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VRS650 - Amber Hurdle – Keeping the Human in the Loop: Building a Strategic AI-Driven Brand

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Amber Hurdle is back for her fourth appearance on the podcast - and once again, she’s lighting up the conversation with her bold, insightful take on branding, leadership, and the evolving role of AI in business.

A year after her last visit (when ChatGPT was just becoming mainstream), Heather reconnects with Amber to explore how the AI landscape has shifted - and how short-term rental pros can ride the wave without losing their voice. From crafting a strategic AI approach to retrofitting your team structure and refining your brand voice, Amber offers practical, no-nonsense advice with her signature energy and clarity.

This episode is packed with fresh thinking on how to infuse your humanity into AI-generated content, maintain consistency across platforms, and future-proof your brand with the right systems. Whether you’re a one-person team or running a 100+ property operation, you’ll take away actionable ideas you can implement today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why branding is more than marketing - and how operations are the brand
  • Amber’s “AIM” framework: Assist, Infuse, Monitor - and how to use it with AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini
  • How to train AI with your brand voice and personality (and keep it from sounding robotic)
  • Why hiring “AI-first” team members is a game changer
  • What’s in Amber’s strategic “Brand Tumbler” (hint: it includes astrology, calendars, and customer reviews)
  • The risks of generic AI content and how to build trust through authentic messaging
  • Where AI tools are falling short - and why your creativity still matters more than ever

Links & Resources:

Mentioned Tools & Platforms:

  • ChatGPT (OpenAI)
  • Gemini (Google)
  • Upwork (for hiring AI-first talent)
  • Knowledge Bases for Brand Training

Subscribe & Review:

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📣 Midroll Sponsor: STRAIT Chat & the AI Ambassador Program

This episode is brought to you in part by the STRAIT Chat Community - an exclusive space for short-term rental pros who want deeper conversations, smarter systems, and more collaborative learning.

And if you're curious about using AI in your business - whether it's for guest communication, operations, or even marketing - check out our AI Ambassador Program. It's designed to help you learn, lead, and get hands-on with the tools shaping the future of hospitality.

🌐 Learn more and join us at VacationRentalFormula.com/AI

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