Airbnb
The latest insights and updates for Airbnb hosts, from in-depth looks at seasonal releases and new features to practical checklists and management tips. This category covers essential topics for vacation rental managers and short-term rental managers, including Airbnb experiences, hosting dashboard features, cleaning guidelines, cancellation policy updates, and brand strategy analysis. Stay informed on Airbnb’s fiscal growth, industry news, and the tools that can help you enhance your hosting and management approach.
Maui U-Turns on Ban, Boom Launches AI Ops Agent, Airbnb Sees Italy Surge & Seniors Flocking South
Maui is pulling back from its full short-term rental ban, proposing to preserve 4,519 legacy STR units through new hotel zoning, while Boom has launched “BAM,” an AI-powered ops agent designed to automate STR management workflows post a $12.7M funding round. Meanwhile, Airbnb’s early winter 2025–26 trends (based solely on platform data) show Italy booming ahead of the Olympics, US families booking longer rural stays, and retirees heading to Florida.
Airbnb’s October 2025 Host Upgrades: New Tools for Pricing, Cancellations, and Payout Visibility
📌TL;DR- Airbnb’s October 2025 host updates bring new tools for pro managers: dynamic cancellation policies, improved year-ahead price tips, earnings dashboards with YoY comparisons, and payout previews. These features signal Airbnb’s push to become an all-in-one platform for pricing, cancellations, and analytics, reducing the need for third-party tools.
Airbnb’s AI Era Isn’t About Automation, It’s About Emotion and Understanding
📌TL;DR- Airbnb is using AI not just for efficiency, but to make travel more human. New features like “Connections,” improved maps, and flexible carousels aim to foster emotional loyalty by helping guests connect with each other and explore meaningfully. It’s a shift from automation to empathy, making AI a tool for belonging, not just booking.
Airbnb’s New Social Features Reveal a Plan to Link People, Places, and Possibilities
📌TL;DR- Airbnb’s new Connections feature turns Experiences into a social network, letting guests see who’s attending, message each other, and build ongoing travel relationships. Combined with smarter discovery tools and AI-driven personalization, it’s a clear shift: Airbnb wants to be more than a booking app — it’s building a social travel platform. For property managers, this means more emotionally engaged guests, deeper retention loops, and a platform that’s evolving fast toward community and connection.
Airbnb’s 15.5% Host-Only Fee: Why It Feels Like a Tax Hike (But Isn’t One)
📌TL;DR- Airbnb fee changes in 2025 have some hosts worried about higher taxes. But despite the new 15.5% host-only commission, this shift is tax-neutral for most U.S. operators. Here’s why it feels like a tax hike, and how income, gross receipts, and occupancy taxes are actually affected.
Airbnb Host-Only Fee Deadline Is Almost Here: Your 5-Point Pricing Audit Before October 27
Airbnb’s Host‑Only Fee model officially begins on October 27, 2025, replacing the old split‑fee structure. That means hosts will cover the full 15.5% service fee, unless they adjust prices. This 5‑point pricing audit walks you through how to update markups, cleaning fees, and owner communications to stay margin‑neutral and avoid payout surprises.
2025 Airbnb Professional Host Summit: Why Property Managers Should Care
Where & when: Early October 2025, Airbnb headquarters, San FranciscoWho: ~150 invited professional hosts/property managers (per attendee reports)Why this was ...
How to Rank Higher on Airbnb: Booking Probability and Guest Satisfaction Now Drive VisibilitY
📌TL;DR- At the 2025 Airbnb Professional Host Summit, the company revealed that listings now rank based on two key signals: how likely a guest is to book, and how likely they are to leave a 5-star review. This marks a major shift toward guest satisfaction as a core ranking factor. Airbnb’s algorithm now uses over 800 signals—including listing accuracy, cleanliness, communication, and even the likelihood of support issues, to predict the outcome of a stay before it happens. For property managers, this means maintaining visual quality, consistent operations, and perceived value is more important than ever, as these elements now directly impact visibility and bookings.
Booking Adds 150k Attractions, Airbnb Pressures Vancouver on FIFA Rules, RMS Links Rooms with Dining
Booking.com Adds 150K Attractions with FareHarbor Integration Snigdha’s Views: Airbnb pushes Vancouver to relax STR rules ahead of FIFA 2026 ...
How Property Managers Can Adapt to Airbnb’s Host-Only Fee Without Losing Margins
Airbnb is switching all PMS-connected listings to a host-only fee model globally , and understandably, there’s been a lot of ...
Airbnb’s Social Push Echoes Gay Travel Platform misterb&b’s Playbook
Airbnb’s new feature, Connections, signals a push beyond bookings into social networking. But an LGBTQ+ niche player, misterb&b, has already ...
Airbnb to Appeal New Orleans Ruling, Expands Compliance Push in Spain, Key Data Launches New Tools in the UK
Airbnb to Appeal Court Ruling Upholding New Orleans’ Strict Rental Laws Snigdha’s Views Airbnb Scales Up Its Compliance Push Across ...
Airbnb’s “Stay Grounded” Ad Marks the Official Start of Its Identity as a Lifestyle Platform
Airbnb has a new commercial out called Stay Grounded, animated in its signature whimsical style, set to George Michael’s Freedom! ...
Hospitable Launches Cleaner Marketplace, OYO Parent Rebrands to Prism, Austin Clamps Down on Rentals
New Hospitable Marketplace Connects Hosts to 150K Vetted Cleaners About HospitableHospitable is a tool that simplifies short-term rental management by ...
How Airbnb Is Pushing for Softer Short-Term Rental Rules in New York, Two Years After the Crackdown
New York City welcomed nearly 63 million visitors in 2024, generating over $74 billion in economic impact. It is the ...
AI Airbnb Scams in 2025: How Artificial Intelligence Is Powering Fraud
A London traveler booked an Airbnb in Manhattan and nearly walked away with a $16,000 bill for damage she never ...
Gathern Raises $72M in Saudi Push, Funchal Halts New Rental Licenses, Canadian Airbnb Bookings Jump 10%
Gathern Raises $72M to Power Saudi Arabia’s Vacation Rental Growth About Gathern: Founded in Riyadh in 2017, Gathern has built ...
Booking.com Goes Nostalgia, Airbnb Goes Lifestyle: What Their Latest Ads Reveal About the Future of Travel Platforms
Two platforms. Two bold bets. Booking.com and Airbnb have just launched new ad campaigns, and their creative choices reveal sharply ...
Airbnb Host-Only Fee at 15.5%: What It Means for Property Managers
Airbnb is ending its split-fee model for PMS-connected hosts and standardizing a 15.5% host-only fee worldwide (16% in Brazil). For property managers, this raises distribution costs — but margins can stay intact by adjusting rates and increasing PMS markups to about 18.34% to fully offset Airbnb’s new fee.
Málaga Freezes New Tourist Apartment Licenses, Airbnb Adds Water Safety Features, Casago Expands with Former Vacasa Homes
Málaga Freezes New Tourist Apartment Licenses Until 2027 Snigdha’s View: Airbnb Launches New In-App Water Safety Feature in Partnership with ...
