Exploring Life & Business with Brad Greiner of Open Air Homes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Greiner.

Hi Brad, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up playing water polo and swimming. Those sports taught me discipline, teamwork, and how to stay calm under pressure. Competing at a high level playing water polo at UCLA shaped how I approach work and life.

After college I moved to New York. I learned a lot there about business and hustle. When I returned to Los Angeles, I was producing movies and living with friends in a house I owned in the Hollywood Hills. Airbnb was new, and we put an extra room we had for rent on the site. This lead to the creation of Open Air Homes years later.,

I started Open Air Homes to build a different kind of property management company. We focus on high quality homes, great design, and hospitality that feels personal. Our model mixes short term and monthly rentals so we can maximize income while protecting homes. We operate in Los Angeles and Palm Springs with local teams on the ground in both cities.

Running a small company means I still do a bit of everything. I work on pricing strategy, homeowner onboarding, guest experience, and partnerships. I care a lot about clear communication, honesty, and alignment with homeowners. We aim for consistent five star experiences for our guests, and that starts when I meet a homeowner and try to make it clear to them just how important the guest experience is for success.

Today I split my time between sales and strategy. I’m focused on scaling responsibly, improving our systems, and making sure our homes feel like places guests love to return to.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The Short Term Rental industry has very low barriers to entry for newcomer hosts. This is positive from a point of view that anyone can build a business like mine, but also negative in that there is always a newcomer that will come in, cut rates and over promise to homeowners what they can deliver. They end up failing and it hurts the industry as a whole.

This overall leads to an industry where you have a lot of newcomers doing less than great work, which gives a bad reputation for the industry itself. It’s a very tough industry as it is that requires having a team on 7 days a week, no different than a hotel. So we have seen a lot of reputational damage to the industry, because when a guest stays in a home one time and it’s a terrible experience, they are going to go back to hotels forever.

As an industry, we need to do hospitality better, and I think the sites are starting to reward the hosts that are consistently doing great work by giving them increased visibility, which leads to higher occupancy for our homeowner partners.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Open Air Homes ?
Open Air Homes is a property management company based in Los Angeles and Palm Springs. We manage a portfolio of luxury homes that are available for both short-term and monthly rentals. Our goal is to combine the professionalism of a Real Estate brokerage with the hospitality of a boutique hotel.

We specialize in creating seamless rental experiences for both guests and homeowners. Guests know us for well-designed homes, thoughtful details like stocked coffee and tea stations, and consistent five-star service. Homeowners know us for transparency, strong revenue and occupancy management, and protecting their homes as if they were our own.

What sets us apart is our consistency in offering 5-star guest experiences. It has been my commitment since I started the business to ensuring guests have a positive stay. We have a 4.9 star rating on Airbnb over the course of 13 years, which is very hard to maintain this entire time as the company continues to grow and add inventory. We are committed to getting the guest experience on point in each of our homes, and I think our consistency is what sets us apart.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the trust we’ve built. We’ve earned and maintain Superhost status on Airbnb, and many of our listings are ranked as Guest Favorites. Those badges aren’t marketing fluff — they’re based on guest reviews, booking conversions, and reliability.

If readers remember one thing about Open Air Homes, it’s that we combine design, hospitality, and compliance with local laws. We don’t cut corners, and we don’t treat this like a side hustle. My team is salaried and dedicated to building this business. one happy guest at a time. Our homes are meant to feel inspiring, comfortable, and cared for. Places where guests create great memories, and where homeowners can feel confident their investment is in good hands.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I have lived all over Los Angeles, and am now settled in Venice Beach. What I love most, is that in Venice I don’t have to drive nearly as much as I did in the rest of LA.

In Venice, I am able to walk significantly more. and I have a bike so I can both exercise along the beach path, and leave my car for longer stretches of time. Venice makes this possible, and it’s the only area I have lived in LA that feels like this.

Bring back the rain in LA. That’s what I dislike – I remember growing up we had a lot more rain, which made everything greener. We are now in the dusty phase of life in LA, and I would appreciate some more rain.

Pricing:

• Commission on bookings: 20% of the nightly rate
• 76% LA Occupancy: Compared to the city average of 45.6%
• 102% Longer Average Stay: Guests stay 9.7 days with us versus the 4.8-day market average
• 153% More Page Views on Airbnb: Almost three times the impressions of comparable homes
• 60% Higher Conversion: We turn 18 bookings per 10,000 search impressions versus the market’s 11

Contact Info:

• Website: https://openairhomes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openairhomes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/openairhomes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@openairhomes
• Other: For Bookings: https://reserve.openairhomes.com/

Image Credits
Paul Barnaby