Q&A with Anne Gardner, Executive Director of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA)

The vacation rental industry is changing fast. Regulation is getting tougher, technology is reshaping how businesses operate and expectations on professional property managers continue to grow.

So what does it take to build a stronger, more resilient business in today’s market?

Ahead of her joining us at SCALE Fest next month, we caught up with Anne Gardner, Executive Director of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA), to talk scaling, regulation, AI and automation — and why staying connected to the wider industry matters more than ever.

Regulation continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing property managers. What should operators be doing now to stay ahead of policy changes and build resilient businesses?

The single most important thing an operator can do right now is stay connected. Local policy can move quickly and regulation rarely arrives with much warning, so trying to figure out a response alone and with the clock ticking puts an operator at a real disadvantage. VRMA exists to make sure you’re not doing that alone. We help members stay informed about regulatory developments, share lessons from operators facing similar challenges, and bring together advocacy expertise from across the industry.

For operators, compliance is part of the day-to-day business — licensing, taxes, safety requirements and operating procedures all require regular attention. The same is true for regulatory engagement. Staying connected and informed before an issue comes to a vote puts operators in a much stronger position than trying to respond after decisions are already underway.

Why is it still so important for property managers to attend industry events? How can managers use in-person networking to build partnerships that directly drive business expansion?

There is still tremendous value in being in the room because so many of the challenges property managers face are shared. Regulation, staffing, technology, owner expectations and rising operating costs are common concerns across markets and business models. Connecting with peers who have already worked through some of those issues can shorten the learning curve and provide a perspective you may not get within your own market.

There is also a tangible business benefit. Referral relationships across markets, connections with suppliers, and introductions to potential partners or owners often start with a conversation at an industry event. Managers who arrive with a goal to build two or three specific relationships, rather than wait passively for opportunities to come their way, are the ones who come away with the most benefits.

For a manager who has reached a certain size but feels “stuck,” how does VRMA help them bridge the gap to the next tier of growth?

The needs of the business change as it grows. Moving from fewer than 20 properties to 50-plus requires stronger staffing, systems, technology and financial practices. At 150-plus, leadership, workforce, owner retention and operational complexity become even more important.

VRMA helps operators prepare for those decisions. Members can compare how other managers staff and structure their businesses, understand which technology and operating practices work at different stages, benchmark performance, find trusted partners and talk directly with operators who have already worked through the same growth challenges. That helps a manager identify gaps earlier, avoid costly trial and error, and make better decisions about where to invest and what to build next.

Growth does not always mean adding properties. It can mean improving margins, retaining owners, building a stronger team or creating a better-run business that is ready for what comes next.

Professional development has always been central to VRMA’s mission. Why is continual learning becoming even more important as the industry matures?

The job of managing a vacation rental portfolio has become considerably more complex than it was even five years ago. Regulation varies from town to town and even street to street based on zoning, guest expectations continue to evolve and owners are increasingly asking detailed questions about how their property is being represented and protected. A manager who stops learning falls behind fast in that environment.

We see this in the conversations happening across our community. That is why professional development has to continue throughout someone’s career. Experience remains incredibly valuable, and experienced operators also need opportunities to keep updating their knowledge. While in-person events are still incredibly valuable, it’s not enough to just take a couple of days a year to invest in upskilling and networking. Online resources, webinars, and communities like SCALE are essential to maintaining that level of learning and growth going all year round.

AI and automation are transforming hospitality. Where do you see technology creating the greatest opportunities for property managers, and where will the human element always remain essential?

Automation is already changing the operational side of this business for the better. Dynamic pricing, guest messaging, cleaning and maintenance scheduling, and reporting can all run more efficiently with the right tools, freeing up staff time for the parts of the job that require judgment, empathy and local knowledge.

When a guest faces a disruption, an owner has a difficult question or a community issue requires careful handling, someone still needs to understand the context, make a decision and take responsibility for the response. Technology can provide better information, improve consistency and efficiency, and support stronger decision-making, but there are still important parts of this business that depend on relationships, judgment and accountability.

For managers, the opportunity is to use technology where it adds value to the business and the customer experience. Automation can create capacity, data can inform better decisions, and technology can make teams more responsive and consistent. That allows people to focus their time and expertise where they add the most value — with guests, owners, employees and the communities where they operate.

If you could give one piece of strategic advice to a manager currently trying to scale their business in this complex regulatory and economic environment, what would it be?

Build relationships and keep learning, deliberately and continuously, not just when a specific problem forces you to. Managers who scale successfully usually have a network around them: peers they can call, suppliers they trust, people who understand their local market, and access to credible information when they need to make a decision. That kind of network doesn’t build itself in a crisis. It gets built over time, through showing up, staying curious, and treating every conversation as worth having, even when there’s no immediate ask attached to it.

I’d also encourage members to keep testing their assumptions. Growth decisions are stronger when they are informed by data, benchmarking and the experience of people who have already dealt with similar challenges. Stay connected, keep learning, and the scaling decisions tend to get a lot clearer.

Smaller and mid-sized property management companies remain the backbone of the industry. How can they continue to compete as larger operators and new technologies reshape the market?

Smaller and mid-sized companies have a real advantage in their knowledge of the local destination and the strength of their relationships with owners, guests and the community. They know the neighborhoods, seasonal patterns and local dynamics, and those relationships can translate directly into stronger guest experiences and owner retention.

The opportunity is to pair that local expertise with strong business practices. Solid compliance, clear operating standards, well-trained teams and a clear understanding of the value you deliver all matter. Smaller companies can compete very effectively when they bring the consistency and discipline of a professional manager to the local knowledge and relationships they already have.

The vacation rental industry has evolved rapidly over the past decade. What do you think defines a professional vacation rental manager today?

A professional manager today operates a vacation rental as a serious hospitality business. Licensing and tax obligations need to be handled correctly, safety procedures should be clear and consistent, and owners need accurate financial information they can rely on.

Operational standards matter enormously because the guest experience depends on them. Cleaning, maintenance, safety and property preparation may happen behind the scenes, yet they shape how a stay is experienced.

Professional managers also understand that they operate within communities. Engaging constructively with neighbors, local officials and other stakeholders helps create trust and gives policymakers a clearer understanding of how professionally managed vacation rentals work.

As the sector continues to mature, those standards of operation and accountability will become increasingly important. VRMA’s role is to help managers access the education, guidance and peer knowledge that support that progress.

What can readers expect from VRMA 26 Nashville, and why is this year’s event particularly important for the industry?

VRMA26 is our flagship annual conference, and this year’s program is being shaped directly by conversations with our own members about what they want to learn, discuss and take back to their businesses. There’ll be high-level networking, inspirational talks from industry leaders, and educational sessions led by people who deal with the realities of running successful vacation rental businesses every day. Expect a real mix of formats too, from in-depth skill labs to quick-fire sessions, because people learn in different ways.

This year carries extra weight because of where the industry is right now. Regulation and rising costs are putting real pressure on operators, and managers are telling us that they want accountability, standards and a community they can draw on throughout the year.

We’re building the Nashville experience around those needs, including opportunities to connect before the main event begins and programming that’s curated so a company with a handful of properties and a company with hundreds can both walk away with practical next steps to grow and build their businesses.

Anne Gardner will be speaking on “The STRyder Cup” and “The Global Regulation Panel” at SCALE Fest, 24–25 October. For more information on VRMA 26 in Nashville, visit vrma.org.