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Creating A 100% Direct Booking Business w/ Doug McCarty
Description
Doug McCarty runs 100% direct bookings across 32 owned units and 88 managed properties in all 50 states and four countries - without ever listing on Airbnb or Vrbo. He built a 12,000-name guest database over 32 years by treating short-term rentals as a concierge hospitality business, not a listing platform. His experience revenue - horseback riding, boat rentals, golf outings, yacht charters - generates 53% of total income, more than the nightly rates themselves.
Doug breaks down how he vets every guest by phone, never sends automated emails, charges nothing until checkout (country-club style), and fills cancellations in hours by calling past inquiries with a discount. He explains why hosts who rely on OTAs are "liabilities" to the platforms, how to structure an S-corp with subsidiary LLCs to save 18% in taxes, why he pays himself exactly $32,950 a year, and what his new host-owned platform stayinarhome.com offers for $5 per booking. The conversation covers real estate cycles, why arbitrage kills business credit, and how focusing on numbers - not units - reveals where systems break.
Work with us. Interested in professional management or consulting?
Myka — Sharebnb: www.sharebnb.com
Steve — Argest Rentals: www.ArgestRentals.com
Sign up for PadSplit with Steve's link and get a free 1-on-1 PadSplit strategy call with Stevie Stacks: padsplit.com/hosts
Myka's other podcast, Entrepremarriage — building wealth without losing the marriage: youtube.com/@Entrepremarriage
All our links: linktr.ee/liveletthrive
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