, because they may have some amazing ideas that you haven't thought about. If you explain why you're doing something and make it really clear, most people will understand and will want to be part of that journey and tap into that advice and the information and seek people's input and involvement, because then it's more likely to be embedded properly, and particularly when you're working with suppliers, they're more likely to take notice when you say, this is what we're doing and this is how I want you to work with us. What are you doing within your company that's going to help me? And we talked a little bit about how you can give back through companies. 

So I think communication and having a plan, and having a plan that you communicate. And don't be.., and this sounds a bit weird for me to say this, don't be too ambitious in that first year. Do something that's manageable, that's within your control and that isn't going to take over your life. I don't mean leave it to the last five minutes of a Friday afternoon and then tick a box, but keep it realistic, because you're going to have lots of other things to do. And it sounds like StayWise have got a lot of other problems to tackle, so they need to keep it simple.

But then that still can be communicated and involve people. I think that that's really important, and explain the benefits. The other thing we say on envirorental.earth on the homepage, and we've written many blogs about this. We talk about the business benefits. Talk about the reasons that you're doing it, that's going to be good for the business. You're going to save money. You're going to get ahead of the competition. You're going to get repeat and referral business. You're going to get publicity. You're going to get ahead of the competition. I haven't already said that one. There are nine or ten benefits. We've put them on our website there that are going to be beneficial for you if you go down this eco route. So think about it in that way. 

And I always say, and I think I've said it on this podcast before, I think sustainability is a bit like a eco-friendly drug. Once you get started, you just want to do the next thing. It's like eating potato chips, you can't just have one, you have to go back for another and another. And when you see the benefits, you see that virtuous circle, you want to take the next step and take people with you on that journey. I think that's the best way.

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Heather Bayer: 

And I think property managers can sometimes forget that. They have a power to convey information to their owners and to actually create change within that group of stakeholders. That is really powerful. To share, as you said, the statistics on sustainable and responsible travel and why people want it more and tell them that they will be more competitive as owners in this marketplace, if they take these actions.

So I know there's a number of property managers, particularly some of the larger ones that get their owners together every year and have events. Tom Goodwin of Mountain Laurel Chalets does this every year down in Gatlinburg in Smoky Mountains, and he puts on a huge event for his owners and actually, which is a very savvy thing, invites other property owners along as well. And of course they come because of some great speakers and there's food. So, it's, it's a great opportunity for him to talk about sustainability. across that particular ecosystem.

If StayWise is in a beach location, Tom's company is in a country or rural location, and so what they need to be sharing with their owners is all perhaps a little bit different. But whatever it is, just like you're saying about toilet paper, just encouraging people to use better produced toilet paper and share that information with the guests who are going to be using it, it's just that one little thing.

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Bob Garner: 

Absolutely.

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Heather Bayer: 

And you've taught me along the years that we've known each other, that it's just one little step at a time and each one of those just adds up. I hear so many people say, well what's the point of me doing this because it's just little old me and what impact am I going to make?

So let's finish off by your take on that.

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Bob Garner: 

Well, I mean, I could say the same about myself, you know, running my properties, just six units in Italy for 20 years. And you know, a very small operation compared to a lot of the people listening to this; but you can make a difference. What did the Dalai Lama say, that if you want to know the impact of a small thing, try sleeping one night under a tent with a mosquito and then you'll see what a small thing can achieve.

But I think there should be, I mean, I've talked to property managers a lot about this, there needs to be congruity between what the property management company is doing and what the hosts are doing. And what I mean by that is, don't go preaching to the hosts about do this, do that, if you're not within your own company doing the same. You want to reflect that in both sides of the coin. And another thing that I think is a great impact is start thinking about how you might brand some of the properties in StayWise to be sustainable, you know, with a badging system like Sustonica, where it's really clear to the people coming to inquire about staying, which are the properties that are eco-friendly and which are not. And hopefully over time, those eco properties will see greater bookings. There'll be more money made for the owners. And that's an encouragement to those who have not gone down that path; no criticism intended. But they can start on their journey, because they see the benefits of somebody down the road who's also in the grouping of StayWise, but he's getting better business because they've taken those eco steps and their branding themselves. 

And a company like Sustonica, who are a great company in the industry, and I know you've interviewed people from there many times, they can help you on that journey too. They can assess where you are and what you want to achieve. They can give you a rating, give you a badging that you can display on your OTAs, on your property manager, on your own website. And that is another good way of saying, Hey, this is me. I'm not perfect, but I'm on this journey and come with me, come and stay with me. And together we'll move forward to be more sustainable. So I do think badging is important as well, if you choose the right one.

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Heather Bayer: 

And I love that you brought that up, because to me, that's important. I'm one of those people that scrolls all the way down to the footer of a website. Because often people don't have their About Us page in their nav bar. So they'll have it down there in that footer. And then I look at all their badges along the bottom of the site. And in this eco-friendly Crazy Month, we're looking at a few of these. We're looking at having a badge for safety, maybe the breezeway badge that says we have a trusted safety inspector on our staff and we've audited our properties. Maybe I-PRAC for trust and Sustonica for green practices and sustainability. But one thing I would say, and I think I mentioned this when I talked to Chris from I-PRAC was, it's not enough just to stick a badge on the bottom. You've got to have that lead somewhere and it shouldn't necessarily lead back to that company. It should lead back into your site, so your Sustonica badge leads back into your site, into the sustainability page. Your safety badge leads into the safety page and the trust badge leads back onto your trust page. It's internal linking and it's really powerful for internal SEO as well. So it's a win win all round and it keeps people on your site.

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Bob Garner: 

And the other thing I would say, and hopefully StayWise will take a lot of this advice and put it into action and make a real difference for their owners. But when they've done that, and they've had some big successes, then apply for one of the award schemes, like the Shortyz. There were lots of awards that they could go for about Pioneer or Sustainability.

I've been fortunate to have won it three times. But once they've done some great stuff, then apply, get shortlisted. Hopefully you'll win. It's a good way of focusing on what have I done? What have I achieved? What difference have I made? Because I'm documenting it to apply for this award. And if you win it, fabulous, another badge to put on your site.

Tell your owners that you're making a difference and tell your guests that you've won this badge and this is why you've won it. It's another small thing, but it all builds up the picture of you being a good property manager or host, trying to do the right thing for the planet and the guest and the business.

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Heather Bayer: 

I love that, Bob. Thank you so much for what you shared to help StayWise along in their journey. And you and I, we'll have many more conversations I'm quite sure. But in the meantime, we've talked about environmental.earth. There is a link to that site together with the links to absolutely every platform and company that we have talked about in this session. So please go there and take a look. 

Bob, thank you. Always an absolute pleasure to talk to you. And I hope you enjoy the rest of this wonderful day.

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Bob Garner: 

Okay. My pleasure. Thanks very much. Take care.

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Mike Bayer:

And just like that, we've reached the end of SSTIR Crazy Month 2025. What a journey it's been. We've watched StayWise rentals navigate trust issues, safety mishaps, insurance nightmares, regulatory battles, and the push for sustainability. Each challenge was a stepping stone towards becoming a stronger, more resilient business, and I hope you've taken away actionable insights to do the same. 

Before we go, one more massive thank you to Guesty, our top sponsor for SSTIR Crazy Month 2025. They've been helping vacation rental managers stay ahead of the curve, and if you're looking for the right tech to streamline your operations, you know where to go. Check out the link in the description of this episode for a code to get 50% off your first year with Guesty, and don't stress about that PMS switch, Guesty will handle all of that by working with you to make the transition seamless. 

And of course, a huge thank you to you, our listeners, for being part of this interactive gamified experience. Whether you participated in the weekly challenges, earned your badges, or just followed along, you are what makes SSTIR Crazy Month 2025 a success. So what's next? Keep the conversation going. Join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and the SSTIR Crazy Leaderboard to share what you've learned. 

Until next time, keep learning, keep adapting, and as always, keep delivering five-star guest experiences.

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Heather Bayer:

It's been a pleasure as ever being with you. If there's anything you'd like to comment on, then join the conversation on the Show Notes for the episode at vacationrentalformula.com. We'd love to hear from you and I look forward to being with you again next week.

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