<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Kewl Method Insights</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/insights</link><atom:link href="https://www.kewlmethod.com/rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><description>Notes on brand, search and booking direct, for places worth traveling for.</description><language>en-us</language><item><title>Platform rules change. Your website doesn't.</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/platform-rules-change-your-website-doesnt</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/platform-rules-change-your-website-doesnt</guid><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Airbnb's new rules on contracts, fines and guest information start November 20. They're a reminder that on any platform, the platform sets the terms. Here's what you keep when guests book on your own site.</description></item><item><title>Vrbo Host Fees in 2026: The 12% Commission Explained</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/vrbo-host-fees</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/vrbo-host-fees</guid><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Vrbo host fees moved to a flat 12% on October 29, 2026, charged on cleaning fees too. What owners pay per night and per year, and what to check now.</description></item><item><title>7 pages every vacation rental website needs (most hosts miss #4)</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/7-pages-every-vacation-rental-website-needs</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/7-pages-every-vacation-rental-website-needs</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Guests leave direct booking sites when they can't find what they need. Here are the seven pages that do Airbnb's job for you, and the one most hosts skip.</description></item><item><title>How guests search for a luxury rental (and why they land on Airbnb)</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/how-guests-search-for-a-luxury-rental</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/how-guests-search-for-a-luxury-rental</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Guests planning a special stay search the town, the view and the occasion. Here's where those searches end up, and how your own site gets a seat at the table.</description></item><item><title>Airbnb's 15.5% host fee: what it costs a $600-a-night home</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/airbnb-host-fee-15-5</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/airbnb-host-fee-15-5</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>At $600 a night, Airbnb keeps about $93. Here's what the 15.5% host fee costs two homes a year, and how a custom site built for search wins some of it back.</description></item><item><title>Image as strategy, 2,000 years early</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/cleopatra</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/cleopatra</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Cleopatra managed her image like a brand two thousand years before anyone called it that. What her story teaches about reputation, and how hard it is to repaint one.</description></item><item><title>Fear was the brand strategy</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/blackbeard-brand-strategy</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/blackbeard-brand-strategy</guid><pubDate>Sun, 29 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Blackbeard won most fights without firing a shot. The name, the look and the flag did the work. A branding lesson from the most feared pirate in the Caribbean.</description></item><item><title>Why your customers hate you</title><link>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/why-do-people-hate-their-favorite-businesses</link><guid>https://www.kewlmethod.com/post/why-do-people-hate-their-favorite-businesses</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><description>Most businesses work hard to get people in the door, then forget to give them a reason to like it there. Empathy is the cheapest loyalty program there is.</description></item></channel></rss>
