40% of Hosts plan to add properties, but they’re stretched. Here’s where managers come in.

Thomas Recke, a host in Germany, says his retired mother lives next door and bakes a cake for almost every guest. Guests say staying at his property feels like a second home. Hosts like him take pride in that warmth, and a new PriceLabs survey shows 40% of them plan to add properties. Which puts that standard under strain: every added listing adds admin and cleaning to a week that is already split between hosting and a 9-5. 

The opportunity for you in vacation rental owner acquisition is for you to carry the load that lets the hosts keep the standard that they’re proud of.

Part of a series. This is part of a series based on PriceLabs reports published in 2026. This article is based on the results from the Global Host Report 2026 that surveyed 1200+ hosts across 72 countries. We’ll link to the other pieces as and when we publish them.

---

The opportunity: hosts planning to grow are already stretched

These groups are most likely to plan more properties:

• First-year hosts: 53%, against 28% of hosts with more than five years of experience.
• Hosts with two to four properties: 45%, against 35% of single-property hosts.
• Hosts who use AI: 45%, against 32% of hosts who do not. Use AI adoption as a targeting signal.
• Single-property hosts who use AI: 42%, against 25% of single-property hosts who do not.

The report measures what already stretches hosts for all hosts, not only the ones planning to grow:

• Admin: 78% of hosts say it takes effort.
• Servicing: 77% say the same about cleaning, turnovers, and maintenance, and 38% struggle to find reliable cleaners and maintenance.
• Hours: 14% of hosts spend more than 20 hours a week on hosting, up from 11% in the 2025 survey.
• Regulation: 53% fear it will hurt their revenue, up from 48%.

---

How to pitch with the exact solutions to their needs

58% of hosts already use AI for drafting, guest messaging, writing listings, and analyzing the market. You should lead with what AI can not do (at least, yet!) and use AI to prove your worth.

Design a package that helps them curate experiences while you take care of the day-to-dayg

Owners are pinched for time and your price list can not be another big thing for them to read. Their 9-5 already gives them enough. Yours should be a simple fee per turnover covering cleaning, laundry, and restocking, and hourly rate for maintenance. Add a monthly rate for accounting statements and anything else you believe the host would require. 

The owner can pick the task that annoys them the most and keep control of the rest. 69% of hosts are proud of what they’ve built. Ed Brill, a host in the USA, says he refuses to give up the personal connection with guests. 

So, your pitch has to put the host in the driver’s seat with guest experience. They still need to be able to bake cakes for their guests. Or just learn about the guests’ lives. While you, take care of the cleaning and the physical work that they do not have the time to actually do.

Provide support to navigate regulations and getting the correct licenses required

Understandably, 53% of hosts worry about regulations. They can do nothing about it. However, navigating them is something you have a lot more experience with. 

Elias Kordelakos, a host in Greece, says hosts who manage more than three properties are classed as business hosts and must charge 13% VAT, while hosts with one or two properties do not. That puts business hosts at a 13% price disadvantage in the same neighborhood unless they absorb the tax. A Greek host who goes from three properties to four crosses that line.

Hosts planning to grow weigh the extra work and miss this step, and a manager who knows the thresholds in a prospect’s market can show what the next property really costs. Remember, these are hosts that are already trying to navigate another industry. Your job is to simplify the short-term rental industry for them so that they stay in it for the long haul. For example, bring a one-page summary of what changes at the host’s planned portfolio size. 

For example, bring a one-page summary of what changes at the host’s planned portfolio size. Tooting our own horn, RSU’s coverage of short-term rental regulation is a good place to start.

Offer a free listing audit that shows a host where their rates sit against similar homes

Hosts who plan to add properties are more than twice as likely to plan on spending on market data (32% against 14% who do not plan on adding properties). Which makes sense, they want to understand how the market is faring before investing more in that market. 

Give your prospects a chart of their prices drawn against the competition. Michael Kiuntke, a host in Denmark, checks the chart and leaves his prices alone when his line sits well against the competition. 

For example, send a prospect a one-page chart of their rates against similar homes, with the dates where they sit below the market, built in a market data tool such as PriceLabs’ Neighborhood Data. Put it on a one-page with your logo and colors, using a saved brand system so every audit matches. Without a market data tool, compare the listing against five similar listings over the next 30 days in a spreadsheet.

Send it with one line: “Here are three dates where your listing is priced below similar homes.”

---

Be where hosts learn

Hosts learn mainly by trial and error (68%) and from the tools and platforms they use (51%), while online communities fell to 40% from 53% in the 2025 survey. Collaborate with software vendors that hosts are using now for a listing of your services in their website, or a co-hosted onboarding webinar, so hosts meet you while they learn from the tool.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Global Host Report ‘26?

The Global Host Report ‘26 is published by PriceLabs, built using insights from more than 1,200 hosts across 72 countries.

What is vacation rental owner acquisition?

It is how a vacation rental manager finds, qualifies, and signs new homeowners to manage their properties. In this article, the targets are hosts with one to four listings who plan to add properties.

How much time do hosts spend on hosting, and why does it matter for my pitch?

67% of hosts spend ten hours a week or less on hosting, and 14% spend more than 20 hours (our calculation from the report’s hour bands). Most hosts run hosting around another income, so the hours a manager saves are the strongest point in a pitch. The report gives these figures for all hosts, not only the ones planning to grow.

Do hosts who live near their properties still need a manager?

48% of hosts say all their properties are within about a two-hour drive of where they live, and 17% live on the property. These hosts can handle check-ins themselves. Our reading is that the pitch should focus on the physical work: 77% of hosts say servicing takes effort, and 38% struggle to find reliable cleaners.

Which markets have the most hosts planning to grow?

Latin America: 60% of hosts plan to add properties, against 37% in Europe and 34% in North America. Latin American hosts also struggle most to fill empty nights (70%, against 43% in North America and 30% in Europe). The Latin America figures rest on 183 respondents.

Should I pitch AI to hosts who plan to grow?

Use AI adoption as a targeting signal: hosts who use AI are more likely to plan growth (45%, against 32%). 58% of hosts already use AI tools for tasks such as guest messages, listings, and market analysis, so AI alone will not set your pitch apart. 26% of hosts still feel overwhelmed by AI and technology, and 20% of AI users struggle to keep up. Lead the pitch with work AI cannot do: cleaning, turnovers, and maintenance.

---