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Artwork for Vacation Rental Success

Vacation Rental Success

Heather Bayer aka @CottageGuru
Vacation Rentals
Short-Term Rentals
Artificial Intelligence
Property Management
Vacation Rental Industry
Airbnb
Hospitality
AI Tools
Guest Experience
Trust
Direct Bookings
Accessibility
SEO
Storytelling
Coaching
Branding
Content Creation
Lodgify
Sustainability
Customer Service

Heather Bayer, author of Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit, former CEO of a highly successful cottage rental agency, and a popular blogger, hosts the Vacation Rental Success podcast. With many years experience of owning and managing multiple vacation rental properties, Heather brings her knowledge and views on every aspect of the business, together with interviews with vacation homeown... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes672Founded13 years ago
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Artwork for Vacation Rental Success

Latest Episodes

This Episode is Sponsored by StayFi

Your ultimate tool for Vacation Rental WiFi marketing allowing you to collect guest emails automatically via custom captive WiFi login splash pages. Drive repeat direct bookings and convert your OTA bookings to b... more

This Episode is Sponsored by StayFi

Your ultimate tool for Vacation Rental WiFi marketing allowing you to collect guest emails automatically via custom captive WiFi login splash pages. Drive repeat direct bookings and convert your OTA bookings to b... more

YouTube

This Episode is Sponsored by StayFi

Your ultimate tool for Vacation Rental WiFi marketing allowing you to collect guest emails automatically via custom captive WiFi login splash pages. Drive repeat direct bookings and convert your OTA bookings to b... more

YouTube

This Episode is Sponsored by Lodgify If you have been thinking about building your own direct booking channel and reducing your reliance on the OTAs, Lodgify is worth a serious look. It brings your booking website, channel management, guest messaging... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Sabrina Mulligan
Head of Guest Experience at Zzzing
Zzzing
Episode: VRS670 - When Hospitality Leads and Tech Follows
Jodi Bourne
Consultant specializing in branding, marketing, and AI for vacation rentals
Bourne Texan Consulting / Bourne Creative STR Solutions
Episode: VRS669 - Connectors, Skills, and the AI Business Brain - with Jodi Bourne
Siddhi Mittal
Co-founder and co-CEO of Yhangry, UK's largest private chef marketplace
Yhangry
Episode: VRS667 - Two Ways to Make More Money This Year: Private Chef Upsells and Smarter AI Use
Steve Schwab
CEO of Casago, led integration after acquisition and ongoing strategic transition
Casago
Episode: VRS665 - Bionic Not Robotic: Steve Schwab on AI, Integration, and Community
Kerri Gibson
Co-founder of Chalet Hygge and Experience Hygge, hospitality entrepreneur
Experiences Hygge (Quebec, Canada)
Episode: VRS664 - Building Two Businesses With a Small Team and a Smart AI Habit
Alex Zemianek
CEO and founder of JZ Vacation Rentals
JZ Vacation Rentals
Episode: VRS661 - The Year He Stopped Growing and Built Something Better
Adam Norko
Co-host of The Art of Hospitality Podcast and founder of VR Growth
VR Growth
Episode: VRS660 - Values First: Why What You Stand For Shapes Everything AI Does Next
Sarah Stahl
VP of Marketing at lake.com and founder of Market Movers
lake.com; Market Movers
Episode: VRS657 - When the Calendar Looks Full But the Business Is Bleeding with Sarah Stahl
Heidi Henriksen
Executive director of VRNation; former NWVRP/ Astro/VRNation leader
VRNation
Episode: VRS654 - VRNation, Education, and the Next Chapter of the Vacation Rental Industry

Host

Heather Bayer
Host of Vacation Rental Success and founder/leader in the space; provides interview-driven insights and industry context.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 277 ratings
  • Top Show!

    Thank you, Heather for sharing your wealth of information and expertise in this booming industry where it is easy to get lost among the giants.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Walter the Pole Vaulter
    Canadaa year ago
  • My favorite podcast.

    I’ve listened to every episode since June of 2017 and bought my first STR in August of 2017. By far the most informative and useful podcast about the STR market. Two thumbs way up.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Crüefan
    United States2 years ago
  • Expert advice and thoughtful conversations

    Heather is so wonderful in her interactions with guests. I’ve never met her but feel we are already friends. I’ve listened to so many of her episodes and continue to be challenged and learn. As a guest on the podcast, I found Heather’s professionalism exceptional but more than that she is the real deal, warm, kind and encouraging. She is a pioneer in this industry and has offered endless content and advice we can all learn from. I love that she is a continual learner and is so committed to this ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    goodwinfamily7
    United States3 years ago
  • Amazing resource

    Great solid advice from the amazing Fairy Godmother of short term rentals.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    hostesswithmostess
    United States3 years ago
  • Great actionable content

    This is my favorite podcast to listen to for STR content. It’s no fluff! Just loaded with incredible, actionable content. Thank you for all the time you put into this amazing resource for your listeners!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    The Lodge on Twinkle Lane
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many describe the show as a top resource for STR strategy and marketing, with high-quality guests.
Listeners praise the host for wealth of experience and practical, actionable insights.
Guests consistently note the host's professionalism, warmth, and industry leadership.
Audience impressions highlight helpful frameworks and tangible takeaways for direct bookings and operations.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

VRS667 - Two Ways to Make More Money This Year: Private Chef Upsells and Smarter AI Use
Q: How easy is it to implement and start making money with Yhangry?
Managers can generate an affiliate link instantly from partners.yhangry.com, set up a one-off email or include links across guest journeys, and begin earning passively as guests book chefs; the process is designed to be low effort and scalable.
VRS665 - Bionic Not Robotic: Steve Schwab on AI, Integration, and Community
Q: How have you seen AI adoption among franchise partners?
Adoption varies widely; some partners are deeply engaged and building internal AI capabilities, while others remain cautious due to cost and learning curves. The emphasis is on empowering teammates at all levels and fostering a beginner-friendly culture to avoid fear and resistance.
VRS665 - Bionic Not Robotic: Steve Schwab on AI, Integration, and Community
Q: Tell me about the last year.
Steve describes the post-acquisition period as a dramatic transition from headline news to practical integration, including selling off markets to franchises, combining Streamline and Guesty, and aligning data across multiple platforms while maintaining Casago's locally-owned, relationship-based approach.
VRS664 - Building Two Businesses With a Small Team and a Smart AI Habit
Q: Where does AI currently live in your business, and what are your immediate priorities for adoption?
AI is present in guest communications, marketing, and automation of repetitive tasks, with a focus on refreshing automated communications and building marketing content through AI, while the core renovation and tech stack are the current priorities.
VRS654 - VRNation, Education, and the Next Chapter of the Vacation Rental Industry
Q: What are the four pillars that are being launched in April?
The pillars include customer service and sales, insurance, safety, operations, and marketing; these form the core content for the April launch at the Denver conference, with ongoing development and panels featuring content creators from the industry.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Vacation Rental Success

What is Vacation Rental Success about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show focuses on practical strategies for running vacation rental businesses, with frequent deep dives into direct bookings, AI-driven operations, marketing, and guest experience. Episodes highlight how property managers and owners optimize workflows, implement AI responsibly, and build communities that set industry standards. Noteworthy elements include candid conversations about governance, safety, and education through industry alliances, plus pragmatic sponsor integrations that offer tools for direct bookings and property management. The format tends to blend hands-on case studies, frameworks for decision-making, and actionable tips that listeners can apply to scale and professionalize their holdings.

Where can I find podcast stats for Vacation Rental Success?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Vacation Rental Success. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Vacation Rental Success and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Vacation Rental Success get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Vacation Rental Success, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Vacation Rental Success?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Vacation Rental Success, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Vacation Rental Success have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Vacation Rental Success has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Vacation Rental Success?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Vacation Rental Success:

1. Thanks For Visiting
2. The Short Term Show
3. Tax Smart Real Estate Investors Podcast
4. BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
5. Real Estate Rookie

How many episodes of Vacation Rental Success are there?

Vacation Rental Success launched 13 years ago and published 672 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Vacation Rental Success?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Vacation Rental Success?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Vacation Rental Success from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Vacation Rental Success?

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What guests have appeared on Vacation Rental Success?

Recent guests on Vacation Rental Success include:

1. Sabrina Mulligan
2. Jodi Bourne
3. Siddhi Mittal
4. Steve Schwab
5. Kerri Gibson
6. Alex Zemianek
7. Adam Norko
8. Sarah Stahl

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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