Buying a short term rental feels like the big decision. You find the property, you run the numbers, you close. But talk to anyone who has done this at scale and they will tell you the same thing. The purchase is the easy part. The operation is where the money is made or lost.
Tim Hubbard has learned this in more than fifty cities. He is the founder of Corzly and the host of the Short Term Rental Riches podcast, and he runs the whole thing remotely from South Brazil. On this episode of the Radical Hospitality Podcast, he sat down with Zeke Freeman to talk about how he built a virtual operation, where technology fits, and what he learned building a hotel in another country.
A Business That Grew Out of Answering Questions
Tim did not set out to start a management company. He bought his first short term rental in California eleven years ago, then expanded into Tennessee and Oklahoma City. When he moved to South America, friends kept asking how he managed everything from a distance. Back then, running a property virtually still sounded difficult to most people.
So he started a podcast to answer those questions in short, actionable episodes. Listeners started asking if he could help with their own properties. His team had extra capacity, and the business grew from there. Corzly became a completely virtual operation, which is exactly why it can serve so many markets at once.
The Structure Behind a Remote Team
Running a remote team well takes structure, not just good hires. Tim breaks Corzly into four groups. There is a guest experience team that handles reception and communication. A listing team that builds and optimizes listings across platforms. A revenue management team that sets the right prices at the right times. And now a development team building software to fill gaps in the market.
His team spans Eastern Europe, Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines, and South America. He is not chasing the cheapest labor. He is looking for the best talent, wherever it happens to be.
A Partnership, Not a Takeover
One idea stands out. Corzly does not own your listings. Many traditional companies do, and if things go wrong, you are locked in. Tim built the opposite. Owners keep their brand and their listings, and all the money goes to them. Corzly handles the core operation on the back end.
The client brings the on the ground team, usually housekeeping and maintenance they already have. Because of that, Corzly charges a discounted management fee. It is not for everyone, but for owners with small portfolios it removes a real problem. You do not have to hire a full time revenue manager or five receptionists just to get proper coverage.
Where AI Helps and Where It Does Not
Tim loves technology, but he is honest about its limits. AI does a good job with simple questions like the wifi password or a door code. It struggles with layered tasks.
Take an early check in request. You have to confirm the property is clean, check that the owner allows it, decide whether a fee applies based on timing, calculate the charge, and send a payment link. No tool does all of that on its own yet, so Corzly built much of it internally, along with escalation rules that route tricky messages to a human.
The upside is real. AI never forgets a detail, and it keeps a consistent tone across a whole team.
The Lesson From Building Overseas
Not everything worked out clean. Tim's boutique hotel project in Medellin, Hotel Vista, has eight beautiful units up and running, with a license for twenty. But permitting changes, neighbor pushback, and long delays stretched it out for years. As his life shifted toward Brazil, he decided to sell his half.
His takeaway is simple. Do not assume that a license means everything will go as planned. The process abroad is different, and he would be far more cautious before building internationally again.
Operations Win
The thread running through the whole conversation is operations. Two identical properties in the same market can earn very different revenue, and the difference usually comes down to how well they are run. You can build something beautiful, but if it is not run well, it is a waste.
There is a lot more in the full episode, including Tim's thoughts on where the market is heading in 2026 and why experience driven properties still have room to grow. Listen to the full conversation with Tim Hubbard on the Radical Hospitality Podcast.
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