Learn to run a short-term rental business, starting with your first listing.
Prodigy Host Academy is an online coaching program. We teach the methods our founders use in their own Vancouver hosting company: co-listing other people's properties, rental arbitrage, and buying property to rent short-term.
We provide education and coaching. We don't manage properties for the public, and we don't guarantee income.
Since 2018, our founders' hosting company, Iconic Retreats, has taken in more than $5 million in booking fees, hosted over 3,000 guests, and earned more than 1,000 five-star reviews.
Three ways into short-term rentals
Most students start with the option that needs the least money and add the others as they gain experience. The program covers all three, step by step.
Co-listing
You host other people's properties on short-term rental platforms for a share of the booking revenue, typically 20–30%. It's how our founders started, with very little money and no real estate experience. We cover finding owners, pitching your service, writing agreements, and running the listing day to day.
- Startup capital
- Low
- Main risk
- Your time and reputation
Rental arbitrage
You lease a property, with the landlord's written permission, and rent it to short-term guests. You owe the rent whether or not the calendar fills, so the numbers need to work before you sign. We teach the pricing and listing methods that help cover the rent, and how to check local short-term rental rules first.
- Startup capital
- Medium
- Main risk
- Fixed rent and furnishing costs
Buying property
You buy a property to operate as a short-term rental. It has the highest potential return and the most risk. Using the financial models Shaun built from his banking career, we show you how to estimate what a property could earn, how financing works, and what lenders look for in an application.
- Startup capital
- High
- Main risk
- Debt and changes in the market
Taught by hosts who still run the business
Shaun Ghavami and Ari Rahmanian started with a spare bedroom in Shaun's rented apartment, listed for $65 a night. With almost no savings, they began hosting other people's homes for a share of the bookings, and built that into Iconic Retreats.
Today Iconic Retreats oversees the short-term rental of more than $100 million in premium real estate in the Vancouver area. The program teaches the same pricing, listing, and operations methods they use there.
What students get
Self-paced lessons written for complete beginners, live coaching three evenings a week, and the templates and models we use ourselves.
Pricing
How to find the nightly rate that fills your calendar without leaving money behind, by season, day of the week, and local demand.
Listing setup
Titles, descriptions, photos, and settings that affect where a listing shows up in search. For students who qualify, our team builds and prices the first listing with you.
Finding your niche
Choosing a market and a type of guest before you spend money, so your listing stands out and you avoid costly false starts.
Deal analysis
Professional-grade financial models for estimating a property's revenue, costs, and break-even point, built by Shaun from his banking background.
Systems and software
Guest messaging, cleaning schedules, and pricing tools, and how to automate the repetitive parts of running listings.
Working with owners
How to find property owners, present a co-listing offer, and keep the relationship on good terms.
Financing basics
How short-term rental purchases are usually financed and what banks want to see on a loan application.
Coaching and community
Live group coaching calls every Monday to Wednesday evening, and a private Facebook group with other students.
A note on results. Short-term rental income isn't guaranteed. What you earn depends on your market, local regulations, the money you have to start with, and the work you put in. Figures on this site describe our founders' own company, not what students should expect.