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.
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.
Learn How to Reduce Reliance on Platforms at the Direct Booking Success Summit 2025
📌TL;DR- The Direct Booking Success Summit 2025 is a free, online event taking place November 4–6, designed to help short-term rental professionals reduce their reliance on OTAs and strengthen their direct booking strategies. Now in its 5th year, the summit features 30+ expert speakers covering topics like SEO, branding, social media, automation, and guest experience, offering actionable insights for everyone from solo hosts to large-scale property managers.
How the Franchise Model Helped a Vacation Rental Manager Deliver Better Hospitality
📌TL;DR- Michael LeClerc, a former Michelin-starred chef and now the founder of SkyRun Vacation Rentals in Park City, Utah shares how embracing a hybrid franchise model helped him scale his short-term rental business without losing sight of hospitality. In an interview with Uvika Wahi from RSU by PriceLabs, Michael reflects on managing over 100 properties in a competitive ski market by blending high-touch guest service, operational simplicity, and local responsiveness.
Google’s New AI Mode Could Rewrite How Guests Discover and Plan Trips
📌TL;DR- Google’s new AI Mode is transforming how travelers discover and plan trips, combining conversational search, live pricing, curated itineraries, and Google Maps into a single, seamless experience, without ever leaving Google. For short-term rental property managers, this shift could redefine visibility, as AI Mode favors high-quality, structured content and even highlights short-term rentals over hotels in family or group searches. With visual search, paid placements, and direct booking potential on the horizon, managers must optimize their Google listings, metadata, and imagery to stay competitive.
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.
Why the Vacation Rental World Summit 2025 (VRWS) in Rome Is a Must-Attend Event
The Vacation Rental World Summit (VRWS) is back for its 12th edition, and this time it’s landing in the ever-so ...
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.
Perplexity Travel for Vacation Rentals: How AI Is Powering Trip Search
More than six in ten travelers have already used AI to plan or book a trip, according to a recent ...
Vrbo’s Performance Milestones: Visibility Is the New Currency
Vrbo is introducing Performance Milestones in 2026, a new tiered framework that reshapes how hosts and property managers earn recognition, ...
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 ...
EU Signals Short-Term Rental Regulation as Part of Housing Crisis Response
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen briefly mentioned short-term rentals (STRs) in her 2025 State of the Union address, ...
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 ...
Vrbo Payments: Expedia Takes Over as Merchant of Record
Expedia Group has announced a pilot for Vrbo Payments, a new system that makes Expedia the merchant of record for ...
Vrbo Tightens Its Premier Host Standards: What Property Managers Need to Know (UPDATED)
Expedia Group just expanded Vrbo’s demand funnel, and now it’s tightening the rules on who gets to benefit from it. ...
Vrbo Just Got a Lot Bigger By Tapping Into Expedia’s Global Network
Expedia Group has announced a slate of updates for its vacation rental brand Vrbo, but one stands out as the ...
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! ...
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 ...
Vrbo’s Host-Initiated Cancellation Policy: Why Property Managers Are Worried
When guests arrive at a property and can’t get in, it’s more than a bad first impression. It’s a breach ...
