The Skill Bridge Program will be a 5 and a half month internship (24 weeks total) and will consist of the following modules. Maven Management, LLC will generally follow the timeline below, but might alter timelines as appropriate based on candidate interest, performance, and training opportunities available.

Weeks 1-8: Asset protection is the foundation of a property management company and is comprised of two key components: Maintenance and Security.

1a. Maintenance, Week 1-4: The candidate will learn what routine maintenance components are required to keep properties of varying ages in guest-ready condition. The candidate will practice generating maintenance timelines, interviewing subcontractors, and scheduling, coordinating, and monitoring maintenance activities.

Goal of weeks 1-4: Develop a foundational knowledge of the required maintenance for each property and understand the required oversight to keep the units rent ready at all times.

1b. Security, Week 5-8: The second component of asset management deals with monitoring and securing a distributed property portfolio. This is challenging as short-term rental properties do not have full-time staff on site. The candidate will get exposure in technology-based security including security camera setup and automation, smart-lock setup and automation, and best practices for limiting guest and credentialed staff access to the properties.

Goal of weeks 5-8: Develop a foundational knowledge of asset protection and how to provide remote oversight of properties.

DIGITAL MARKETING, Weeks 9-16: With the rise of companies like AirBnb, short-term rental marketing has fundamentally changed. In the past a guest might want to stay in a Hilton, Four Seasons, or Super 8. These brands have different meanings to a consumer and potential guests understand the difference. The same variation exists within sites like AirBnb, but the industry is so new that potential guests are not as easily able to differentiate the properties available. How does a property stand out in this crowd? How do you generate advantageous SEO on the varying short-term rental websites? How do you set up a property to attract its optimized clientele and who are those clientele to begin with? We’ll address these questions with an in-depth study of SEO, online marketing, and property setup in addition to giving the candidate first-hand exposure analyzing and preparing properties to go to market.

Goal of weeks 9-16: Develop a foundational knowledge of digital marketing and how it is best optimized in regards to short-term rentals.

REVENUE MANAGEMENT, Weeks 17-20: Building on the experience from the marketing module, the candidate will learn the intricacies of capturing maximum revenue from a property. Gone are the days of charging a flat nightly rate for a property. The luxury short-term rental market has adopted the best practices from major airline and hotel brands, including advanced dynamic pricing strategies. The candidate will get exposure to multiple dynamic pricing software solutions, learn how to manipulate them, develop algorithms to complement these software solutions, and ultimately implement these strategies for various properties in the Maven portfolio.

Goal of weeks 17-20: Develop a foundational knowledge of maximizing and tracking revenue for a rental portfolio.

HOSPITALITY, Weeks 20-24: How do you generate a warm, hospitable experience despite a digital barrier? How do you communicate with guests in a memorable and delightful way? Perhaps most importantly, how do you resolve conflict when the guest has a bad stay? The candidate will get exposure to best hospitality practices, preferred content for developing this skill set, and will have the opportunity to deliver enlightened hospitality to our guests firsthand.

Goal of weeks 20-24: Develop a foundational knowledge of how to optimize digital hospitality.

SALES (optional & concurrent with other training). With a comprehensive picture of our business, the candidate will have the opportunity to explore strategies to grow the business. This will include observing sales calls, meetings, and appointments. Additionally, we will show the candidate how to prospect for business, identify potential clients, and begin marketing campaigns to eventually bring them into our business.

INDUSTRY EXPOSURE (optional & concurrent with other training). The short-term rental industry is highly integrated with other aspects of the real estate industry at large. Homebuilders build these properties, commercial builders have a direct impact on their revenue, and real estate agents facilitate transactions for the home owners. If interested, the candidate will have the opportunity to observe several other aspects of the real estate industry through Maven Management, LLC’s business relationships. This could include job shadowing a homebuilder, hotel operator, neighborhood developer, or sales agent.

LICENSING (optional & concurrent with other training). If the candidate chooses, he will be given time to pursue licensing in any area of real estate he finds appealing at the end of the Skill Bridge experience. Classes and tests will be an out-of-pocket expense for the candidate, but Maven Management, LLC will facilitate a schedule that accommodates this professional growth.

At the end of the training, the candidate will have a comprehensive background in luxury property management. These skills will make him very competitive for a job with any property management company including Maven Management, LLC. Additionally, these skill sets transcend the real estate industry. If the candidate chooses to enter a different industry, revenue management, sales, and hospitality training generally transfer very well to other companies.