VRS646 - NotebookLM & the New Age of STR Team Training

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.

