Vacation Rental Success

In this episode, Heather Bayer sits down with Heather Fillmore, co-founder of Utah-based StayLuxe Properties, for an honest and inspiring conversation about resilience, growth, and leadership in the short-term rental space. Heather shares her remarkable journey from surviving a catastrophic flood in Baton Rouge to launching a successful luxury vacation rental brand in Park City, Utah - right in the middle of the COVID ...

In this episode of the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, host Heather Bayer sits down with Fred Bassili from Hostfully to discuss the evolving role of AI in vacation rental businesses and how short-term rental managers can use AI tools and workflows to scale operations, improve guest communication, and boost owner acquisition.

Fred Bassili, a seasoned content and marketing strategist at Hostfully, brings a ...

Some of the strongest brands in the vacation rental business have been around for decades and are rooted in tradition, family values and local knowledge.  As the next generation stepping into a decades-old family-run vacation rental business, Alexis Miller personifies this legacy as she shares how she's honoring her family’s rich story while ushering in thoughtful innovations to meet today’s fast-paced demands.

In this episode of the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, host Heather Bayer shares her top takeaways from the AI for Business Summit in Orlando, diving into the transformative power of artificial intelligence and how vacation rental professionals can leverage it to drive growth, efficiency, and guest experience

Revolutionize Your Employee Onboarding with THRIVE Essentials: Faster Training, Stronger ...

In this episode of the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, host Heather Bayer sits down with… herself! It’s a podcast within a podcast as Heather explores the power of AI through a hands-on demonstration of Google's NotebookLM, sharing practical examples of how it can be a game-changer for short-term rental businesses.

Drawing on her extensive industry experience and recent immersion in AI tools, Heather shar...

In this no-holds-barred conversation, Heather is joined by longtime friend of the show, Mark Simpson, to unpack the buzz - and backlash - surrounding Airbnb’s newly launched "Services" offering. From liability concerns to insurance gaps, Mark breaks down why this move is raising eyebrows in the host community and what you can do right now to protect your busi...

In this insightful conversation, I welcome back digital marketing expert Conrad O’Connell, founder of BuildUp Bookings, to talk about the dramatic shifts in how people are finding, booking, and experiencing vacation rentals.

It’s been nearly a decade since our first conversation, and we’ve both been on quite the journey -personally and professionally. Conrad shares what’s changed (including growing his fam...

In this episode of the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, host Heather Bayer sits down with her son and business partner, Mike Bayer, to discuss the essential role of an "AI Ambassador" in vacation rental businesses. Together, they explore why nominating a dedicated AI advocate can unlock efficiencies, reduce burnout, and help teams fully embrace the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

In th...

This week on the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, Heather reconnects with long-time friend and returning guest, Lorraine Woodward, the unstoppable force behind Becoming rentABLE. Lorraine has been championing accessibility in the short-term rental industry for years, and this time, she’s back with big news - an exciting new partnership with Expedia Group through their Open World Accelerator Program.

Togeth...

In this special replay episode in our Leadership Series, Heather reconnects with Rachel Alday, founder of Abode Luxury Rentals, for a powerful conversation on building a thriving business through intentional leadership and company culture. Rachel shares the real story behind how she and her husband grew their boutique vacation rental company from a few properties to a high-performing, values-driven team of nearly 60 pe...

In this landmark episode of the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, Heather Bayer is joined by Steve Schwab, the Founder and CEO of ...

In this powerful solo episode, Heather Bayer reflects on one of the most fundamental - and often overlooked - questions in the short-term rental space: What kind of leader are you?

Through years of podcast interviews and her own journey managing STR properties, Heather unpacks the evolving nature of leadership and how it uniquely manifests in the vacation rental industry. From traditional leadership styles...

Most short-term rental operators didn’t plan on becoming leaders. They started as solopreneurs - cleaning toilets one day, managing a team the next. If you’ve ever found yourself in a leadership role and thought, “How did I get here?”, this episode is for you.

In this powerful and relatable conversation, Heather is joined by leadership coach Ali Cammelletti, who has spent over 20 years helping hospitality ...

In this special episode, we kick off our brand-new Leadership Series with someone who’s been part of this journey from the very beginning - Matt Landau.

Matt’s been on the show more than 20 times over the years, but this conversation feels different. It’s deeper, more reflective, and marks a shift in how we talk about leadership in the vacation rental industry.

From managing boutique vacation ...

What happens when a vacation rental entrepreneur, his tech-savvy brothers, and a close-knit team of hospitality veterans come together with a mission to solve the biggest operational headaches in property management? You get Boom - the world’s first AI-powered property management system (AIPMS).

In this episode, Heather sits down with Shahar Goldboim, the dynamic founder of Boom, to explore how artificial ...