Internal. Do not forward.

Wheelhouse Services: Battlecard and Plan to Win

Pacer sales enablement. Prepared Oct 18, 2026 (MT).

Download one-pager PDF

Prepared Sun Oct 18, 2026 (MT) by CRO for Jon Latorre. DRAFT ONLY. Nothing here has been sent, posted, or shared. Research used public sources only, plus Jon's own Gmail and Attio (read-only) for Pacer-internal context, marked as such.

How to read this doc


0. TLDR INTERNAL

  1. Wheelhouse Services is real, small, and Casago-born. Three named RMs on the public page, led by Shannon Higgins (Head of RM Services, ex-Vacasa Pricing & Yield Manager). Publicly launched Oct 2, 2026. Their clients are buying responsiveness and a named person. That is the bar to beat, not just expertise.
  2. Lead line: "They tune price and min stay inside one tool. Pacer runs the whole revenue function." Public evidence backs Jon most clearly on fee strategy (no vendor services page lists it) and tool independence. RevMax and Beyond do list discounts, OTA-specific pricing, distribution and listing optimization, so there we win on depth, not absence (section 2b).
  3. Correction to the brief: the $6.5M to $7.8M figure is Plumlee Gulf Beach Realty (a projection, "pacing almost 20% higher"), not Lewis Realty. Lewis Realty is +28.8% rental revenue, +20% booked nights, ADR $386 to $412 (+7%). The Wheelhouse Services page shows both in one block.
  4. CasaCon (Nov 10 to 12, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans) is the battlefield. Wheelhouse co-sponsors the welcome reception. Pacer is a registered vendor showcase. Lizz Hopson offered Pacer four Revenue Growth sessions. Jon asked for "Beyond the Algorithm" on Oct 14 and has no reply yet.
  5. The Casago franchisee sheet (Jon's Drive, as of 9/25/26) drives the target list in section 5. The top three books: Casago Coastal NC with Key West, MBN Brands (Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head), and ACME/Jason Pratts. Only one row (Bolivar San Antonio) confirms Wheelhouse as its RMS. The column is mostly blank.
  6. Casago's corporate side already sends franchisees an owner report ("made by Casago using KeyData and Claude," per Shane, relayed by Justin in ClickUp Oct 16). Our owner report has to beat that one, and Wheelhouse's charts, to be the demo hook.

1. Snapshot of Wheelhouse Services INTERNAL, facts are external-safe if cited

Fact Source
Publicly launched Oct 2, 2026, alongside "Wheelhouse: Build," 48 hours before VRMA. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrewkitchell_today-were-sharing-two-powerful-additions-activity-7511877642036355072-6Bgn
Kitchell: "Services is the public launch of a team we started 12 months ago, to better serve existing clients who need more revenue support... We started this team to serve Casago franchisees." Names Shannon Higgins, Jake Creasey, Christopher Nauert. Same post
Kitchell also wrote that "many of our favorite teams to serve in the industry are our revenue shops." Signal: Wheelhouse wants to keep RM firms as software customers while competing with them. Same post
Public page headline: "Your revenue strategy, managed." Promises a dedicated RM partner, "backed by Wheelhouse's pricing technology, market intelligence, and portfolio data." https://www.usewheelhouse.com/services
Cadence. Daily: performance review, intake vs plan. Weekly: pickup reports, audit rotation, settings/segments/tags review, booking window adjustments, season breakdown. Monthly: client report plus a 1-hour call, special event pricing, end-of-month settings review. https://www.usewheelhouse.com/services
Team listed on the page: Shannon Higgins (Head of RM Services), Jake Creasey (Senior RM), Chris Nauert (Senior RM). Total headcount not published. https://www.usewheelhouse.com/services
No Services pricing published. Software is public: Pro Flex 1% of revenue, Pro Flat $19.99 per listing per month, with volume tiers. Accounts with 50+ listings get full onboarding. https://www.usewheelhouse.com/pricing
A third-party review notes that buyers have to get a separate Services quote and split the software cost from the people cost. https://www.rakidzich.com/articles/best-airbnb-revenue-management-companies-ranked-2026
Services case study 1: Lewis Realty, Topsail Island NC, about 160 properties. Published Jun 29, 2026. Rental revenue "up almost 28.8%," booked nights +20% "from the same time last year," ADR $386 to $412 (about 7%). Their RM is Shannon. No same-store or methodology note. https://www.usewheelhouse.com/blog/lewis-realty-case-study
Services case study 2: Plumlee Gulf Beach Realty, Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach FL, about 165 units. Updated Aug 20, 2026. Revenue "pacing to be almost 20% higher," "projecting an increase from about $6.5 million to $7.8 million." Their RM is Jake Creasey. The program was first sold to them through a different company, and Wheelhouse took it over mid-onboarding. https://www.usewheelhouse.com/blog/plumlee-case-study
Casago named Wheelhouse its "Exclusive Pricing and Revenue Management Partner" after a 12-month review. Rollout across the franchise network and ex-Vacasa markets was set to finish by early 2026. Steve Schwab cited the "hybrid model that empowers our local markets to customize pricing strategy." https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250729538820/en/Casago-Selects-Wheelhouse-as-Exclusive-Pricing-and-Revenue-Management-Partner
Wheelhouse Build: API and MCP opened to all users and free until at least year end. A Casago franchise (Casago Desert to Coast) is quoted as having built an MCP on the RM API that "our whole team now uses." https://www.usewheelhouse.com/api-mcp-skills-overview
The pitch line "Rather not build? Expert revenue management, done for you." Not found on the public /services, /pricing, home, or API pages in today's crawl. It may be in the launch video or a JS-rendered nav. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm source of this line] Checked: usewheelhouse.com pages above
X (built-in x connector): no posts found about Wheelhouse Services or its team since Jun 1, 2026. The only Kitchell hit was hackathon content. x search, Oct 18, 2026

Casago context that matters:


2. Team research INTERNAL ONLY

All public sources. These are facts, not judgments. The read at the end is internal inference, so treat it that way.

Shannon Higgins, Head of Revenue Management Services

Jake Creasey, Senior Revenue Manager

Chris (Christopher) Nauert, Senior Revenue Manager

Adjacent Wheelhouse people (not named on the Services page)

Internal read (inference, do not repeat externally)


2b. Category: tool-vendor services teams INTERNAL ONLY

Jon's view: Beyond, RevMax and Wheelhouse services teams tune price and min stay inside their own tool. None of them work fee-to-rate ratios. None go as deep as Pacer on merchandising, promotions, OTA programs, reviews, owner support, or Portal-style tooling. Below is what each public service page actually says, checked Oct 18, 2026.

On "feed rate ratios": I read this as fee-to-rate ratios, meaning cleaning, service, pet and other fees relative to the nightly rate and total guest price. A second reading is possible: rate "feeds" to channels, meaning OTA rate parity or channel markups. If Jon meant that one, the evidence changes. RevMax lists "OTA Specific Pricing." [PLACEHOLDER: Jon to confirm meaning]

Wheelhouse Services

Beyond Guidance ("Beyond Services")

RevMax Full-Service ("RevMax Services")

Net read for Pacer

Depth layer Wheelhouse Services Beyond Guidance RevMax Full-Service Is it a clean Pacer differentiator?
Works on any pricing tool No (Wheelhouse) Not stated (Beyond product) No (RevMax tier) Yes
Fee strategy, fee-to-rate ratios Not listed Not listed Not listed Yes, strongest
Merchandising and photos Not listed "Listing-level optimization" (plus Listing Lens) "Digital presence... messaging and features" Depth only. Prove it in the audit.
Promotions Event pricing only; case study mentions last-minute discounting Not listed "Discount Management" Depth only, especially vs RevMax
OTA programs Not listed "Distribution strategy" "OTA Specific Pricing" Programs specifically, yes. Channel pricing, no.
Reviews and owner-support workflows Not listed (monthly report and call) Owner-conversation answers; Owner Hub Owner reporting, LSI projections Reviews yes. Owner reporting alone, no.
Client portal tooling Wheelhouse app and snapshots Beyond platform LSI dashboards Only Pacer Portal works across tools

Bottom line: fee strategy and true tool independence are where the public evidence backs Jon cleanly. Reviews and OTA programs are next. On merchandising, promotions and owner reporting, the competitors at least claim something, so we win on depth shown in an audit, not on saying they don't do it.


3. Where Pacer wins EXTERNAL-SAFE

Lead line: They tune price and min stay inside one tool. Pacer runs the whole revenue function.

The softer version, for decks and anywhere a competitor is in the room: "Most revenue services tune price and min stay inside one tool. Pacer runs the whole revenue function, on any tool."

Pacer is the embedded revenue management function for STR operators, AI-enabled.

Win themes

  1. The whole revenue function, on the tool you already use. PriceLabs, Beyond, Wheelhouse, RevMax or others. No migration, and no conflict from grading our own software. Your strategy stays yours if your tool changes.
  2. Fee strategy, including fee-to-rate ratios. We design cleaning, service, pet and other fees against the nightly rate, length of stay, and how each channel displays total price. The goal is a guest price that converts and a fee structure that protects your margin. [PLACEHOLDER: Jon-approved one-line example]
  3. Merchandising, promotions and OTA programs. Listing content, photo selection and order, and AI-assisted captions. A promotional calendar built around your demand curve, plus decisions on which OTA programs to join, when, and at what cost.
  4. Reviews and owner support, for your team. Review trends tied back to rate and listing decisions. Owner-ready reporting. A white-label automated owner report, in progress, that your team sends under your brand. We equip your team for owner conversations. We don't contact owners. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm review workflow scope]
  5. Pacer Portal plus AI, with humans owning strategy. Your team sees its own data in Pacer Portal, with attribution down to the unit and night. AI handles routine diagnostics and reporting. Your revenue manager owns the decisions.
  6. Operator pedigree, risk-free partnership. Built by an early Vacasa revenue leader. Free portfolio audit first, no lock-in.

3b. Proof points EXTERNAL-SAFE wording, with approval flags

Jon's background (sources: Pacer context file; https://www.pacerrev.com/about ; https://linkedin.com/in/jonlatorre)

Track record

Scale (qualitative only, no client or unit counts)

Internal flag, not for external copy:


4. Objection handling EXTERNAL-SAFE talk tracks

Rules for every track:

1. "Casago says we should use Wheelhouse."

Keep Wheelhouse. We work on top of it every day. Casago gives you the platform. We run the revenue function around it: fees, merchandising, promotions, OTA programs, owner reporting, and the rates and minimums too. A free audit of your setup will show you where the extra revenue is.

Internal: confirm franchise terms first. [PLACEHOLDER]

2. "We already pay for Wheelhouse software."

Good, you don't pay for a second tool with us. The question is who owns everything the tool doesn't touch: your fee structure against your rates, your listing content, your promo calendar, your OTA programs, and the reporting your team takes to owners.

3. "Their services team comes bundled with the software."

Bundles are convenient. Before you compare, list what the service actually covers. If it's rates, minimums and reports inside one tool, compare that to a team that runs fees, merchandising, promotions, OTA programs and owner support as well, on whatever tool you choose.

4. "Look at the Lewis Realty results."

Good results, and congrats to that team. For any results, ours included, ask: is it same-store, is it full-year actuals or on-the-books pace, and what was the starting point? Then let's audit your portfolio against your own baseline.

5. "Nobody knows Wheelhouse (or Beyond, or RevMax) better than they do."

On the software, agreed. Revenue is bigger than the software. A lot of it comes from fees, listing content, promotions and channel programs that sit outside the pricing tool. That's the part we run.

6. "We'll use the free API and AI tools and do it ourselves."

If you have the people, great. We're AI-enabled too. The difference is that our team owns the outcome every week, across the whole revenue function, not only the rate calendar.

7. "Their service already covers discounts, distribution or listings." (RevMax and Beyond do list these.)

Good, then you know they matter. Ask how deep it goes. Are fees set against rate by channel? Is the promo calendar tied to pace? Are OTA program decisions made on cost and lift? Is review feedback going back into the listing? Our audit shows you that depth on your own units.


5. Target list INTERNAL ONLY

Primary source: Jon's Drive sheet "Copy of Pacer (Casago franchisees/operators as of 9.25.26)", Sheet2: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HO6BGuNsA-nWWyL3N6Z-bkKLuL5fNlwe-IGV3-aGqLA/edit . It has 102 rows, and 46 of them have unit counts. Sheet1 is broken (every cell is #REF!), so ignore it. A clean CSV export is at /workspace/competitive/wh/casago-sheet-targets.csv. Unit counts come from the sheet, are internal only, and appear to be the units moving in the Vacasa transition, not the operator's whole portfolio. For example, Big Bear shows 41 in the sheet vs "340+" in press.

Selection logic: the 150 to 1,500 unit sweet spot first. Existing operators and franchises (people who already run RM somehow) rank ahead of greenfield. I excluded rows marked CW (Pacer win), CL (lost), and divestments. The sheet's RMS column is blank for almost every row, so Wheelhouse usage is assumed from the Casago exclusive. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm each target's pricing tool]

PMS matters for the pitch. Wheelhouse Advanced LOS is Streamline-only (Track in beta), so Guesty operators can't get it from Wheelhouse today. See /workspace/los-pricing/los-teardown.md.

Top 10 (Casago sheet, ranked)

# Account (sheet name) POC (sheet) Casago POC Units (sheet) PMS Type Why a target Public corroboration
1 Casago Coastal NC, plus Key West (same POC) A. Norris Laura Bowers 1,474 + 237 Streamline Existing operator Largest non-enterprise operator on the sheet. Two very different markets under one owner, which plays to multi-market RM. [PLACEHOLDER: owner name, public source]
2 MBN Brands (Myrtle Beach), plus Dwell Vacation Rentals/MBN (Hilton Head) Daniel (Dwell) Laura Bowers 1,328 + 778 Guesty Greenfield Two big coastal books linked to MBN. Guesty, so no Wheelhouse Advanced LOS. We already have Hilton Head pack work (/workspace/post-discovery-packs/2026-10-13-hilton-head-properties-rr.md). Attio "Casago Myrtle Beach" (coastlinebeachrentals.com)
3 ACME (AZ, CA), plus ACME Orange County and ACME Central Coast Jason Pratts Stephanie Stirling 1,015 + 87 + 85 Streamline Existing operator Jason Pratts is the "Owner Success, Casago Desert to Coast" builder Wheelhouse quotes. He built an MCP on the Wheelhouse RM API and has an in-house RM. This is the test of "Pacer as yield layer on Wheelhouse." Hardest flip, highest signal. https://www.usewheelhouse.com/api-mcp-skills-overview
4 Oleander Isle Coastal Stays (TX) [PLACEHOLDER] Magen Storrie 967 Guesty Existing operator Large Texas coastal book with an existing operator. Guesty. [PLACEHOLDER]
5 KEM [PLACEHOLDER] Stephanie Stirling 844 Guesty Existing operator Large existing operator, July 2026 go-live, so still settling in. [PLACEHOLDER: who is KEM]
6 Columbia Mgmt (Casago Orlando) Jason Evjen Laura Bowers 725 Streamline Existing franchise Existing franchise that took a big Orlando book. Attio has "Casago Orlando" (725), no deal. Attio company record
7 Remington Properties (WA, NY, NH) [PLACEHOLDER] Autumn Scarlett / Stephanie Stirling 726 Guesty Greenfield Three disconnected regions, Aug 2026 go-live. Multi-market complexity is the pitch. [PLACEHOLDER]
8 Yellowstone East TN (Stayvest) Blake Daily Laura Bowers 543 Guesty Existing operator Smokies-area book with an existing operator. Investor-backed operators respond to NOI framing. [PLACEHOLDER]
9 Tides to Pines (Maine) Molly Gray Hooper Andrew 452 Streamline Existing operator Startup to "over 450 homes." Fast growth means RM capacity pain. https://observer-me.com/2026/04/02/news/tides-to-pines-expands-presence-in-moosehead-lake-region/
10 Impact (Casago First Coast) Jatin Kanji Laura Bowers 384 Streamline Existing operator Three markets. Lauren Wiseley is on the CasaCon "Profit by the Unit" panel. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260225354993/en/Casago-Expands-First-Coast-Presence-with-Impact-Holdings-Franchise-Across-Northeast-Florida-and-Coastal-Georgia

Next 10 (150 to 400 units, or warm)

Enterprise strategic (above our 500-unit sweet spot; Jon's call)

Casago-owned books (route through Casago, not cold)

Off-sheet: left Casago, still on Wheelhouse

Wheelhouse Services clients and Wheelhouse software accounts (public, not Casago)

Defend list (do not prospect; protect)

Casago-side POCs from the sheet (meet at CasaCon)

Laura Bowers (most Southeast and coastal books), Stephanie Stirling (California, ACME, KEM, San Diego), Autumn Scarlett (Idaho, Pacific Northwest, Remington), Magen Storrie (Texas, Sierra Sol), Scott Klein (Bolivar), Yolanda Cooper, Andrew Ellis. These people steer franchisees toward vendors. Win them and they become introducers.


6. CasaCon, Nov 10 to 12, 2026 INTERNAL

Verified logistics

Who to meet (priority order)

  1. Joe Riley (new Casago CEO) and Casago partnerships/franchise support. Goal: clarify how Pacer fits next to the Wheelhouse exclusive. [PLACEHOLDER: who at Casago owns vendor partnerships now]
  2. Top 10 targets in section 5: A. Norris (Coastal NC / Key West), MBN and Dwell (Daniel), Jason Pratts (ACME), Jason Evjen (Columbia/Orlando), Blake Daily (Stayvest), Molly Gray Hooper, Jatin Kanji and Lauren Wiseley (Impact). 2b. Casago franchise-side POCs from the sheet: Laura Bowers, Stephanie Stirling, Autumn Scarlett, Magen Storrie, Scott Klein.

  3. Avari (Jen T, Sarah Reynolds), on two panels. Zach from Jon's VRMA list is at Breakout/Avari.

  4. Laura Hancock, Zak Reid, Kenny (Casago corporate panelists). Find out whether one of them is the "in-house RM team" that built Casago's owner report.
  5. KeyData (our Exclusive RM Partner, breakout sponsor). Co-host conversations in their room only if KeyData and Casago agree.
  6. Existing Pacer Casago clients from the defend list. Get one of them to sit on a panel or join a table conversation.
  7. Wheelhouse team. Be cordial. They're a Marquee Sponsor, Casago's exclusive partner, and our secondary tool vendor. No sniping.

Demo angle: the owner report

Conversation openers (operator-credible, no knocks)

Event rules and etiquette (do not break)

Follow-up cadence (drafts for Jon's yes, never auto-sent)


7. 30 / 60 / 90 day plan INTERNAL

Days 0 to 30 (Oct 19 to Nov 17), win CasaCon

Days 31 to 60 (Nov 18 to Dec 17), convert

Days 61 to 90 (Dec 18 to Jan 16), compound


8. Open questions for Jon

  1. Source of "Rather not build? Expert revenue management, done for you." It isn't on the public pages. Keep it in the brief?
  2. Do Casago franchise agreements bind franchisees to Wheelhouse, or to Wheelhouse Services? What exactly does Pacer's "Preferred RM Partner" status cover?
  3. Owner report demo at CasaCon: live data with permission, or anonymized mockup? What will engineering have ready?
  4. Which existing Casago client can join a panel, or be named as a reference?
  5. The Pacer cadence to publish against Wheelhouse's daily, weekly, and monthly list.
  6. Should we pursue running on the Wheelhouse API (a partner posture) or stay neutral?
  7. Casago sheet gaps: the RMS column is blank for almost every row, and POCs are missing for Oleander Isle, KEM, and Remington. Is there a newer version than 9/25, or can Casago fill it in?
  8. Enterprise rows (Avari Highline, Trivest, First Chair, each 3,000+ units): pursue at CasaCon, or park?
  9. Fort Lauderdale (Andres Gonzalez): did they go independent, and are they still on Wheelhouse?
  10. "Feed rate ratios": is it fee-to-rate ratios (the reading this draft uses) or channel rate feeds and parity?
  11. Approved wording needed: a fee-strategy example, the scope of the review workflow, a same-store RevPAR proof point with footnote, scale wording, and the Vacasa numbers (600 to 44,000 or 800 to 40,000+).
  12. pacerrev.com/about still shows a portfolio count, "50+ markets," the retired PriceLabs rating, and "10 to 500 units." Fix it before CasaCon?

9. Lizz Hopson panel nudge

Captain is handling this one. It's not drafted here.