STR News.

A traveler faced an inaccessible VRBO rental, highlighting the importance of robust support. VRBOCare intervened to resolve the issue, showcasing the value of platform-provided assistance in challenging guest situations.

Airbnb's new AI Lab launch signals a potential shift in its growth narrative and valuation gap. The focus on AI could lead to significant platform enhancements for hosts and guests, potentially improving operational efficiency and guest experiences.

Accor CEO plans to overhaul operations using AI to absorb routine work and push into growth markets. He aims for double-digit EBITDA growth and has agreed to sell a stake in Essendi for up to €975 million ($1.1 billion).

Research shows significant fraud protection disparities across UK holiday rental platforms. Specialist agencies offer greater security than large marketplaces, with Airbnb showing a higher fraud complaint rate than rivals like Sykes Holiday Cottages.

The SCALE UK + SCALE With AI 2026 conference in Brighton (June 9-10) focuses on the UK holiday let and short-term rental market. This event, presented by RSU by PriceLabs, will cover industry trends and AI integration for hosts.

Airbnb has launched a new grocery delivery service for guests, aiming to enhance convenience. This new feature allows travelers to pre-order groceries, ensuring their vacation rental is stocked upon arrival, improving the guest experience and operational efficiency for hosts.

The SCALE UK + SCALE With AI 2026 conference in Brighton (June 9-10) offers deep dives into AI for STRs and UK market trends. Sessions cover AI tools, regulation, and distribution, targeting professional operators with practical education.

This PhocusWire news brief covers multiple travel tech updates including Airbnb's platform and strategies from Yotel and IHG. It highlights industry movement and tech integration for accommodations providers.

Airbnb is launching its own AI lab, bypassing major tech partners. This move signals a significant investment in proprietary AI development to enhance user experiences and operational efficiency on the platform.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is exploring the creation of a new AI lab, separate from Airbnb, to develop AI models focused on user interaction and design. This move raises questions about Airbnb's internal AI capabilities and the broader tech landscape.

Hotel AI is currently focused on cost-cutting rather than revenue generation. Experts argue this is due to disconnected hotel systems that can't provide room-level data or guest behavior insights, hindering AI's ability to boost revenue.

OwnerRez is hosting a series of June webinars covering demos, Q&A, and focus sessions on quotes and triggers. They are also attending the STR Wealth Builders Conference on June 19th in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Evolve skipped the pilot phase for its new AI platform, scaling it immediately to handle routine guest inquiries. Within 120 days, they doubled AI resolution rates from 30% to 60%, significantly improving response times and multilingual support.

Sonder co-founder launches AI travel agent Odessia on LangChain. It offers conversational booking for flights, accommodation, and itineraries. Odessia aims to streamline planning by showing real-time availability, pricing, and visuals, with over 2,000 luxury hotels joining soon.

Bali's long-stay rental market is seeing consolidation, with over 2,400 listings on a dedicated marketplace. This trend highlights a growing demand for extended stays, influencing operational strategies for hosts.

Perk's CPO discusses AI's invisible role in business travel, focusing on automating 'shadow work' to save employees time. The goal is a unified platform that understands user policies and patterns, making operations seamless and proactive, not reactive.

Airbnb has removed an Ocean View rental listing after it was booked four times within a 10-day period. This incident highlights potential issues with high booking velocity and its implications on platform policies and guest experience.

Scaling AI in hospitality hinges on 'boring stuff' like infrastructure and clean APIs, not just technology. IHG and Evolve panelists stress that people, culture, and embracing AI as a continuous process are bigger hurdles. Rewarding AI-driven efficiency is key.

Expedia's CTO Shilpa Ranganathan emphasizes a 'build' approach for customer data and privacy tech. This strategic decision highlights the importance of data control for enhancing AI capabilities and maintaining guest trust in the hospitality sector.

Master Airbnb guest communication with 10 essential message templates covering the entire guest journey. Learn how timely, personalized messages boost bookings and reviews. Discover when Airbnb's native tools fall short and automation is key.

Airbnb is enhancing host protection with a new initiative to safeguard earnings when unexpected events occur, such as guest damages or booking issues. This aims to provide hosts with greater financial security and peace of mind, allowing them to focus on guest experience.

Digital guidebooks centralize guest information, reduce host repetitive messages, and enable self-check-in. They offer convenience for guests and time savings/upsell opportunities for hosts.

Francis Davidson, founder of the cautionary tale Sonder, launches Odessia, an AI travel planning and booking tool. This new venture focuses on a digital-first approach, contrasting with Sonder's physical footprint. It signifies a shift in travel tech towards AI-driven solutions.

STR hosts can boost profits with weekly reporting, focusing on revenue, occupancy, and operations. Automating data collection and adopting a consistent review cadence turns dashboards into control panels for informed decision-making and owner alignment.