In View Of Airbnb Disaster In Canada…

Perhaps you’ve seen the reports. A young couple renting out their newer single family house for the first time in Calgary rushes back to home last Monday (with police) to find an absolute disaster. A total loss that includes furniture and clothes. It’s international news at this point.
While we certainly can’t prevent everything negative from happening as Airbnb hosts, here’s what I try to do with advance planning:
Verifications. I have the highest setting available on website. If a potential guest can’t fill out an entire profile, he/she won’t be staying in any of my homes.
Communication. Always review the tone, details and overall sense of what messaging is REALLY saying. Tell Tale signs of a problem guest include unusual or out of ordinary questions during inquiry phase.
Repetitive Information. What this means is simple – as people are getting worse at paying attention these days, the most important points regarding my listings are repeated throughout the page. In one case, I say it four times. This way there is absolutely no argument when a guest arrives without a house manual 5 hours before check-in (and many other things that happen!).
Instant Book Limitation. Only guests with positive reviews can utilize that feature.
Have a great month, everyone. Season is almost over!

GD

Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner just gave the best awards show acceptance speech ever

Hmmmm, kind of douchey, actually.

Sonny Bonoho – A Name You Should Know

I’ve been a fan and a friend to Sonny Bonoho for many years. It began one night in a gritty club in downtown Seattle.

Daddy O (StetsaSonic, MCA – Mary J. Blige, etc.) and I walked in after Neema from Unexpected Arrival asked that we come through. A kid with jean shorts, Elton John’s glasses and cowboy boots had just walked onto the stage. About two songs in Daddy O and I looked at each other and just about said it at the same time  – This Is The Kid.

Finally, after 12 years of his very hard work, Sonny Bonoho is breaking through. His recent association with Russell Simmons/Steve Rifkind/ADD hasn’t hurt one bit.

Enjoy.

Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs Is Open For Business

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GENE DEXTER 🕶️ (@thedexterexperience)

Alright,  in 8 minutes the place will have been in operation for one full day, so please take this post with a huge chunk of sea salt. That said, here is what I find –

It’s a definate soft opening, meaning no Palm Springs focused weekend plan or Grand schedule of anything, with exception of a quiet event last Thursday night that included luminaries such as Andy Dick & Carol Channing. If you don’t know by now; as long as Carol Channing is around – you bring Carol Channing. There is no arguement. You just bring Carol Channing. Other than that nada. Crickets come to mind.

The hotel gueslist this weekend is a cross sector of beautiful young things and the Over 40 crowd asking ourselves if there’s a quiet area anywhere in this venue. There are two – the valet parking area in driveway and your room.

Usually with Hospitality/Industry Openings there is a high energy among staff – overly done attention, too solicitious and frankly, a bit canned. Not here. In fact, it feels like someone’s backyard party. Sort of serve yourself. That is, if you had access to any of the four bars I counted between Lobby and pool area. This of course has its downside. No one has bothered to clear 7 out of 8 tables set between bar and pool. There is no system or timing standard in place for greeting, First Order, or checkbacks. Quite relaxed in a relaxing town.

Bright and new white and blue towels for the pool people. Lots of them. Colors so clean and bright you immediately take notice how it clashes with the beige/mauve hotel exterior Hard Rock didn’t bother to change from when it was the Zozo. Hey, they were in a hurry. They did alot already, besides, the deck chairs face the pool, don’t worry about old DNA behind you.

I’m looking for the leads. These are the management types at the front door, the walkers who make eye contact to let you know they see everything and are seriously looking out for you. The point of contacts that will keep you coming back to a place like this. None found here.

The Lobby bar is lovely, chic, comfortable, welcoming. The restaurant is going to be a busy room for sure.

My guest today, a rather well regarded musician, scoffs at the drum set display, calling it an atrocious layout. I wouldn’t know.

All in all, this is huge for Palm Springs and it’s going to set a new era in motion. La Plaza, Palm Canyon and even the gay gulch of Arenas Road is going to feel the powerful economic energy Hard Rock Hotel will be throwing off for sure.

Be patient. And smile. You’re in Palm Springs for heaven’s sake.

Can we stop praising Macklemore now? (Why?)

What exactly has he appropriated? A genre of music? The last time I checked, music is music. It is what it is.

I’m sorry Macklemore caught you by surprise, missing the 10+ years he’s spent nightly in Seattle developing his material, stage show, and brand. Sorry you missed his breakthroughs and milestones in hiphop, including the miracle that is The Town, from 2009. Sorry you overlooked the SharkFace Gang Movement, where the bulk of his fans locked arms several years before this blog hate.

All I’m reading here is how you don’t care for Macklemore’s music. Fair enough. The rest of your drivel is misplaced, uninformed and perhaps ignorant. No one, including Rick Ross and Maybach Music seemed to share your concern when Mack toured for a full year leading to Thrift Shop by
Opening for him and other A list rappers. And yes, that tour and brand building was global. It was his talent and his Seattle team that got him there, not some minstrel show.

Macklemore has earned every inch of music industry real estate he had coming to him. There were no shortcuts here.

He and his team own 100% of it too. You don’t have to be anything but smart to do that, although I’m sure you’ll think of some clever spin as to how that was pulled off too. Next you’ll tell me he “appropriated” good business sense?

Puleez.

Choosing a Real Estate Agent

As a highly experienced Realtor with the requisite awards and classifications to show for it, I have found that at the end of the day, this is a referral based business. Relationships and reputation trump tech bells and whistles, each and every time.  

 

I conduct business in markets where home owners and buyers know who their community real estate players are like they know sports teams and top field performers. If you are not in one of those places, an excellent street level and unscientific method is to see who’s names are consistently found on For Sale signs throughout the neighborhood. But make sure there is an occasional “In Escrow” or “Sold” banner on top of those posts, as you don’t want to see many listings that are simply not moving. This is especially true when seeking a Sellers (listing) agent.

 

For buyers, it’s a little more work, but your network is your first point of contact.. Once you have several names, the research is as simple as Google makes it. The best agents have a positive record of successful transactions, a strong online presence and always willing to refer you to the best fit if you are seeking a home in unfamiliar territory or type of property. The lakefront specialist may not be your condominium resource in the city, but the best, ethical and smart Realtor knows who is.

 

A word of advice if I may. While many Realtors understand the value of information and putting out as much as possible about their listings, you will want your own representation with the offer. It is the job of the listing agent to sell the features functions and benefits of what you are looking at – your own agent’s value is in the negotiation and truth of that information.

SoLoMo Consulting

Do you need a real estate agent when you start looking for a house? What makes a good real estate agent? Is good relative to whether you are buying or selling?

 From my new Kindle eBook Buying a House Using Apps, Maps and Location Based Services: (In case you weren’t aware, you don’t need to own a Kindle, you can download free software for your PC, tablet or mobile from Amazon.)

“I’m very harsh on real estate agents. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because of how they call every small house ‘charming’ and every run-down house a ‘great fixer-upper’. Just once, I’d like them to show me a house and declare, ‘This one’s a piece of crap’.” – Stephan Pastis

I recently wrote a review on a new iPad application from Auckland Realtor, Barfoot & Thompson. You can read the review here. The application comes…

View original post 886 more words

This Should Have Been The Seattle Video Of Summer 2013

Honestly, I don’t know what’s up with the marketplace today. This video says everything. Noir’ish, jazzy, Pulp Fiction’ish, and a huge statement about the commodity of hiphop culture, as presented by the new Blues Brothers.

I love it.

Meet The Bad Tenants.

What The New Music Business Looks Like.

Proving yet again how It’s About The Content, Stupid – the ADD – All Def Digital channel has made moves this week with an exclusive video distribution deal with Seattle artist, Sonny Bonoho.

We’re watching how this plays out closely. Never known for being idle, Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind have collaborated to meet the demands of new music Industry independance and experiment with this brave new world of record promotion.

They haven’t signed Sonny’s music. They signed his video.

Yes. His video.

This is a profound shift and one that needs to be studied.

And yes, Content is still King.

In the meantime; Seattle loves you Sonny Bonoho. Congratulations. Well deserved.

How To Create A Hit Record In 7 Seconds

Artists take note. Vine has changed the music game. Combine comedy videos by Dem White Boyz on Vine and this Single – ‘EARTHQUAKE’ by DJ Fresh vs Diplo – and voila, you’re now part of a viral campaign that builds out this record.

If I were you, I’d start putting together your visuals and beats immediately. This is the new music marketing tool.

Take heed. Twerking pays. 

The Paula Deen Equation

The Paula Deen Equation

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ – link to an interesting blog post.

Trying to see both sides as I don’t know a thing about what really happened and I appreciate your research, and am taking your word for it how you did look into documents. However, links and infographic proving your points would have been compelling. I’m sure Ms. Deen is a nice person, but what exactly was taken out of context in transcripts? Where exactly can we find examples of media distortion vs. the truth? Perhaps we’ll learn more from a publication such as Vanity Fair, as this post doesn’t really present a good defense. In fact, for those of us in the west, it supports the idea that the south has its own set of rules and hasn’t yet caught up with the idea that most of us outside of, say, rap music circles, find use of certain words disgusting and inappropriate, no matter how wonderful a work environment or interpersonal relationship seems to be.

And yes, an apology video for something Ms. Deen didn’t do? A huge mistake. Perhaps her own Stand Your Ground strategy would have kept some of the wolves at bay. I for one am under the impression that Ms. Deen and her PR team are clueless as to how that appeared to open minded but confused people like me. It may go down as a a Tammy Fay viral, but is it the truth?