The Real Women Of Vacation Rentals: Insights Into The Vacation Rental Business For Experts

 A few months ago, I did an article about five of the best travel podcasts. Clearly, I wasn't aware of The Real Women of Vacation Rentals because not only would I have included it, but also featured it. 

Here's the show's marketing pitch: "The Real Women of Vacation Rentals is a podcast hosted by Alex Husner and Annie Holcombe, who use their combined industry experience to interview professionals, discuss trends, and uncover Aha! moments in the vacation rental business. Also known as the Alex & Annie Vacation Rental Podcast, the show provides actionable advice and insights for property managers, hosts, and other professionals in the industry."

Annie Holcombe has 30+ years of experience in hospitality and tourism. She began her career in hotels and property management in 1992. Working from front desk to VP of Business Development at several property management groups in the panhandle. Experienced at managing owner relations, marketing and online distribution. In 2012, she joined the Expedia Group where she oversaw the Florida Panhandle as a market manager and then moved to Senior Key Account Manager specializing in vacation and non-traditional lodging accounts on a national level. Later moving into the channel management world with Lexicon Travel, she helped managers optimize and grow revenues through OTA channel distribution. Annie also served as Director of Business Development-US & Canada for Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, and joined channel manager Nextpax in 2024 to oversee their growth and partnerships in North and South America. This diverse background makes Annie one of the industry’s most knowledgeable and well-rounded leaders.


A seasoned vacation rental marketing expert with over 15 years of industry experience, Alex Husner has played a key role as CMO in two enterprise vacation rental management companies in the United States, Condo-World and Casago. In early 2024, Alex left the corporate world to pursue her own initiatives as CEO/Founder of Directly Alex, a consultancy firm specializing in marketing and business growth strategies for vacation rental management companies and technology providers. Alex previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB and is a past Board Member of VRMA (Vacation Rental Managers Association).

What will you hear on the show? Episodes about Airbnb’s evolving policies have become one of the most pressing conversations in vacation rentals today - sparking questions, frustrations, and new realities for property managers across the industry. In the episode, Alex & Annie welcomed Dennis Schaal, Founding Editor at Skift, to discuss what these changes mean for property managers and the broader short-term rental ecosystem. 

One of their best interviews was with Ian Ackland, Managing Director of the Americas at Booking.com, for a candid look at how one of the world's largest travel platforms is evolving its approach to better serve property managers.

For travel professionals, The Real Women of Vacation Rentals is a "you don't want to miss" show. 

When I asked Annie and Alex how easy or difficult was it to start the podcast, they answered: "Starting was both easier and harder than we expected. Easier, because once we made the decision, we just went for it—we didn’t overthink it, and we knew we’d figure things out as we went. Harder, because like anything new, there’s a learning curve. From choosing the right recording platform, to figuring out editing, to getting our first guests comfortable behind the mic—it all took time. But the key was consistency. We committed to publishing weekly from day one, and that discipline helped us build momentum quickly." 

Annie and Alex have also been innovative and aggressive in monetization. They explain: 

"Monetization wasn’t our focus in the beginning—we wanted to build trust, credibility, and an audience first. Once we had that, sponsors started approaching us. Our strategy has always been about alignment—we only work with partners who add real value to the vacation rental industry and who we can genuinely recommend. That authenticity has made sponsorships a natural extension of the show instead of feeling like ads. Beyond sponsorships, the podcast has also opened doors for consulting, speaking, and collaborations that we couldn’t have predicted. It’s really become part of the business ecosystem we’re building."

With more than 35 years combined experience in vacation rentals, Alex Husner and Annie Holcombe teamed up to launch what has become one of the fastest growing hospitality podcasts, engaging the hearts and minds of their audiences with thought-provoking interviews and candid conversations. On a mission to find the one story, idea, strategy or decision that led to their guests' big A-HA moment, this podcast appeals to a wide variety of listeners within hospitality and beyond. 

One sure sign of podcast success and innate quality is the fun quotient. 

When I observed that they sound like they’re having fun, they laugh and respond: "We really are having fun! The podcast has become one of the highlights of our week. A big part of that is chemistry—we’re great friends, and we love talking to each other and to our guests. We also treat each episode as a chance to learn something new, which keeps it fresh. And we don’t take ourselves too seriously—we laugh a lot, we share personal stories, and we let the conversation flow naturally. Of course, there’s work involved behind the scenes, but the joy we get out of the connections we’re making far outweighs the effort."

Motivational and fun, Alex and Annie embody the importance of women supporting other women and were recently named to the Top 30 Hospitality Podcasts by the Global Hospitality Institute.

I highly recommend The Real Women of Vacation Rentals as Alex and Annie highlight the REAL stories behind the people and brands that have built vacation rentals into the 100 BILLION dollar industry it is today.