Blog
Why Booking.com Suddenly Sounds More Confident Than Airbnb (and Vrbo)
📌TL;DR- Booking.com’s Q3 2025 performance reflects a steady rise in alternative accommodation bookings and a stronger position in the U.S. market. The platform’s infrastructure, loyalty program, and multi-vertical travel stack are giving it an edge as guest habits shift and regulations tighten. With reliable payouts, increased U.S. brand visibility, and a broader supply mix, Booking.com now offers short-term rental managers a more stable and scalable option, especially for those diversifying away from single-channel dependence.
Lake.com Is Betting Big on AI Discovery: What Property Managers Can Learn
📌TL;DR- David Ciccarelli, co-founder of Lake.com, created the platform to make it easier to find quality waterfront vacation rentals—something major OTAs often overlook. Lake.com lists only properties within about 15 minutes of a lake or similar body of water and is built with professional property managers in mind, offering direct PMS integrations for automated syncing. It uses structured data and natural-language content to improve visibility in AI-driven search tools like Google and ChatGPT. With conversational search and AI booking channels on the horizon, Lake.com is positioning itself for the shift from traditional filters to intent-based, AI-powered travel planning.
What Airbnb’s 2025 Updates Really Signal for 2026 (and How Managers Should Prepare)
đź“ŚTL;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.
Sonder Shutdown: A Sudden End to a High-Profile Hospitality Experiment
đź“Ś TL;DR- Sonder has abruptly shut down and entered Chapter 7 liquidation, ending all U.S. operations immediately. Guests were displaced mid-stay and employees lost access without warning. The collapse stemmed from a fragile master-lease model, SPAC-era overvaluation, mounting financial losses, and the sudden end of its Marriott partnership. The Sonder shutdown marks a major turning point for hybrid hospitality and a warning about scaling asset-heavy models under a tech narrative.
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.
Hostaway CEO Marcus Rader on Becoming the First Short-Term-Rental PMS Unicorn—and What Comes Next
đź“ŚTL;DR: Hostaway has become the first short-term rental PMS unicorn. CEO Marcus Rader credits its global mindset, U.S. growth during COVID, and renewed focus on Europe for the milestone. Looking ahead, he sees AI as the next major disruptor for travel discovery and property management. With new funding, Hostaway is expanding product, engineering, and support for larger property managers across key European markets.
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.
Airbnb’s Hotel Pilot Explained: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What to Watch
📌TL;DR: Airbnb is quietly expanding into hotels, adding boutique and independent properties in select cities. The Airbnb hotels pilot reflects the company’s strategy to diversify supply, balance regulatory pressures, and keep travelers within its ecosystem. It’s a pivotal step toward making Airbnb a full travel marketplace, not just a home-sharing platform.
Where Guests Are Really Booking in 2025: Beyond Airbnb, Booking.com & Vrbo
📌TL;DR: Major OTAs still drive bookings, but property managers are losing control over visibility, pricing, and policies. This article explores the best alternatives to Airbnb and Vrbo in 2025 — including Holidu and Whimstay — and explains how to choose the right channels for your guests, region, and business goals.
New Vrbo Updates Show It’s Making Reliability Its Core Identity
📌TL;DR: Vrbo has introduced a new suite of updates centered on trust and reliability. The rollout includes VrboCare, a refreshed guarantee program, a new “Loved by Guests” badge, and stricter, listing-level Premier Host standards. Together, these changes reinforce Vrbo’s positioning as the “safe to book” platform, focused on consistent, verified guest experiences. For property managers, the takeaway is clear: reliability is now the metric that drives visibility.
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.
From Reel to Reality: How Expedia Using AI to Turn Instagram Inspiration into Bookable Trips
Expedia’s new AI Trip Matching feature lets travelers turn Instagram Reels into real-world itineraries. Here’s how it works, what problems it solves, and what it reveals about the future of discovery for short-term rental managers — where visibility begins long before the search.
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.
Hostaway Hits $1B Valuation, Dallas Pushes Rental Ban Ahead of FIFA, San Diego Mulls $5K/Bedroom Tax
đź“ŚTL;DR- Hostaway just became the first PMS to hit unicorn status with a $1B valuation, setting a new bar for vacation rental software. Meanwhile, Dallas is pushing to enforce its STR ban ahead of the FIFA World Cup, despite legal roadblocks and rising guest demand. In San Diego, a proposed tax of $5K per bedroom on STRs and second homes could squeeze smaller operators.
Italy Moves to Scrap Tax Break on Short-Term Rentals, Prompting Fierce Debate
📌TL;DR- Italy’s draft 2026 budget proposes replacing the 21% flat tax that applies to a host’s first short-term rental property with a uniform 26% rate on all rentals. The Italy short-term rental tax 2026 plan is still under debate and faces political backlash.
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.
