x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays + destinations who want bookings without burnout.

Running a rental, inn, or small destination brand shouldn’t mean doing it all—or burning out. Seen. Booked. Sane. helps indie stays and small destinations get booked, trusted, and talked about through real strategy, smart messaging, and tools (including AI) that actually work. Weekly episodes share what’s working right now—for people who want to grow without selling out.

business marketing

All Episodes

00:06:28

“That’s Our Policy” Ends the Conversation

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2026/01/15

That flat tone at the front desk.The pause before the reply.The warmth disappearing mid-sentence.It looks like attitude.It gets labeled as “defensive.”But most of the time, it’s something else entirely.When someone doesn’t know why a policy exists, the safest move is to say less.In this episode, we unpack what actually happens when the reason behind a decision never reaches the person who has to explain it—and how one sentence, shared early, can prevent the tension before it starts.In this episode,

en-us

00:10:04

The Property Guests Talk About Without Being Asked

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2026/01/09

The Property Guests Talk About Without Being AskedYou don't need a referral program. You need to be worth mentioning.This episode explores why some properties get talked about for years—and others disappear the moment the stay ends. The difference isn't marketing. It's memory.In this episode:Why organic word-of-mouth has nothing to do with asking for reviewsThe Cheerios vs. Disney World finding—and what it means for hospitalityHow Coqui Coqui built a trigger guests carry home in a

en-us

00:06:05

Why Guests Hesitate (And What It’s Costing You)

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2026/01/09

Most booking problems don’t look like rejection.They look like almost.A guest gets close.They hesitate.They tell themselves they’ll come back later.And most of the time, they don’t.Here’s the part we rarely talk about:every day that hesitation exists, you’re paying to attract people who won’t decide.Not because your place isn’t good.Or at least… not usually.Because something in the decision still feels unresolved.If you’ve ever stared at your own booking page, wondering why people stop right there,

en-us

00:07:55

Guests Aren't Difficult, They're Disoriented

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/12/12

Guests Don’t Wake Up Wanting to Be DifficultMost guests don’t arrive intending to be a problem.They arrive tired, rushed, juggling information, and already under pressure. And when something small goes wrong, what looks like an attitude issue is often something else entirely: a stress response shaped by uncertainty, automation, and missed moments of orientation.In this episode of Seen. Booked. Sane., Kay Walten breaks down why guest behavior has felt heavier lately across hotels, vacation rentals,

en-us

00:09:56

The 5 Moments Guests Lose Trust

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/12/05

Most operators think trust breaks happen in the inbox.But 75% of guests never say what went wrong — they disappear quietly.In this episode, Kay Walten breaks down the five moments that shape every guest’s decision to book, enjoy, return, or vanish. Only one of these moments happens online. The other four happen in the quiet, human parts of hospitality where trust is either reinforced… or eroded.You’ll learn:Why website clarity isn’t design — it’s emotional safetyHow inquiry tone predicts the entire

en-us

00:05:58

Why Guests Do Not Reply

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/11/28

Why Guests Don’t Reply After You DoMost bookings aren’t lost on your website.They’re lost in the first reply.In this episode, Kay breaks down why response speed is no longer enough and how the emotional safety of your message quietly determines whether a guest moves forward or disappears.This is not about scripts, automation, or policies.It’s about the moment a guest decides whether it feels safe to trust you.What This Episode Covers• Why the inbox is now a trust signal, not a logistics task• How

en-us

00:06:35

We’re in the Mistrust Economy.

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/11/21

We’re Not in the Attention Economy. We’re in the Mistrust Economy.Guests aren’t getting pickier.They’re getting more cautious.In this episode of Seen. Booked. Sane., Kay Walten breaks down why hospitality shifted from “wow them” to “reassure them” and what that means for small hotels, vacation rentals, and unique stays.You’ll learn why trust is the new luxury, how guests actually evaluate risk when booking, and one simple test you can run before your next check-in to close the trust gap.This is a

en-us

00:09:08

The Cost of Being Forgettable — Why Consistency Is...

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/11/14

Ever scroll through ten Airbnb listings and realize they all sound the same?That’s what being forgettable costs you.In this episode, Kay Walten — founder of Smart Pineapple — breaks down how brand consistency isn’t just about matching fonts or keeping your logo straight. It’s about staying memorable in a market drowning in sameness.You’ll learn:Why Cornell research shows consistency drives more repeat bookings than locationHow one small boutique hotel turned brand alignment into national

en-us

00:07:25

How Small Stays Use AI to Stay Personal

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/11/07

AI doesn’t replace hospitality—it redeploys time for connection. In this episode, Kay from Smart Pineapple shares real case studies of small inns, boutique hotels, and independent operators using automation to scale care, not just bookings. You’ll learn the “Three-Layer Strategy” for adopting AI—Listen Faster, Respond Smarter, Connect Deeper—and a simple action you can take this week to create more meaningful guest experiences.🧭 Key TakeawaysListen Faster: Use AI to monitor and respond to reviews

en-us

00:06:06

One Neighbor, One Idea, One Season That Changed...

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/10/30

You don’t need a marketing budget—you need the courage to start a conversation.In this episode, Kay Walten, founder of Smart Pineapple and host of Seen. Booked. Sane., shares real stories of small operators who turned everyday neighborly connections into booking-boosting collaborations.✨ From a West Virginia inn and bakery that built a breakfast ritual guests now travel for…🍺 To the Corfu Beer Festival in Greece that filled hotels during the off-season…🍷 To a Canadian wine region where local

en-us

00:05:54

Rebuilding Trust, One Stay at a Time

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/10/26

When guests lose trust, it doesn’t start with a lawsuit — it starts with a small lie. An outdated photo. A broken promise. A silence that lasts too long.In this episode, Kay Walten of Smart Pineapple breaks down real stories of trust lost and trust rebuilt — from small inns to boutique hotels that turned transparency into loyalty (and profit).You’ll hear:A Michigan Attorney General case that exposed hotel operators running a bait-and-switch scheme.How Boar’s Head Resort learned that ignoring reviews

en-us

00:06:26

Stop Writing. Start Stealing from Your Reviews.

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/10/20

How Vacation Rentals & Hotels Turn Guest Feedback into BookingsYou’re losing bookings to properties worse than yours — not because they’re cheaper, but because they sound better.Here’s the kicker: your guests already wrote your next marketing campaign. You just haven’t stolen it yet.In this episode of Seen. Booked. Sane., Kay Walten, founder of Smart Pineapple, reveals how to turn guest reviews into marketing copy that drives direct bookings for vacation rentals, boutique hotels, and short-term

en-us

00:06:02

Story Before Structure: What Guests Are Already...

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/10/13

Before you build the next cabin or pour concrete for that dream spa, pause.Your next big idea might already be hidden in your guest reviews.In this episode, Kay Walten breaks down how small hotels and vacation rentals can grow smarter—by listening first, building later.I built one for you — the Property Revenue & Offer Tracker. It’s a plug-and-play spreadsheet that tracks bookings, upsells, and which offers actually make you money.👉 Get it hereSubscribe to us on Substack for more useful

en-us

00:02:17

5 Ways to Rank Higher on Airbnb (Fast + Free)

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/10/09

If your Airbnb listing feels invisible lately, you’re not imagining it.Airbnb’s ranking system has changed — it now rewards hosts who deliver great guest experiences, not just great listings.In this short episode of Seen. Booked. Sane. SHORTS, Smart Pineapple founder Kay Walten shares a five-minute “Visibility Audit” designed for busy property owners and managers.You’ll learn how to spot the key issues that quietly lower your ranking — and how to fix them fast using simple steps (and a little help

en-us

00:07:40

Why Your Best Marketing Tool Isn’t Marketing

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/10/03

Episode SummaryBig chains sell rooms. Small stays sell stories.In this episode, Kay Walten shares the Personalize → Prototype → Partner playbook for independent operators who want to boost guest loyalty, drive repeat bookings, and capture more of the $775 guests typically spend outside their rooms. Packed with research, case studies, and cheeky truth, this is your roadmap for turning size into an advantage in 2025.Why guests remember ceviche shacks, not thread counts.How a simple personal touch can

en-us

00:08:47

Everyone Wants a Viral Post

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/09/23

Kay Walten invites vacation rental operators and hoteliers to rethink splashy campaigns and start building lasting guest loyalty with consistent systems—from email, to social, to AI-powered review analysis. This episode features case studies, benchmarks, practical AI prompts, and proof you can trust.Featured in this Episode:Real results: My Beach Vacation Rentals scaling with data-driven systemsReTreet Resort’s influencer strategy—why week-by-week wins beat viralityIndustry benchmarks: Hospitality

en-us

00:01:54

Why Airbnb Doesn’t Want You Calling Your Guests

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/09/23

Airbnb is rolling out temporary phone numbers that disappear two days after checkout. On the surface, it’s about privacy. In practice, it’s about control. In this episode of Seen. Booked. Sane. Shorts, Kay Walten breaks down what this means for hosts and hotels, why it kills your follow-up, and the smart ways to build direct guest channels that actually last.Want more sharp hits of news, truth, and strategy for indie stays and small hotels? Subscribe at aiforhospitality.substack.com.

en-us

00:04:32

Logos Don’t Book Rooms. Visibility Does

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/09/09

Episode Summary: Logos don’t fill beds. Visibility does. In this episode, Kay breaks down why obsessing over brand design is costing operators real money—and what to do instead. With lessons from Iceland, Derby, and Zoku hotels, you’ll learn the “3 V’s of Visibility” framework, see the ROI math in action, and walk away with two simple steps you can do today to boost bookings.What You’ll LearnWhy logos = ego, visibility = revenueCase studies: Iceland’s volcano stunt, Derby’s mountain biking boom,

en-us

00:07:15

Airbnb’s 15% Fee: The Truth No Host Wants to Hear

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/08/28

Airbnb just gave every host, manager, and boutique hotel a 15% pay cut.Here’s the blunt truth: guests don’t save a dime. You lose margin. And unless you build your own direct booking system, it won’t stop at 15.In this episode of Seen Booked Sane, I break down:✔️ How Airbnb’s new 15.5% fee structure really works✔️ The long-term cost (spoiler: $40K over 5 years on $50K annual bookings)✔️ Why Airbnb isn’t your business — it’s just a channel✔️ 3 big myths about direct bookings (and the smarter play

en-us

00:03:55

They Tripled Rates. Did You?

Seen. Booked. Sane. Marketing for indie stays +... ·

2025/08/14

Your bookings aren’t broken. Your strategy is.Seen. Booked. Sane. is the no-fluff, all-fun show for vacation rental owners, boutique hoteliers, and small-stay pros who want more guests, more profit, and less chaos.Hosted by Kay Walten of Smart Pineapple, each short, sharp episode tackles the real stuff holding you back—from pricing mistakes to guest experience wins—served with a side of cheeky truth and zero boring jargon.If you’re ready to outsmart the big chains, cash in on local demand, and still

en-us

25 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...