Meet Francois Gouelo, the founder of Enso Connect, a guest engagement platform that’s reshaping the short-term rental space.

The story behind the founding of Enso Connect starts with a $5,000 mishap during a stay at a vacation rental stay — you’ll have to listen to the full pod for the deets.

During our conversation, Francois argues that there's still a major gap in tech innovation in hospitality despite the proliferation of property management systems, guest experience tools, and smart locks.

We also discuss:

• The importance of integrating technology to automate guest interactions, allowing hosts to focus only on solving real issues like complaints, which in turn lead to happier guests.
• Francois’ breakdown of upsell opportunities that property managers often leave on the table—like early check-ins, late check-outs, and local experiences—which can generate substantial extra revenue with the right timing and approach.
• The value of focusing on deep, high-quality integrations with a few key platforms rather than trying to be everywhere at once.
• And his vision for the future of AI in hospitality,

This episode is packed with insights for anyone curious about the future of hospitality, from tech-savvy property managers to newcomers looking to scale their vacation rental operations.

This episode is brought to you by Enso Connect My new friends at Enso Connect have created a tool that’s putting AI to work in a way that’s saving hospitality pros countless hours every week. Here’s how it works: Enso Connect’s Guest Messaging Insights tool dives into your guest messages across all booking platforms. Using AI, it analyzes these interactions and pulls out hidden opportunities that you might be missing. And the best part? It’s FREE, and you’ll get your personalized report in just 72 hours.

Here’s what this AI-powered report will do for you:

• Analyze your message volume so you can see exactly where your time is going.
• Break down common guest questions, giving you the info you need to improve your property listings and FAQs.
• Provide sentiment analysis to understand how guests feel and spot potential issues before they escalate.
• Offer personalized recommendations that highlight upselling opportunities you might have overlooked, allowing you to tailor your services more effectively.

Get the report

About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you by StayWatch — the internet's best resource for deals on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. You can subscribe, for free, at www.staywatch.ai

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, Co-founder of StayWatch, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee or on LinkedIn.