VRS639 - Optimizing for AI: What Short-Term Rental Brands Need to Know About GEO and the Future of Search with Neely Khan
Release Date: 11/26/2025
VRS644 - Forecasting 2026: Tech, Trust, and Transformation in Vacation Rentals with David Angotti
Vacation Rental Success
It’s the first episode of 2026 - and that means it’s time for our annual deep dive into what’s happened across the vacation rental industry over the past year, and what’s coming next. Back by popular demand, David Angotti joins Heather to break down the big shifts of 2025 and share what smart property managers should focus on heading into the New Year. From PMS shakeups and AI integration to a renewed focus on local hospitality, David brings a candid and insightful perspective from inside some of the industry’s most talked-about brands, including his transition from Guesty to Casago....
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VRS643 – How Voice AI Can Elevate Hospitality Without Losing the Human Touch – with Eliseo Palous
Vacation Rental Success
What if artificial intelligence could actually enhance the human touch instead of replacing it? In this episode, Heather speaks with Eliseo Palous, co-founder of Short Stay Media, to explore how AI - especially voice AI - is revolutionizing guest communications in the short-term rental industry without sacrificing what matters most: hospitality, responsibility, and trust. Eliseo shares the fascinating journey from starting as an intern in a small property management company to co-founding a business at the forefront of AI-powered communication. His insights into the human challenges behind...
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VRS642 - How Stacey St. John Built a High-Performing STR Portfolio From Scratch
Vacation Rental Success
What happens when a corporate professional takes a chance on short-term rentals in the middle of a global pandemic? In this inspiring episode, Heather sits down with Stacey St. John - real estate investor, property manager, and community builder - to unpack her incredible journey from cautious investor to powerhouse property manager with a portfolio of beachfront properties in Myrtle Beach. Stacey didn’t just enter the industry - she transformed her life through it. Tune in to hear how she went from buying two “ugly” condos during COVID, to building a thriving business, managing...
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VRS641 - The Insurance Housing Opportunity: What Every STR Operator Should Know with Jake Mast
Vacation Rental Success
When disaster strikes - whether it’s a fire, flood, or even a bat infestation - families are often left scrambling for safe, comfortable housing. That’s where Jake Mast steps in. In this episode, Heather Bayer sits down with Jake, founder of Rapid Response AI Housing, to explore how his company is disrupting the traditional insurance housing model by combining speed, accuracy, and human-centered AI solutions. Jake shares his unconventional journey - from CPA to Hollywood actor to vacation rental host - and how that ultimately led him to carve out a niche in insurance relocation housing....
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VRS640 - Why the FIFA World Cup 2026 Starts NOW for Your Vacation Rental with Mark Simpson
Vacation Rental Success
📌In this power-packed episode, Heather Bayer is joined once again by vacation rental marketing guru Mark Simpson of Boostly. Mark returns for his fifth appearance on the podcast - and this time, he's bringing an urgent message for vacation rental professionals across North America: The FIFA World Cup 2026 doesn’t start in June... it starts on December 5, 2025. That’s the date the match draws are announced, and it’s also when the first wave of global bookings will begin. If you're located in or near any of the 16 host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, this episode is your...
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VRS639 - Optimizing for AI: What Short-Term Rental Brands Need to Know About GEO and the Future of Search with Neely Khan
Vacation Rental Success
This week I’m welcoming back one of my favourite guests, Neely Khan, founder of the storytelling agency Artwork Creative. This is her second time joining me in less than six months - and there’s a good reason for that. Neely is at the forefront of one of the most important shifts we’re seeing in vacation rental marketing: the rise of AI-powered search. If you’re still trying to wrap your head around terms like SEO, GEO, and AEO, you’re not alone. But understanding these isn’t optional anymore - it’s essential if you want your business to remain visible and relevant in today’s...
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VRS638 - Democratizing Genius: How Dr. Rachel Gainsbrugh Uses AI to Supercharge Short-Term Rental Success
Vacation Rental Success
In this episode, Heather sits down with Dr. Rachel Gainsbrugh from Short Term Gems to explore how artificial intelligence is changing the way short-term rental businesses operate. Rachel shares how she moved from being a pharmacist to building a real estate education company focused on medical professionals, and how AI is now a core part of that mission. They discuss how AI is helping hosts get more done with less effort, speed up onboarding, reduce mistakes, and support team members in delivering better guest experiences. Rachel gives examples from her work building hundreds of GPTs, creating...
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VRS637 - AI in Action: What STR Hosts Can Learn from the AI for Business Summit
Vacation Rental Success
In this packed episode, Heather Bayer shares her biggest takeaways from the AI for Business Summit in Las Vegas - and how short-term rental hosts and property managers can take immediate, practical steps to adopt AI tools in their business. Heather reveals how she used a Plaud NotePin to record and summarize every session, giving her powerful insights on AI avatars, automated guest journeys, direct-response video, personal branding, and more. If you're ready to get ahead of the curve and use AI to save time, elevate guest experiences, and stand out in a competitive market, this is a...
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VRS636 - Scaling Smart: How to Spot the Owners Who’ll Sabotage Your Growth
Vacation Rental Success
Dennis Goedheid is back on the show, and we dive deep into one of the most overlooked yet mission-critical aspects of running a property management company - identifying and saying no to the wrong owners. We also chat about his journey with Casiola’s international expansion, his team’s DEI award win at VRMA, and why scaling means getting crystal clear on your homeowner criteria. Whether you're just starting out or managing hundreds of properties, this conversation is packed with real-world insights from someone who’s learned the hard lessons - and is still smiling! 📣 Midroll Sponsor:...
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VRS635 - From Tinkering to Transformation: Building an AI Adoption Strategy for Your Vacation Rental Business
Vacation Rental Success
While everyone’s been playing around with AI tools like ChatGPT, few in the short-term rental industry have taken the next step - turning experimentation into strategy. In this episode, Heather shares a clear, step-by-step framework to help you move from random tinkering to thoughtful implementation, drawn straight from her . Whether you’re a property manager overwhelmed by AI options, or a team leader unsure how to get your staff onboard, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you start small, think big, and bring AI into your business in a human-centered, hospitality-first...
info_outlineThis week I’m welcoming back one of my favourite guests, Neely Khan, founder of the storytelling agency Artwork Creative. This is her second time joining me in less than six months - and there’s a good reason for that. Neely is at the forefront of one of the most important shifts we’re seeing in vacation rental marketing: the rise of AI-powered search.
If you’re still trying to wrap your head around terms like SEO, GEO, and AEO, you’re not alone. But understanding these isn’t optional anymore - it’s essential if you want your business to remain visible and relevant in today’s evolving digital landscape.
Neely breaks things down beautifully. We talk about the difference between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and how Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) fits into the mix. More importantly, she shares how vacation rental professionals can start optimizing their content for AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot - without losing the soul of their brand.
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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
Are you listening to this podcast on the move? Get to the show notes here:
https://www.vacationrentalformula.com/podcast/VRS639