Five Key Principles to Successful Property Management with Ashley Ching of Inhaven

In this episode of The Vacation Rental Show, host Lynell Gordon sits down with Ashley Ching, Founder and CEO of Inhaven, to explore a comprehensive case study that reveals why national hospitality management companies consistently fail—and what property managers can learn from these patterns. Through extensive research and interviews with executives across vacation rental, hotel, and restaurant industries, Ashley has identified five key principles that separate successful property management operations from those destined for failure. From Vacasa's recent struggles to Resort Quest's historical challenges, this analysis provides actionable insights for property managers seeking sustainable growth without repeating the mistakes of their predecessors. This episode is sponsored by Streamline.

In this episode of The Vacation Rental Show, host Lynell Gordon speaks with Ashley Ching, Founder and CEO of Inhaven, about a comprehensive case study revealing why national hospitality management companies consistently fail and the five key principles that determine success in property management scaling.

What you'll learn:

The "4 out of 5 drive-by properties" rule that determines operational success and why exceeding 20% problem properties becomes toxic
How similar demand drivers across portfolio properties enable true economies of scale versus creating operational complexity
Why managing relationships with 300+ property owners creates decision-making paralysis and resource allocation problems
The strategic functions that should remain local versus administrative tasks that can be centralized without degrading service quality
How empowering local hospitality professionals prevents brain drain and maintains service excellence
Real-world examples from Vacasa, Aimbridge, Resort Quest, and successful companies like Panda Express and Chick-fil-A

Ashley Ching is Founder and CEO of Inhaven, a hospitality platform dedicated to helping professional vacation rental property managers deliver consistent quality and exceptional guest experiences. With previous experience as Head of Merchandising at The Company Store at The Home Depot, Ashley brings deep retail and hospitality expertise to vacation rental standardization challenges. Inhaven provides three integrated solutions: sourcing high-quality bed, bath, and kitchen essentials; simplifying inventory management and restocking; and promoting quality standards through direct booking platforms. Ashley's extensive research into hospitality management failures spans vacation rental, hotel, and restaurant industries, providing unique insights into scaling challenges across service sectors.

This episode is sponsored by Streamline.

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Previous guests include: Jim DeVos of Best Beach Getaways, Stacy Wesson of Cascara Vacation Rentals, Michael Friedman of The Simple Life Hospitality, Steve Caron of Inhabit, John An of TechTape, Jessica Gillingham of Abode Worldwide, Justin Ford of Breezeway, Mahwussh Alam of One Perfect Stay, Lisa Stinnett of Inhabit, and many more.

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