IntelliHost: Interview With Founder Jeff Brown About The Revenue Optimization Company

By Amit Chowdhry • Yesterday at 8:00 AM

IntelliHost is a company that provides AI-driven revenue optimization and dynamic pricing tools that help vacation rental owners and managers automatically adjust rates, analyze demand, and maximize profitability. Pulse 2.0 interviewed IntelliHost founder Jeff Brown to gain a deeper understanding of the company.

Jeff Brown’s Background

Jeff Brown

Could you tell me more about your background? Brown said:

“I was born and raised in Utah in a big family, and from an early age my passions were split between music—I’ve played the drums for as long as I can remember—and numbers. I’ve essentially been a data nerd since college. My career started in 2010 as an inventory analyst at Target Corporate, where I learned how powerful data can be in driving high-stakes decisions. I quickly realized the large corporate world wasn’t for me, so I moved into progressively smaller companies where I could move faster and have more impact.”

“In 2014, I joined a startup focused on helping brands improve their performance on Amazon using data and listing optimization, an experience that directly shaped what I’m doing today in the Airbnb space. In 2018, I launched Loma Homes, a vacation rental company known for its extreme themed Airbnbs, and in 2022 I built IntelliHost as an internal tool to help us optimize those listings.”

Formation Of The Company

How did the idea for the company come together? Brown shared:

“The idea for IntelliHost came directly from the pain points I felt as an Airbnb owner. When I launched Loma Homes, the highly immersive, themed vacation rental properties did incredibly well with guests, but we quickly learned that no matter how amazing a home is, it won’t generate revenue if it isn’t being seen and booked on platforms like Airbnb. That visibility problem pushed us to build our own internal analytics tool in 2022 to understand exactly how our listings were performing in search and where we were losing potential guests in the booking funnel. What started as an internal dashboard became the foundation of IntelliHost. In 2023, we opened the platform up to all Airbnb owners, and in 2025, we took a big step by making IntelliHost free to use, with a paid pricing service layered on top.”

Favorite Memory

What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Brown reflected:

“One of my favorite memories was when our team hit $1 million in ARR and we celebrated together in Destin, Florida. We rented a large Airbnb near the beach and invited everyone’s significant others to join. It was more than just a company offsite—it was a chance to see how IntelliHost fits into people’s lives beyond work. Watching team members’ families connect, relax, and enjoy the fruits of what we’ve been building really shifted my perspective. It was a moment where the company stopped being just a “startup” and started feeling like a vehicle for creating meaningful opportunities and experiences for real people. That trip made it clear that IntelliHost isn’t just about revenue or growth metrics; it’s about building something that can genuinely improve lives—our customers’, our partners’, and our team’s.”

Core Products

What are the company’s core products and features? Brown explained:

“IntelliHost is designed to give Airbnb hosts and property managers a clear, data-driven roadmap to more revenue. Our core platform is now completely free and provides a suite of analytics tools for anyone who connects their properties. That includes a booking funnel dashboard that shows exactly where potential guests drop off, an automated Change Tracker to measure the impact of listing edits, a Predictive Pricing tool that estimates booking likelihood by day, and a Search Rank tracker to monitor how you’re trending in Airbnb search results. On top of that, our DeepRank AI analyzes your listing against local competition and delivers actionable recommendations to improve revenue. For customers who want more hands-on support, our paid subscription adds a dedicated account manager and a done-for-you pricing algorithm that uses real traffic data—impressions, clicks, and conversions—to automatically optimize nightly rates.”

Challenges Faced

Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Brown acknowledged:

“Short-term rentals are a fast-moving space, and Airbnb is constantly changing its product, policies, and search algorithms. Those changes can impact how data is surfaced and how effective certain optimization tactics are, which means we can’t afford to be static. Our approach has been to stay extremely lean and nimble. Unlike some competitors that are slowed by complex corporate or investor governance, our team is structured to pivot quickly when something shifts in the market. We regularly update our tools to reflect how guests are actually searching and booking, rather than relying on outdated assumptions. That agility, combined with tight feedback loops from our customer base, allows us to adapt our product and services in weeks, not months. It’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to stay ahead with innovations like traffic-driven, predictive pricing, and AI-powered listing analysis.”

Evolution Of The Company’s Technology

How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Brown noted:

“The biggest evolution in our technology isn’t just what we offer—it’s what we charge for. In the early days, access to high-quality data and analytics was a paid feature. Over time, we realized that the true value we provide is in transforming raw data into clear, actionable insight. As a result, we shifted our model: data and core analytics are now free, and we only charge when we’re actively helping hosts apply that data to drive better outcomes, such as through managed pricing or higher-touch consulting.”

“On the product side, we’ve introduced a traffic-driven predictive pricing engine and AI-based tools like DeepRank AI that automatically surface recommendations based on real guest behavior. This evolution reflects our goal of democratizing pro-level Airbnb optimization—giving every host the same caliber of intelligence that used to be reserved for large, well-funded operators.”

Significant Milestones

What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Brown cited:

“We’ve had a few major milestones that really define IntelliHost’s trajectory. In May 2024, we launched the first traffic-driven pricing algorithm specifically for Airbnbs—similar to how airlines price flights based on demand, but tailored to short-term rentals.”

“This past June, we made IntelliHost completely free to use, removing the paywall around advanced analytics and opening the platform to any host who wants to optimize their listings using real-time performance data.”

“Then, in August 2025, we released DeepRank AI, our first AI-driven system that turns listing and market data into highly targeted revenue-driving insights—helping hosts understand not just what’s happening, but exactly what to do next. Collectively, these milestones have moved us closer to our vision of being the go-to decision engine for vacation rental owners and managers.”

Customer Success Stories

Can you share any specific customer success stories? Brown highlighted:

“We’ve seen hosts at every scale use IntelliHost to unlock substantial gains in revenue and booking performance.”

“For example, one host came to us with strong visibility but poor conversion—lots of page views, not many bookings. By using our booking funnel dashboard and DeepRank AI recommendations, they identified weak spots in their photos and pricing strategy, made targeted changes, and saw a meaningful lift in conversion and revenue in just a few weeks.”

“Overall, many hosts and property managers have used IntelliHost to “dial in” listing changes, understand what’s actually working, and consistently rank higher in search. Many describe the platform as a personal trainer or coach for their listings—translating complex data into straightforward next steps that lead to more bookings and higher ADR.”

Funding/Revenue

Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Brown revealed:

We’re proud to be a bootstrapped company. That means IntelliHost has been built without traditional venture capital, giving us the freedom to focus on long-term value for our customers rather than short-term investor milestones. Despite not raising outside funding, we’re nearing $2 million in annual recurring revenue, which reflects both strong product-market fit and a highly engaged customer base.

Differentiation From The Competition

What differentiates the company from its competition? Brown affirmed:

“Most Airbnb analytics platforms rely heavily on lagging indicators like revenue, ADR, and occupancy. Those are important metrics, but by the time they tell you there’s a problem, it’s often too late to fix it. IntelliHost is unique in that we focus on lead metrics—real-time traffic data such as impressions, clicks, and conversion behavior—so hosts can act before missed revenue becomes inevitable. Our Predictive Pricing engine and optimization tools are built around this live demand signal, helping hosts adjust their listings and rates proactively rather than reactively.”

“We also differentiate on accessibility: IntelliHost’s core analytics are free, so smaller, independent hosts get the same caliber of intelligence as large professional managers. Combined with our AI-driven recommendations and dedicated account management options, we’re not just another dashboard—we’re a decision partner for data-driven hosts.”

Future Company Goals

What are some of the company’s future goals? Brown concluded:

“Our long-term vision is to become the single platform that any vacation rental owner or manager can rely on for data and decision-making. That means continuing to enhance our analytics, AI insights, and pricing capabilities so hosts never have to stitch together multiple tools to answer basic questions about performance, strategy, or growth. We’re also focused on expanding our footprint across markets and customer segments while keeping the product accessible, intuitive, and free at the core. From a business standpoint, we’ve set an internal goal to double our revenue by the end of 2026. Achieving that isn’t just about hitting a number. It’s about proving that a host-first, data-driven model can scale sustainably and become the standard in the short-term rental industry.”