STR News.

Ennismore is expanding its all-inclusive strategy beyond its Rixos brand, testing it with lifestyle brands like Mondrian in Cancun. This move aims to redefine all-inclusive by shedding buffet-and-wristband associations.

Hotels are facing stiff competition from Airbnb, particularly during major events like the World Cup. Airbnb's flexibility and unique offerings are drawing travelers, challenging traditional hotel models. Hosts should leverage this trend by optimizing their listings for event travelers.

Airbnb's marketing efforts around the World Cup have successfully lured US travelers away from traditional hotels. Data indicates a shift in booking preferences, highlighting the platform's growing appeal for event-based travel. This trend suggests potential for increased demand and competition.

Airbnb leveraged the 2026 World Cup with a targeted marketing push, successfully drawing US travelers away from traditional hotels. This indicates a growing trend of STRs capturing major event audiences, impacting hotel occupancy and offering opportunities for hosts.

Century 21's COO highlights escalating tech demands driving M&A in real estate. Acquisitions are now cross-state, enabled by technology. Brokerages above $2M GCI need robust tech and resources to compete.

Booking Holdings is consolidating Booking.com, Agoda, and Priceline into a new B2B unit, overseen by Agoda CEO Omri Morgenshtern. This move aims to strengthen Booking's position against Expedia in B2B travel offerings for corporate partners.

RedDoorz plans a 2027 IPO on the Singapore Exchange, aiming to raise $39-$77.5M for acquisitions across India, Australia, and SEA. They are scouting villa management and extended-stay operators, signaling industry consolidation and growth opportunities.

VueStay Vacations, backed by Trivest Partners, has launched managing 4,500 homes across eight US states. The company leverages the Casago franchise network for centralized support in revenue management and marketing, aiming for a hyper-local hospitality experience.

This article analyzes Vrbo's recent commercial campaigns and their effectiveness compared to its "Eavesdrop" marketing strategy. It delves into where Vrbo's advertising spend actually yields results for hosts on the platform.

Minor Hotels is expanding into Sharjah's nature and heritage retreats, aiming to attract international visitors. This move signifies a shift from domestic/regional focus to a global audience, leveraging a larger operator's reach for growth beyond current limits.

Vrbo's new "Eavesdrop" content series targets specific growing markets like Paradise Valley, Montana, aligning with Expedia's trend data. This strategy focuses on building search-focused content hubs for long-term traveler attraction, potentially impacting margins.

Uber and Google Maps are evolving into 'super apps' using AI. Uber, a commerce engine, aims for discovery, while Google Maps, a discovery engine, seeks to own transactions. This convergence impacts travel distribution and offers new avenues for hosts.

Accor and H World Group are linking loyalty programs and distribution across 19,000 hotels in China, Europe, and the Middle East. The partnership begins with 240 hotels and aims to eventually cross-sell their entire portfolios to a combined 430 million members.

Lollapalooza drives significant travel demand in Chicago, with out-of-state searches up 20% and Gen Z interest up 15%. Hosts earned over $6.4M last year. Airbnb Experiences offer unique backstage access and local activities, boosting community earnings.

Airbnb is expanding its Online Experiences, betting on scalable digital hosting. This move signifies a shift towards leveraging technology for broader reach and accessibility in the hospitality sector.

Hilton is integrating directly with Navan, allowing direct access to rates, availability, and marketing content. This bypasses traditional TMCs, giving hotels more control over their brand presentation and enabling upsells and exclusive perks for corporate travelers.

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders can now earn 3x points on vacation rentals booked directly through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. This adds significant value for travelers utilizing these services for STR stays.

The Skift Live Tourism Summit 2026 focuses on demand driven by live events like concerts and sports. Hosts need to build strategies around these moments, not just treat them as calendar dates, to capture measurable economic impact.

Spain, alongside France and Italy, is experiencing significant growth in platform-based short-term rental tourism, driven by Airbnb and Expedia. This expansion is boosting cross-border travel and the EU's visitor economy.

OTAs are shifting focus from travelers to AI agents, demanding structured data for searchability. Hosts must adapt their websites to be machine-readable to remain competitive against OTAs.

Saudi Arabia is seeing a shift in tourism investment, with private capital increasingly funding new hotel keys and overall tourism projects. The sovereign wealth fund is reducing direct commitments but still assumes early-stage risks. This indicates a growing private sector role in the kingdom's tourism development.

A Blue Springs Airbnb host experienced a surge in bookings due to the World Cup, leading to 'nonstop' business. This highlights the potential for major sporting events to drive significant demand for STRs.

Guests are increasingly using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude to plan trips. To ensure your listing is recommended, optimize your descriptions and provide comprehensive, accurate information that these AI models can easily process and surface to potential guests.

AI assistants like ChatGPT are now shortlisting properties for guests, bypassing traditional search. Ensure your site is machine-readable with Schema.org's 'vacation-rental' markup and open to AI crawlers like OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot to avoid being invisible.