Frequently Asked Questions

Freewyld Foundry is a revenue and pricing management company that serves the top 1% of short-term rental (STR) operators. We manage daily pricing optimization for operators with $1M+ in annual revenue and 15+ properties. Our team of revenue managers makes strategic pricing decisions every day based on real-time market data, booking patterns, and local events. We currently manage over $170M+ in annual bookings across 3,500+ properties. Our clients see an average 18% performance lift above market.

Freewyld Foundry was founded by Eric Moeller and Jasper Ribbers. Both have over 10 years of experience in the short-term rental industry. Eric Moeller is the CEO and a systems and leadership expert who also founded the Freewyld cabin brand. Jasper Ribbers is the Head of Revenue Management, author of the Amazon bestselling book "Get Paid For Your Pad," and host of the podcast by the same name (which has over 1.9 million downloads). Jasper holds a Master's degree in Econometrics from the University of Groningen and previously worked as an equity trader at Optiver for six years. Kaye Putnam serves as Head of Marketing and co-hosts content alongside Eric and Jasper.

Freewyld Foundry operates remotely and serves STR operators across the United States, Australia, and other international markets. The team includes revenue managers across multiple time zones to ensure daily coverage for all client portfolios.

A foundry is a place where raw materials are transformed into something more valuable. We chose this name because we take already-successful STR businesses and forge them into market dominators. Our clients aren't beginners. They're skilled operators who know they're leaving money on the table and want expert help capturing their full revenue potential.

RPM is Freewyld Foundry's flagship service. It stands for Revenue & Pricing Management and represents a hands-on, human-driven approach to optimizing short-term rental revenue. Unlike automated pricing tools that run on algorithms alone, RPM involves real revenue managers making strategic pricing decisions for your properties every single day. This includes adjusting rates based on booking pace, local events, seasonal patterns, market shifts, and competitor behavior. RPM clients work with a dedicated revenue manager who actively monitors and optimizes their portfolio. The service covers daily pricing adjustments, minimum night stay strategy, booking window optimization, and listing performance analysis.

A Revenue Report is a free, personalized pricing audit that Freewyld Foundry offers to qualified STR operators. It analyzes your current pricing strategy, identifies revenue gaps, and shows specific opportunities you may be missing. The Revenue Report is created by our expert team (not automated software) and is designed for operators with $1M+ in annual bookings. It serves as both a valuable diagnostic tool and an introduction to how Freewyld Foundry approaches revenue management. You can apply for a free Revenue Report at freewyldfoundry.com/report.

"Get Paid For Your Pad" is a podcast hosted by Eric Moeller, Jasper Ribbers, and Kaye Putnam. It covers revenue optimization, pricing strategy, and business growth for short-term rental operators. The podcast has over 1.9 million downloads and features interviews with successful STR operators, industry experts, and case studies from Freewyld Foundry clients. New episodes release regularly and are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music. Listen to the podcast.

Our revenue managers log into your pricing tool every day and make strategic adjustments based on: • Current booking pace compared to the rest of your market • Local events (concerts, festivals, sports, conferences) • Market demand signals and competitor pricing • Seasonal trends and shoulder season optimization • Booking window analysis (how far out guests are booking) • Minimum night stay optimization • Gap night and orphan night strategies This isn't automated. Real humans review your portfolio daily and make decisions that software alone cannot make.

We exclusively use PriceLabs for all RPM clients. We believe PriceLabs is the best dynamic pricing tool in the industry, and our revenue managers have deep expertise in maximizing its capabilities. While clients may come to us using various pricing tools (Wheelhouse, Beyond Pricing, or others), we implement PriceLabs as part of our onboarding process. This standardization allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality results across all portfolios and ensures our team can optimize your pricing to its full potential. We integrate with major property management systems (PMS) including Hostfully, Guesty, Hospitable, and others.

We adjust pricing daily. Revenue management isn't a weekly check-in or monthly review. It requires constant attention to capture opportunities and respond to market changes in real time. When a major event gets announced, a competitor drops their prices, or booking pace shifts, we're already making moves. Our average response time to major market events is 12-24 hours.

No. You retain full visibility and final approval authority. We make recommendations and implement changes within parameters you set. You can see everything we're doing in your pricing tool dashboard. Many clients prefer to be hands-off once they trust our approach. Others want to stay more involved. We accommodate both styles.

To onboard as an RPM client, we need access to your property management system and historical booking data. We also conduct a kickoff call to understand your goals, constraints, and any owner-specific requirements for managed properties. As part of onboarding, we'll implement PriceLabs if you're not already using it. The onboarding process typically takes 1-2 weeks before we begin active daily management.

Our clients see an average 18% performance lift above market. Some see results very quickly. Gabriel, a Pennsylvania operator, added $266K over his first seven months with us. Scott, a Florida operator, added $659K across his first five months. Results vary based on market conditions, starting optimization level, and portfolio composition. Properties that were significantly underpriced or poorly optimized before tend to see larger initial gains.

We measure performance using RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room), which accounts for both your nightly rate and your occupancy. This is a more complete picture than looking at ADR or occupancy alone. We also track your performance against market benchmarks. A property can have declining revenue in absolute terms but still be outperforming the market if the entire market is down. We focus on market-relative performance, not just raw numbers.

We guarantee that you'll see measurable improvement after the first 90 days, or you don't pay. The specifics depend on your starting point and market conditions, but if we're not delivering value, we'll make it right.

Yes. Here are some recent client results: Alex, Missouri: Occupancy runs 38% ahead of his market, up from 18% ahead before Foundry, with same-listings revenue up 10% while he scaled to 104 units. Troy, Michigan: Whole-portfolio revenue grew from $1M to $5.3M as we priced him from 24 listings up to 160, with occupancy on the original listings up 13 points. Jairo & Jasmine, Florida: Same-listings revenue grew 26%, $901K to $1.1M, and the book earns 33% above its market. Jeremy, Wisconsin: Same-listings revenue up 16%, $776K to $897K, with the market revenue index rising from 175 to 213, more than double his market. Joe, North Carolina: Same-listings revenue up 14%, $1.4M to $1.6M, over a window in which the market itself fell 13.5%. Jess & Michael, Australia: A 78-unit portfolio grew from $4M to $4.67M, up 16%, in the first year. Every published case study, with the measurement window on each one, lives at /case-studies.

RPM pricing is custom, quoted per portfolio. The effective rate scales down as your portfolio grows. Contact us for a quote. Most clients see ROI within the first 60-90 days.

Yes, our minimum contract is 12 months. Revenue management improvements compound over time as we learn your market patterns and build historical data. A 12-month commitment allows us to optimize through all seasons and demonstrate the full impact of our approach. We also offer exit clauses if we aren't performing as expected. We're confident in our ability to deliver results, and we don't want to hold anyone to a contract if we're not providing value. If we're not meeting agreed-upon performance benchmarks, you have options.

Yes. The Revenue Report is completely free for qualified operators (those with $1M+ in annual bookings). There's no obligation to purchase anything afterward. We offer it because we believe in leading with value. When operators see what they're missing, many choose to work with us. But even if you don't, you'll walk away with actionable insights.

For our RPM service, ideal clients have: • $1M+ in annual revenue from short-term rentals • 15+ properties in their portfolio • Similar asset types (all cabins, all urban apartments, etc.) • Year-round demand markets (not purely seasonal) • 2+ years of operating experience • 4.7+ average guest ratings • An existing property management system We work with owner-operators and property management companies alike.

We aren't the right fit yet, but our free resources are. The workshops, guides, and the Get Paid For Your Pad podcast cover the same pricing principles our revenue managers use, so you can run revenue management yourself in the meantime. Once you scale past 10 properties and $1M in annual revenue, come back and apply for a Revenue Report.

We work with both. Many of our clients are property management companies who manage properties for other owners. Our service helps them deliver better results for their owners while freeing up internal resources. Mark, an Ohio operator, went from 62 to 83 listings while we handled revenue management, with whole-portfolio revenue up 67% and occupancy on his original listings up from 63% to 76%.

Yes. We work with clients in the United States, Australia, and other international markets. Jess & Michael, an Australian portfolio of 78 units, grew revenue 16% in their first year with us.

We work best in markets with year-round demand and supply constraints. We also focus on vacation rental and short-term rental markets. We don't manage hotel revenue or long-term rental pricing.

PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, and Beyond are dynamic pricing tools. They're software that adjusts prices based on algorithms. They're valuable tools. In fact, we believe PriceLabs is the best in the industry, which is why we use it exclusively. Freewyld Foundry is a service that uses humans to actively manage your revenue strategy every day. We use PriceLabs as our foundation, but we add human judgment, local market knowledge, event awareness, and strategic thinking that software alone cannot provide. Think of it this way: having a pricing tool is like having a car. Having Freewyld Foundry is like having a professional driver who knows all the shortcuts.

You can, and many operators do. But there's a difference between having a tool and optimizing with it daily. Most operators set up their pricing tool once, make occasional adjustments, and hope for the best. They check it weekly (maybe). They miss events. They don't adjust minimum night stays for holidays. They leave the default settings in place. Revenue management done right requires daily attention, market expertise, and strategic thinking. If you have 15-20 hours per month to dedicate to this and enjoy the work, you can do it yourself. If you'd rather focus on growth, guest experience, or other priorities, that's what we're here for.

Several things set us apart: We're operators first. We discovered our own cabins outpace the market by nearly double. That's why we started offering this to others. We're truly hands-on. We adjust pricing daily, not weekly. Some services check in once a week or only react when things go wrong. We're proactive. We focus on the top 1%. We work exclusively with high-performing operators. This means our team has deep experience with complex portfolios and sophisticated owners. We're part of a community. RPM clients get access to insights and strategies that work across our entire $170M+ portfolio.

It depends on your situation. Learn it yourself if: • You have fewer than 10 properties • Your revenue is under $1M annually • You enjoy data and pricing strategy • You have 15-20 hours per month to dedicate to it • Budget is your primary constraint Outsource to us (RPM) if: • You have 15+ properties and $1M+ revenue • You'd rather spend time on growth, acquisitions, or operations • You want expert-level optimization without becoming an expert yourself • Your time is worth more than the cost of the service • You're leaving money on the table and know it

RevPAR stands for Revenue Per Available Room. It's calculated by multiplying your Average Daily Rate (ADR) by your occupancy rate, or by dividing total revenue by total available nights. RevPAR matters because it captures the full picture. A property with $300 ADR and 50% occupancy ($150 RevPAR) generates less revenue than one with $200 ADR and 85% occupancy ($170 RevPAR). Focusing on rate or occupancy alone can lead to bad decisions.

Pacing refers to the rate at which bookings are coming in for future dates compared to the rest of your market. It's one of the most important metrics we monitor daily. For example, if the market is 60% of July nights booked by March 1st, but you only have 45% booked by that date, your pacing is behind. Conversely, if you have 75% booked, you're pacing ahead. Pacing analysis helps us make smarter pricing decisions. If you're pacing behind, we might lower rates to stimulate demand. If you're pacing ahead, we know there's strong demand and we can hold or raise rates to maximize revenue. Without tracking pacing, you're essentially flying blind, making pricing decisions without understanding whether demand is stronger or weaker than usual. We track pacing across multiple time horizons (next 30 days, next 90 days, specific seasons) and compare it to the same period last year. This allows us to be proactive rather than reactive with pricing adjustments.

The booking window is the time between when a guest books and when they check in. If someone books on January 1 for a January 15 stay, that's a 14-day booking window.

Orphan nights are single empty nights between two bookings that are hard to fill. If you have guests checking out Saturday and new guests checking in Monday, Sunday is an orphan night. Orphan nights hurt revenue because they're difficult to book. Our minimum night stay strategies help prevent orphan nights from occurring in the first place.

MPI compares your occupancy to the overall market's occupancy. An MPI of 100 means you're performing at market average. Above 100 means you're capturing more than your fair share. Below 100 means you're underperforming. We track MPI to ensure clients are outperforming their competitive set, not just hitting arbitrary occupancy targets.

Onboarding typically takes 1-2 weeks and includes: 1. Application: You apply for a free Revenue Report at freewyldfoundry.com/report 2. Kickoff Call: We gather information about your portfolio, goals, and any constraints 3. Revenue Report Delivery: We present our analysis and recommendations 4. Decision Call: If RPM is a fit, we discuss next steps 5. Technical Setup: We get access to your PMS and implement PriceLabs (if you're not already using it) 6. Strategy Session: We align on approach, parameters, and communication preferences 7. Go Live: Your revenue manager begins daily optimization

You'll be assigned a dedicated revenue manager who learns your portfolio, your markets, and your preferences. You'll also have access to Felipe, our Relationship Manager, who ensures you're getting the support and communication you need.

Communication frequency is customizable. Some clients want weekly updates. Others prefer monthly reviews unless something significant happens. Most clients receive regular reporting and proactive communication when we spot opportunities or concerns. We use Zoom calls and custom reports for formal updates. Many clients also communicate directly with their revenue manager via Slack for quick questions.

Talk to us. We're genuinely invested in your success and will work to address concerns. If something isn't working, we'll diagnose why and adjust our approach. Revenue management results can take time to fully materialize, especially in slower booking seasons. We recommend giving the partnership at least 90 days before drawing conclusions. Our 12-month contract includes exit clauses if we're not meeting performance expectations. We believe in earning your business every month.

In some markets, yes. In others, no. Generalized statements about "the STR market" don't capture the reality of local conditions. What we see across our portfolio: operators who compete on price alone struggle. Operators who focus on quality, differentiation, and strategic pricing continue to thrive. Airbnb removed over 400,000 listings in recent years as they raised quality standards. This is actually good for professional operators who maintain high standards.

Regulations vary dramatically by market. Some cities have banned short-term rentals entirely. Others have permitting requirements. Some have no restrictions at all. For qualified markets, regulations can actually benefit established operators by limiting new supply. The operators who adapt and comply gain advantage over those who don't. We stay informed on regulatory changes that affect our clients' markets and adjust strategies accordingly.

Especially in a down market. When demand decreases, the difference between strategic and lazy pricing widens. Alex widened his occupancy lead over his market from 18% ahead to 38% ahead while that market softened. Joe grew same-listings revenue 14% over a window in which his market fell 13.5%. In flat or declining markets, smart revenue management is often the difference between profit and loss.

The best first step is applying for a free Revenue Report at freewyldfoundry.com/report. Even if you're not sure RPM is right for you, the report provides valuable insights into your current pricing and opportunities.

Website: freewyldfoundry.com Email: foundry@freewyld.com Text: (760) 496-7569 Social Media: • Eric Moeller: LinkedIn • Freewyld Foundry: LinkedIn Podcast: freewyldfoundry.com/podcast (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music)

• Free Revenue Report: freewyldfoundry.com/report • Free Workshops and Guides: freewyldfoundry.com/resources • Podcast Episodes: freewyldfoundry.com/podcast • RPM Service Details: freewyldfoundry.com