Industry News
Stay informed on the latest developments in the vacation rental and short-term rental industry. This category provides vacation rental managers and short-term rental managers with news on industry growth, trends, events, and insights into the future of short-term rental property management. From major updates across European markets to professional insights into industry shifts, explore the news shaping the landscape of vacation rentals.
Why Listing Quality Breaks at Scale And How to Stop It from Draining Revenue
📌TL;DR- Most underperforming listings aren’t priced wrong, they’re simply not getting found, clicked, or trusted. PriceLabs’ analysis of 10,000+ listings found that 88% had content quality issues reducing visibility and conversion. Their Listing Optimizer helps professional managers diagnose and fix those problems across large portfolios. It’s not about rewriting text, it’s about aligning guest expectations with what’s shown, said, and delivered.
You’re Probably Comparing Your Performance to the Wrong Market
📌TL;DR- Many short-term rental managers rely on flawed comp sets when comparing performance. This article breaks down how physical, qualitative, performance, and strategic comparisons give a more accurate view of where you stand — and how better definitions lead to smarter decisions.
Why Finding Reliable Cleaners Is Getting Harder, And Why It Likely Won’t Improve in 2026
📌TL;DR- Finding reliable short-term rental cleaning staff is getting harder, and signs suggest 2026 won’t bring relief. Property managers are already losing bookings and getting bad reviews due to no-shows and inconsistent quality. With labor shortages across hospitality and growing operational complexity, success now depends on systematizing cleaning operations, not just hiring harder. The winners in 2026 will be the ones who redesign how they manage, train, and coordinate their cleaning teams.
Planning for 2026? What 2025 Market Data Is Telling Large Property Managers
📌TL;DR- The 2025 data shows that demand is arriving later, revenue is increasingly concentrated around major events, and large property managers are operating under a very different performance model than the broader market. Booking windows have shortened, making pricing discipline and patience more important than ever, while early data for 2026 events like the Winter Olympics, and FIFA World Cup already shows demand building much earlier than last year. At the same time, professionally managed portfolios are trading occupancy for higher Average Daily Rates (ADR) and stronger Revenue per Available Rental (RevPAR), and listing quality has emerged as a measurable revenue driver.
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.
How Multi-Model Flexibility Can Help Property Managers Reduce the Impact of Regulations
📌TL;DR- Faced with London’s strict 90-day rental rule, Your AirHost scaled to 250 properties by building a flexible management model combining short-, mid-, and long-term stays. CEO Stefan Hoffelner explains how geographic diversification, guest segmentation, and owner-friendly agreements allowed them to grow sustainably while staying compliant. For property managers in regulated markets, this is a real-world playbook for adaptability, not just growth.
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.
Maui Inches Toward Rental Ban, Bali Targets Unlicensed Villas, and PriceLabs gets Recognition
📌TL;DR- Maui’s Bill 9 advances again, potentially eliminating up to 6,000-7,000 short-term rentals by 2026 if final rezoning passes. Bali proposes strict licensing for villas, threatening thousands of unpermitted STRs. Meanwhile, PriceLabs’s Listing Optimizer tool wins industry recognition for helping property managers identify and fix low-converting listings at scale.
How Steve Schwab’s Relationship Philosophy Helped Casago Outperform Vacasa
📌TL;DR- Steve Schwab, founder and CEO of Casago, grew his company through discipline, humility, and relationship-driven leadership. While competitors like Vacasa leaned on tech hype and rapid scaling, Schwab prioritized local trust, owner loyalty, and cultural alignment—proving that people-first business strategies are more resilient than investor-driven growth stories.
Vrbo Q3 2025: More Demand Through Expedia, More Bookings Through Deals
📌TL;DR- Vrbo’s Q3 2025 performance signals a turning point, as Expedia’s platform begins delivering real results. Expedia reported double-digit growth in vacation rentals, record attach rates, and 20% of bookings using new promotion tools. Vrbo is now more tightly integrated into Expedia’s ecosystem—leveraging its loyalty program, bundling strategy, and personalized ranking systems. The platform now rewards listings that are clear, consistent, and price-competitive, aligning vacation rentals with Expedia’s full-trip vision.
Learning Revenue management Is No Longer Optional for Property Managers, Here’s Why
📌TL;DR- Property managers can now access the “Fundamentals of Revenue Management” course by PriceLabs Academy, a free, self-paced, tool-agnostic training. It simplifies pricing, pacing, and profitability concepts, helping managers make smarter revenue decisions. Graduates earn a certificate, gaining clarity and credibility in a fast-maturing industry.
Budapest’s 6th District to Ban Rentals, Evolve Snaps Up 1,000 Former Vacasa Homes, and Airbnb-Friendly Apartments Cross 1,300 Buildings
📌TL;DR- Budapest’s 6th District will ban short-term rentals from 2026, raising concerns for property managers in heritage zones. Evolve has acquired 1,000 homes from the former Guestworks portfolio, inherited by Casago after its Vacasa acquisition. Meanwhile, Airbnb’s Friendly Apartments program hits 1,300 buildings, giving renters legal pathways to host, and offering managers a new semi-professional client base.
Alternative Accommodations Powered Booking.com’s Q3 2025, And the Trend Isn’t Cooling
📌TL;DR- Booking.com’s alternative accommodations business, which includes homes, apartments, and unique stays, outpaced hotel growth again in Q3 2025. Fueled by demand from U.S. travelers, Asia’s recovery, and long-haul cross-border trips, the segment grew in both listings and bookings. The company’s hotel-grade infrastructure helped it scale AA smoothly, while the Genius loyalty program and multi-vertical ecosystem (flights, cars, attractions) increasingly route travelers into vacation rentals. After three quarters of consistent gains, alternative accommodations now play a central role in Booking.com’s overall growth strategy.
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)
📌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.
Sonder Shutdown: A Sudden End to a High-Profile Hospitality Experiment
📌 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
📌TL;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.
