In this episode of The Co-Host Bros Podcast, Matt Codd and Austin Spitzenberger sit down with Simon Seroussi, founder of SweetOp, to talk about distribution, OTAs, and what short-term rental operators can learn from the hotel industry.

Simon brings nearly a decade of experience from the hotel software world, including time at TravelClick before it was acquired by Amadeus — one of the largest travel technology companies globally. His background gives him a unique perspective on how booking platforms, reputation, and distribution systems actually work behind the scenes.

The conversation explores how early experiences in New York experimenting with Airbnb evolved into deeper strategic thinking about optimization, positioning, and platform dynamics.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Simon transitioned from hotel tech to short-term rentals
• What OTAs are really optimizing for
• Why reputation matters more than ever in hospitality
• Lessons the hotel industry learned that STR operators often miss
• Early Airbnb adoption and platform evolution
• The future of distribution and positioning in short-term rentals

This episode is ideal for operators who want to understand the mechanics behind booking platforms and build smarter, more resilient businesses.

👥 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/

In this episode of The Co-Host Bros Podcast, Matt Codd and Austin Spitzenberger sit down with Sam Hirst, a short-term rental marketing operator who helped scale some of the most viral themed vacation rentals in the country — and later grew STR tech platforms to tens of thousands of listings.

Sam started with Loma Homes, a company known for extreme themed vacation rentals near Disney that went viral and were featured in major publications like Forbes and Travel + Leisure. What began as an admin role turned into leading marketing during a period of explosive growth.

From there, Sam joined the founder to build Intellihost, an optimization platform helping STR owners rank higher on OTAs and increase revenue. As head of marketing and sales, he helped scale:

• 0 → 40,000+ listings on Intellihost
• A 7-figure revenue run rate
• Revenue IQ from 0 → 600+ users and 1,400+ properties under management
• A multi-person sales team with a repeatable calendar-filling system

In this episode, we cover:

• How extreme themed homes went viral near Disney
• Why having a remarkable product makes marketing easier
• How to rank higher on Airbnb and other OTAs
• The fusion of AI, listing optimization, and pricing strategy
• Building scalable sales systems in STR tech
• What most hosts misunderstand about marketing vs. product

This is a must-listen for STR operators who want to understand how marketing, optimization, and positioning actually drive revenue at scale.

👥 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/

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In this episode of The Co-Host Bros Podcast, Matt Codd and Austin Spitzenberger sit down with Jack Zoppa for a grounded conversation about building short-term rentals with clarity, discipline, and intentional decision-making.

Jack shares how he evaluates risk, why patience matters more than speed, and how too many operators get caught up chasing trends instead of building something sustainable. The conversation centers on slowing down, understanding your numbers, and making decisions that still make sense years down the road.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Jack approaches risk and decision-making in STRs
• Why long-term thinking beats short-term excitement
• Common mistakes operators make when moving too fast
• The importance of discipline, planning, and patience
• How to avoid hype-driven decisions
• Building STRs in a way that supports consistency and stability

This episode is ideal for hosts and investors who want a calmer, more strategic approach to short-term rentals and value making smart decisions over fast ones.

👥 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/