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VRS646 - NotebookLM & the New Age of STR Team Training

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In this solo episode Heather Bayer continues the series on training and development in the short-term rental space. 

Drawing on her past as a training consultant and her years of managing hundreds of properties, Heather shares a clear, practical path to building team training that works - even if you’re not a “trainer.”

She also introduces an incredible AI tool - NotebookLM - that can help you design and deliver onboarding, checklists, and micro-trainings using content you already have. If you’re short on time, resources, or tech confidence, this episode will give you the roadmap to train smarter, not harder.

🔑 In This Episode You’ll Learn:

  • Why adult learning is different - and how to apply that to your STR team
  • The biggest mistakes hosts and managers make with training
  • How Heather’s background in healthcare training shaped her approach to team development
  • The 3 things you really need to train well (hint: it’s not fancy tools)
  • What NotebookLM is - and how to use it as your own virtual training assistant
  • A step-by-step process to create your first AI-assisted training session
  • Real-world examples of how to onboard new cleaners, maintenance staff, or guest service reps
  • How to turn your existing SOPs, checklists, and transcripts into training gold

🛠️ Tools & Resources Mentioned:

  • NotebookLM – AI assistant from Google for organizing and building from your own content
  • SOPs and internal resources (cleaning checklists, damage policies, welcome scripts)
  • Podcast transcripts and YouTube videos as training material

✨ Heather’s Key Takeaways:

“You don’t have to be a polished educator or a PowerPoint wizard. If you can explain how to do something, why it matters, and how it connects to your guest experience - you can train someone.”

“When you take training seriously, you create clarity. When you make it engaging, you inspire confidence. And when you make it repeatable, you build long-term success.”

📣 Call to Action

Want to see how NotebookLM could work for your business? Start by picking one training topic - just one - and try creating a simple outline using your existing materials.

Need help? Drop us a DM or email, and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Who's featured in this episode?

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