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.
Vrbo Introduces Buy Now, Pay Later for Vacation Rentals
TL;DR- Vrbo has officially rolled out Buy Now, Pay Later as a core feature through an expanded partnership with Affirm, letting guests pay in installments over 3–24 months. Unlike, Airbnb’s $0-down “Reserve Now, Pay Later,” Vrbo’s approach ensures property managers still get paid upfront. In contrast, Airbnb’s RNPL feature can lead to “phantom bookings” if a guest’s card fails before the stay.
Spain to Remove 86,000 Listings, Airbnb Reveals Early FIFA World Cup Trends, and Key Data parters with BookingsCloud
TL;DR- Spain is stepping up enforcement on short-term rentals, ordering 86,000 listings to be taken down for non-compliance with its STR registry. Meanwhile, Airbnb has shared early FIFA World Cup 2026 trends—families, groups, and international travelers are leading demand. Cities are seeing extended trip interest. Key Data and BookingsCloud have partnered to help property managers turn real-time market data into automated direct booking ad campaigns.
How to Optimize Your Airbnb Listing to Get More Bookings
TL;DR- Most Airbnb listings don’t underperform because of price, they underperform because of poor listing quality. A PriceLabs study of 10,000+ listings found 88% had issues hurting visibility or conversion. In a recent workshop, Thibault Masson showed how Airbnb now uses AI and quality signals like clarity, consistency, and photos to rank listings. These issues compound quietly at scale. PriceLabs' new Listing Optimizer helps property managers detect and fix them before revenue takes a hit.
Airbnb Strategy 2026: How Airbnb Is Competing for More Than Just the Booking
TL;DR- Airbnb Strategy 2026 marks the platform’s continued shift from being just a booking marketplace to becoming a full-scale travel and lifestyle ecosystem. The biggest change for professional short-term rental managers is that Airbnb now competes for the guest’s entire travel budget—offering everything from hotels and chef-prepared meals to experiences and operational tools. AI is now driving discovery, not search, and visibility increasingly depends on structured, clean data.
Booking.com Bets on Astrology, Greece Tightens Rules, and Hawaii Signals Risk to 10,000 Vacation Rentals
TL;DR- Booking.com taps astrologer Esperanza Gracia to match 2026 travel with zodiac signs, embracing identity-led travel. Meanwhile, Greece is enforcing stricter STR rules, removing properties from the registry in designated zones after ownership change. In Hawaii, the Governor proposed converting at least 10,000 STRs to long-term housing, though no statewide policy exists yet.
Airbnb Partners With CookUnity, Viral Listings Highlight Demand Trends, San Diego Proposes UPTO $12,000+Tax
TL;DR- Airbnb has partnered with chef-led meal delivery service CookUnity to offer chef-prepared, ready-to-heat meals via Airbnb Services, expanding beyond accommodations. However, the service excludes hosts from participation or revenue. Meanwhile, Airbnb’s most viral listings of 2025 show that social media-friendly, nature-immersed, and visually unique stays drive demand. In regulatory news, San Diego is considering an $8K–$12K annual tax on STRs and second homes, signaling stricter pressure on corporate-owned and full-home vacation rentals. Property managers must now adapt to a landscape where platform moves, aesthetics, and regulation all reshape margins and strategy.
Airbnb Is Still Bashing Hotels in Its Ads, While Adding Them to Its Platform
TL;DR- Airbnb’s 2026 ads strategy walks a tightrope: bash traditional hotels in global ads while quietly onboarding boutique hotels to expand supply. Its animated “Middle of Nowhere” spot romanticizes isolation, while slick K-pop ads target Gen Z, and “Grand Adventure” campaigns sell curated, expert-led experiences. In Japan, Airbnb abandons global templates for hyper-local authenticity. The message is clear: Airbnb wants to own the entire travel lifestyle, from homes to services, and professional managers who align with the platform’s new aesthetic and guest personas will have the edge in 2026.
Before You Drop Prices: How Listing Quality is Costing You Airbnb Revenue
TL;DR: Mastering Airbnb Listing Optimization is often a more profitable lever than price cuts when bookings slow down. A study reveals only 9% of properties have "Good" content, yet these listings are 38% more likely to outperform the market. For portfolios of 50+ units, manual quality control is impossible to scale. Learn to identify "invisible" revenue leaks using data-backed revenue models. Join our live workshop on January 27, 2026, at 11:00 AM EST to see real listings fixed live.
Airbnb Names New CTO, Booking.com’s Japan Play, Morocco Signals Regulations
TL;DR- This week’s short-term rental industry news highlights three developments. Airbnb has appointed a new chief technology officer, Ahmad Al-Dahle, from Meta. Booking.com joined Japanese travel leaders JTB and Rakuten Travel at a sustainability-focused industry event. Meanwhile, Morocco is moving toward regulating short-term rentals as part of a broader effort to curb rising housing costs.
2026 Vacation Rental Trends: How Travel Is Becoming More Selective
TL;DR- The vacation rental market isn’t shrinking in 2026, it’s sharpening. Travel demand is still high, but guests are more selective, driven by trust, ease, and value. From last-minute booking spikes and pricing psychology to luxury resilience and Asia's growth, these 10 trends reveal where traveler preferences are heading and how professional operators can respond.
The Five Stories That Defined Short-Term Rentals in 2025, And What They Reveal About 2026
Every year, we publish hundreds of articles, record long-form videos, Shorts, podcasts, and host webinars covering the short-term rental industry ...
FIFA World Cup 2026 Is Driving Breakout Demand, Just Not in the Same Way Everywhere
📌TL;DR- The FIFA World Cup 2026 is already causing massive shifts in travel demand—but it’s not the same everywhere. Booking curves and pricing are surging in cities like Mexico City and Miami, where demand is early and international, while markets like Kansas City and Dallas are seeing steadier, more domestically driven growth. Regulations, pricing, ticket access, and visa hurdles all shape how the event is playing out, city by city. Hosts and property managers shouldn’t rely on hype—data is the only way to stay ahead of demand trends in the run-up to kickoff.
Spain Penalizes Airbnb Over Non-Compliance, Milan To Ban Key Boxes from 2026, Forge Tests AI Assistant
📌TL;DR- Spain has issued a €56M fine against Airbnb for non-compliant listings, signaling tougher enforcement under its new national STR registry. Milan will ban self-check-in key boxes on public property from 2026, adding another layer of local regulation in Italy. Meanwhile, Forge Holiday Group is testing an AI-powered concierge, highlighting how platforms are shifting toward conversational, data-driven travel search.
2026 Travel Trends: Intentional, Emotional, Experience-Led
📌TL;DR- In 2026, travel is becoming more emotional, intentional, and experience-driven. Airbnb highlights a rise in solo travel, viral TikTok itineraries, and bookings tied to big events like the Olympics. Expedia sees surging interest in fantasy-inspired trips, skincare retreats, and set-jetting led by Gen Z and Millennials. Booking.com reports growing demand for nature escapes, spiritual travel, and health-focused accommodations. Across the board, travelers are choosing how they want to feel, not just where to go, making emotional resonance and storytelling key for short-term rental success.
Which Airbnb Service Fee Am I Paying? (How to Check Your Host Fee in 2025)
📌TL;DR- In 2025, not all Airbnb hosts were moved to the 15.5% host-only fee—only those using a property management system (PMS) were automatically switched. If you manage your listing directly on Airbnb, you may still be on the 3% split-fee model. To confirm, go to Account → Payments → Service fee and look for the “CURRENT SETTING,” or check a recent payout to see whether ~3% or ~15.5% was deducted. This quick guide helps hosts identify which fee model they’re on and how to verify it in seconds.
What Airbnb’s 2025 Updates Really Signal for 2026 (and How Managers Should Prepare)
📌TL;DR- 2026 on Airbnb will bring more cancellations, tighter ranking rules, expanding hotels and services, and far more AI deciding visibility. For property managers, the winning strategy is simple: stronger operations, clearer listings, and optimisation for conversion signals.
Airbnb Tests Instacart-Powered Kitchen Stocking: What Professionals Managers Need to Know
📌TL;DR- Airbnb is testing Instacart-powered kitchen stocking where guests order groceries in-app and hosts unpack and store them for a $25 payout. Useful for guests, but operationally demanding for property managers. More importantly, it signals Airbnb’s move toward a broader host services marketplace and deeper control of the guest journey.
Airbnb Is Borrowing from Booking.com’s Playbook, but Only Where It Fits
📌TL;DR- Airbnb and Booking.com are looking more alike in 2025, but only on the surface. Airbnb is copying Booking where it boosts conversions (cancellations, payments, discovery), while rejecting the loyalty programs and corporate tone that define Booking’s DNA. The big takeaway: Airbnb is becoming an OTA with personality, and that hybrid strategy may give it a long-term edge.
Airbnb’s Fourth Pillar: How AI Became a Strategic Defense Against an AI Future
📌TL;DR- Airbnb’s “fourth pillar” is here, and it’s powered by AI. Moving beyond operational efficiency, Airbnb now treats artificial intelligence as a strategic moat against the rise of general-purpose AI platforms. CEO Brian Chesky’s vision centers on using AI to deepen personalization, protect its marketplace, and ensure Airbnb remains the platform where human connection meets machine intelligence.
Will Airbnb Hosts See a Rise in Cancellations in 2026?
📌TL;DR: Airbnb now gives every booking a 24-hour grace period and has introduced more flexible refund options for guests. While this change aims to increase traveler confidence and conversions, it could also lead to more last-minute cancellations in 2026. For hosts, that means adapting pricing and cancellation settings to balance flexibility with revenue protection — especially as Reserve Now, Pay Later expands and Airbnb tests Dynamic Cancellation Policies.
