WELCOME TO

Behind the  Stays

A podcast for hospitality entrepreneurs by Zach BusekrUs

EXPLORE RECENT EPISODES

Episode 245

Scaling Soulfully: The Story of The Archer Hotel and The Rise of Boutique Business Travel

Listen

Episode 240

Is Experiential Hospitality Overhyped? Hot Takes on Travel Trends, Hotels, Vacation Rentals, and More with the French Cowboys

Listen

Episode 239

He's Bringing Nature-Inspired, Suspended Treehouses to the World of Unique Stays — Meet Jason Thawley from Tree Tents

Listen

Episode 238

Transforming Landscapes into Luxury Stays: The Future of Glamping with Edward Haynes

Listen

Episode 237

How an HGTV Director and Executive Chef Brought Two Luxury Inns to Life: The Story of The Lost Fox Inn and Foxfire Mountain House

Listen

Episode 236

Held at Gunpoint, 96 Acres, and a Sabbatical That Changed Everything: The Story of Missing Hotel

Listen

Episode 235

How to Leave Your 9-5 And Go All In on Building Unique Airbnbs: In Conversation with Zoey Berghoff

Listen

Episode 234

She's on a Mission to Build Iconic Stays Near Every U.S. National Park: Meet Hillary Flur of Folly

Listen

Episode 233

From Global Brands to Boutique Stays: Katie Cline on Unlocking PR for Growth in Hospitality

Listen

Episode 232

Building Outpost X: How Travis Chambers Created the World's Most Unique Desert Hotel

Listen

Episode 231

How a Land Blunder Turned into the Most Instagrammable Stay in the Mountains of Quebec: The Story of LD Cabin

Listen

Episode 230

The Changing Landscape of Vacation Rental Marketing with StayFi's Arthur Colker

Listen

Episode 229

How to Build a Hospitality Empire in Rural America: Motels, Contactless Boutique Hotels, Wedding Venues, and More

Listen

Episode 228

From Side-Hustle to National Hospitality Brand: How Tech, PR, and Partnerships Have Powered Boutiq's Growth

Listen

Episode 227

How to Finance and Underwrite Unique Stays: Navigating Investment Opportunities in a New Hospitality Landscape

Listen

Episode 226

How She Turned 17 Acres of Raw Land in West Virginia into a Luxury Glamping Resort

Listen

Episode 225

Unlocking the Future of Hospitality: Tech Gaps, AI, and Upsell Secrets with Francois Gouelo

Listen

Episode 224

How to Start and Scale an Airbnb Co-Hosting Business That Actually Works in 2024: Stories and Ideas with Jeremy Werden

Listen

Episode 223

How Four Unique Stays in New England Came Together to Launch an Epic Creator Marketing Campaign

Listen

Episode 222

Unlocking a Billion-Dollar Opportunity: Stories and Insights Around The Revolution of Accessible Vacation Rentals with Becoming RentABLE

Listen

Episode 221

10 Entrepreneurs Building the Future of Hospitality That You Should Follow (If You Don't Already)

Listen

Episode 220

Breaking the Influencer Mold: Hot Takes on Content Creation and Promotion for Hospitality Brands

Listen

Episode 219

5 Big Ideas for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Build the Next Great Hospitality Business

Listen

Episode 218

From Air Force Officer to Hospitality Entrepreneur: Why Blake Dailey Thinks More Airbnb Hosts Should Become Boutique Hoteliers

Listen

Episode 217

Hot Takes on Rental Arbitrage, Men's Luxury Footwear, Building an International Hospitality Brand, and More with Ben Earley

Listen

Episode 216

The Rise of the Professional Airbnb Creator: Ideas, Advice, and Musings with Jon Kreye

Listen

Episode 215

How to Make Loyalty Programs Work in Vacation Rentals: An Inside Look at Red Cottage's Membership Program

Listen

Episode 214

How a South African Game Ranger Became Glamping's Most Interesting CEO

Listen

Episode 213

How to Build a Nationally Recognized Vacation Rental Management Company (That Actually Works)

Listen

Episode 212

How He's Building a No-Fee Booking Platform for Vacation Rentals: Stories, Ideas, and Hot Takes with Eric Goldreyer

Listen

Episode 211

Exploring the Huge Potential of Hostels: How They're Bridging Affordability and Experiential Hospitality in Hawaii (And Beyond)

Listen

Episode 210

Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Hospitality Websites: The Secrets That Separate the Best Direct Booking Websites from The Rest

Listen

Episode 209

Where to Build (or Buy) Your Next Unique Stay: Trends, Insights, and Data with Jamie Lane from AirDNA

Listen

Episode 208

Crafting Consistent Luxury: Omar Boubess on Boutique Hotels and Unique STR Branding

Listen

Episode Bonus

How to Build the Next Generation of Great Vacation Rental Businesses

Listen

Episode 207

From Family Gap Year to Glamping Pioneers: How a 14,000-Mile Bus Trip Changed Their Lives

Listen

Episode 206

From Video Game Designer to Travel Tech Entrepreneur: Philip Kennard on The "Rentalpreneur" Revolution

Listen

Episode 205

The Future of Vacation Rentals: Annie Holcombe on OTAs, Loyalty Programs, and Industry Challenges

Listen

Episode 204

How they Built a Luxury A-Frame in the Highest Incorporated Town in North America

Listen

Episode 203

Building Magical Stays: The Surprising Success of Thematic Vacation Rentals

Listen

Episode 202

The Dark Side of Airbnb: How One Host Lost Everything in a Day

Listen

Episode 201

How He's Building the Kayak.com for Outdoor Travel

Listen

Episode 200

How They're Designing the Ultimate Group Getaway: The Story of Nova Haus

Listen

Episode 199

From Theatre to Travel Tech: How He's Building the Hotel Tonight for Vacation Rentals

Listen

Episode 198

How They Built an Airbnb into the Side of a Mountain (And a Waterfall Too!) — The Story of¬†the River Rock House

Listen

Episode 197

How to Interview the Land (And Other Tips on Building Unique Stays) with Mike Hicks from Wander Chatt

Listen

Episode 196

How They're Building the Airbnb for Houseboats: The Story of FLOHOM

Listen

Episode 195

He's Transformed 600 Homes into Airbnbs — Here's What Matters (And What Doesn't) When Renovating a Short-Term Rental

Listen

Episode 194

Airbnb Gave Her $100,000 to Build a Unique Stay in Idaho — This is the Story of "The Flower Pot"

Listen

Episode 193

How He Created the UK's Most Popular Glamping Site — The Story Behind Secret Garden Glamping

Listen

meet

Zach Busekrus

Zach Busekrus is the Head of the Alliance at Journey, a new kind of loyalty program designed for the modern traveler. In his role, he oversees the product, marketing and growth strategy for the company, building a best in class, first of its kind product that will allow guests to earn and redeem loyalty points on independent hotels, short-term rentals, unique stays and more.

Prior to joining Journey, Zach founded StayWatch, the internet's best place to find deals on stays across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. A talented growth marketer turned entrepreneur, Zach also launched Behind the Stays, a podcast and YouTube channel that he hosts personally, which features the stories of hospitality visionaries shaping the future of travel. Both companies were acquired by Journey in 2024.

Before StayWatch, Zach founded Enrollify, a niche media company serving higher education marketing, which was acquired by Element451 in 2023. Earlier in his career, he spent nearly a decade at Direct Development, a marketing agency specializing in nonprofit and higher education clients, where he honed his expertise in growth marketing and scaling businesses.

With a passion for the attention economy, Zach thrives at the intersection of storytelling, entrepreneurship, and innovation, building businesses that captivate audiences and redefine industries. He currently lives in Washington D.C. with his wife and two children. Connect with Zach on LinkedIn or stream his weekly podcast (Behind the Stays) on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Connect with Zach

What listeners are saying...

Entertaining and So Well Produced!
It’s like “How I Built This” for Hotels and Boutique Stays. The questions Zach asks are incredibly well thought and he has a voice that could put a crying baby at ease. Exceptional pod!
Worth every minute!
Zach provides his listeners with constant value. His interviews bring out both actionable insights along with inspiring stories!
Highly informative and entertaining
One of my favorite podcasts. Zach is a well spoken host, and the episodes are always informative and entertaining. I feel like I learn something new with each one.
My go to show!
Zach created such a great with diverse opinions, voices, properties, and tips. I always find inspiration from the interviews and love Zach’s thoughtful questions!
Zach gets to the good stuff!
This is so engaging to listen to informative to learn from. I love how he dives in and ask the important questions. I always feel like I can take something away from every episode!
Good listen
A good weekly listen about the evolving world of travel and hospitality. Zach does a good job getting to the point with his guests. Really enjoy it.
High Quality
One of the best podcasts in the short-term rental industry! Love his interview style and deep dive interviews.
Super informative!
Zach has amazing content and guests, and is an excellent conversationalist! Love the production quality of the show too.
A+
Zach is engaging, funny, and informative. We need more podcasts like his in our industry.
Fantastic podcast.
Really enjoy listening to Zach interview amazing leaders and founders. Truly enjoy learning from them. Keep up the great work!
Great guests
Zach is a very genuine host, you can see how much he cares about creating a great show and bringing on great guests. For an aspiring STR host or someone who wants to bring their hosting to the next level, this is a great show. It's especially great if you are interested in unique rentals, not the standard single family home or urban condo rental.
Zach is incredible
Zach knows how to dig into the interview, get the juicy facts and learnings and educate listeners with the nuggets that are meaningful. Highly recommend!

Stream the Behind the Stays Video Series

How They're Building the Airbnb for Houseboats: The Story of FLOHOM
How They're Building the Airbnb for Houseboats: The Story of FLOHOM
How They're Building the Airbnb for Houseboats: The Story of FLOHOM
How They're Building the Airbnb for Houseboats: The Story of FLOHOM

Featured Guests

Ben Wolff

Ceo & Founder
Onera

Chris stephenson

Vice President
Marriott International

Kristie Wolfe

Airbnb Creator

travis chambers

Founder
Chamber stays

john andrew
entwistle

Ceo & Founder
Wander

Let the Journey begin!

Help us get started by providing a few more details. Share your property information so we can review your eligibility for the Journey Rewards program.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Now, tell us a little about you

Please provide your contact information below. We'll notify you of your eligibility to join the Journey Rewards program.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Next Step — Chat with Us

Learn more about the Journey Alliance and share your unique story by chatting with our application review team.

After you book your meeting, you'll be prompted to create an account.

Great News!

Your property was nominated and is one step away from being a part of the next generation loyalty platforms built for top independent operators. Please enter your information below:

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Searching for Your Property

Start Hosting the World's Best Guests

Join the world's top 3% of hotel and private rental home operators increasing direct bookings and rewarding their guests with Journey.

Thanks for joining. We'll be in touch soon.
Something went wrong. Please try again.