How I Fought Back Against Bad Airbnb Reviews (And Won!) - with Islam Elgarhi

How did one property cover an entire mortgage—and spark a 30-property empire?

In this episode of the Smart Stay Show, We sit down with Islam Elgarhi, a short-term rental investor and entrepreneur, to uncover how he turned a chance discovery into a thriving business.

From scaling his portfolio with smart systems to creating an AI tool that helps hosts tackle unfair reviews, Islam shares his secrets for success. Plus, we explore how his martial arts background has shaped his mindset for resilience and growth in the fast-paced world of Airbnb hosting.

If you’re ready to learn how innovation and discipline can transform your short-term rental game, this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable insights!

Things we discussed in this episode:

• Islam Elgarhi's accidental entry into the short-term rental market by renting out his upstairs unit on Airbnb.
• The rapid growth of Islam's portfolio from 1 property to over 30 properties, through a partnership with his brother and a friend.
• The importance of developing robust systems and processes to efficiently manage a growing short-term rental business.
• Islam's use of outsourcing to a team in Pakistan and later virtual assistants in the Philippines to handle guest communication and operational tasks.
• The challenges of dealing with negative Airbnb reviews and Islam's development of an AI-powered tool to help analyze reviews and provide guidance on removal.
• The strategy of encouraging detailed negative reviews from guests in order to build a stronger case for review removal.
• The benefits of promptly handling damage claims to avoid retaliatory reviews from guests.
• Islam's background in martial arts, including grappling and MMA, and how it has influenced his entrepreneurial mindset and success.
• The correlation between Islam's achievements in martial arts and his entrepreneurial success, and the importance of balancing these two passions.
• The potential for AI to streamline the review removal process and reduce the need for human intervention, while also highlighting the importance of human interaction in prompting and refining AI tools.

Get in touch with Islam:

• Linkedin -   / islam-elgarhi  
• Instagram -   / islamelgarhi  
• Website - https://modernstayconsulting.com/
• Website - https://www.reviewlawyer.ai/
  
  

➢ Subscribe:    / @smartstayshow  

• 0:00:00 Accidental Airbnb Success
• 0:00:29 Building a Short-Term Rental Empire
• 0:01:02 Developing AI Tools for Reviews
• 0:01:59 Introducing Islam Elgarhi
• 0:03:03 Growing Up in Bayonne, New Jersey
• 0:04:12 Investing in Egypt's Skilled Labor
• 0:06:40 Scaling to 30+ Properties
• 0:09:26 Developing Efficient Systems
• 0:16:33 The Rise of Virtual Assistants
• 0:19:11 Battling Negative Airbnb Reviews
• 0:26:44 Balancing Entrepreneurship and Martial Arts