STR News.

An Airbnb guest's refusal to check out or pay has left a couple in a difficult situation. This highlights the potential risks of hosting, including financial loss and the need for effective dispute resolution. Hosts should familiarize themselves with Airbnb's policies and have a plan for handling problematic guests to protect their income.

Airbnb is piloting a kitchen stocking service with Instacart in select cities. Hosts will unpack and organize groceries, earning $25 per order, but are also responsible for following USDA food safety guidelines. This pilot foreshadows a potential host services marketplace, so hosts should understand the operational and compliance implications.

This article discusses Hostaway's CEO, Marcus Rader, and their achievement of becoming the first short-term-rental PMS unicorn. It likely explores the strategies and factors contributing to Hostaway's success, possibly including revenue management, and outlines future plans. The article's focus on Hostaway highlights the growing importance of technology in the STR space.

OwnerRez, a vacation rental software company, has launched a new podcast called "Walk 'n Talk" where they discuss the business of vacation rentals. The podcast covers topics like building, scaling, and running a successful vacation rental business. Hosts can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for insights into the industry and OwnerRez's development.

This iGMS article explains the Vrbo guest review system, emphasizing its importance for hosts to increase bookings, build credibility, and warn other hosts. Hosts should prioritize leaving honest and consistent reviews within the 14-day timeframe after a guest submits their review. Hosts can also use software to automate the review process.

This article from BiggerPockets outlines the importance of having a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for maintenance requests. It highlights the benefits of a clear system, including consistency, time savings, and improved tenant experience, and provides a step-by-step example using RentRedi's platform.

This article discusses the enhancements VrboCare offers, focusing on flexibility and security for vacation rental bookings. It highlights the improved guest experience Vrbo aims to provide. Ultimately, the changes emphasize Vrbo's commitment to building trust and convenience for both guests and hosts on its platform.

This article reviews Sonder, an alternative to Airbnb. The review likely covers key aspects like property quality, pricing, and the overall guest experience. Knowing if Sonder provides a better experience or value can help hosts and potential guests decide where to book.

This article from Beyond Pricing offers 5 best practices for communicating with owners of short-term rentals, emphasizing proactive, clear, and personalized communication. Hosts should use these tips to build trust and strengthen relationships with their owners, which is critical for long-term partnerships.

Effective owner communication is crucial for long-term STR partnerships. The article emphasizes proactive updates, turning performance data into narratives, aligning goals, providing market context, and personalizing the owner experience. Tools like Owner Insights and Neyoba are highlighted for streamlining communication and building trust, offering actionable steps for hosts to improve owner relationships.

This article emphasizes the importance of time management for real estate investors, including STR hosts. It advises hosts to analyze how they spend their time and delegate tasks that are low-value, freeing them up to focus on high-return activities such as securing deals and improving their strategies.

This article profiles DoorCo Vacations, a Wisconsin-based STR company, and their use of OwnerRez. Hosts can learn how a successful operator uses automation and a central platform to manage reservations, finances, communication, and workflows while scaling their business.

This article provides an 8-point checklist for creating effective Airbnb checkout instructions, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and the benefits of a smooth guest departure. Hosts should review and implement these suggestions to enhance guest experience and encourage positive reviews. The article also suggests using automation tools like iGMS to streamline the process.

Vrbo is expanding traveler protection through a new suite of features called VrboCare. The details of these features are not fully revealed, but the announcement highlights Vrbo's commitment to enhancing the guest experience. Hosts should stay informed about the new features.

This article discusses Avari's full-service platform for vacation rental management, offering new standards in the industry. The platform likely integrates various tools and services to streamline operations. The introduction of such a comprehensive platform signifies a shift towards more integrated and potentially easier management solutions for hosts.

Mid-term rentals (stays of 1 month to a year) are becoming popular, offering more predictable income and fewer turnovers. This article provides a guide to attracting, hosting, and managing mid-term guests, including tips on property suitability, pricing, and automation, and warns of the need for a separate rental agreement.

Beyond and Boom are partnering to integrate AI-driven property management solutions. This collaboration allows for dynamic, AI-powered pricing, insightful market data from billions of bookings, and connected data intelligence for optimizing performance. Property managers can benefit from a unified ecosystem, reacting faster to market changes and improving revenue.

Vrbo is launching VrboCare to enhance traveler booking protection. This new policy likely provides a level of assurance for guests. Hosts should familiarize themselves with the VrboCare details to understand its impact on their listings and guest interactions. This initiative signals Vrbo's commitment to improving the booking experience.

Vrbo's 2025 strategy, VrboCare and 'Loved by Guests', focuses on reliability. This initiative, analyzed by PriceLabs, likely involves updates to guest experience, cleaning protocols, and potentially pricing adjustments. Understanding Vrbo's goals offers hosts a valuable opportunity to align their strategies for better performance on the platform.

This article discusses building successful teams for short-term rental businesses, focusing on leadership strategies for scaling and avoiding overwhelm. Hosts are advised to shift from reactive management to strategic leadership and to identify bottlenecks to optimize time and resources.

This article warns about the rising threat of cookie-related scams on the Airbnb platform in 2026. The focus is on potential security vulnerabilities and how hosts and guests could be targeted. Understanding these threats is crucial for protecting listings and personal data.

The real estate market is shifting, with increased rental demand but economic uncertainty. This impacts STRs through evolving regulations, increased competition, and the need for flexibility. Hosts should diversify lease terms, optimize technology, and focus on tenant retention to maximize cash flow.

The VRMA International Conference honored industry leaders in marketing, community impact, and operational excellence. Hosts can learn from the award winners, such as those with successful marketing campaigns and efficient housekeeping operations. Consider incorporating best practices in marketing, community engagement, and operational efficiency based on the award winners.

Stacy Wesson has won the 2025 "Pay It Forward" award, which provides a complimentary conference registration. Hosts should note the importance of industry networking and peer-to-peer mentorship opportunities within the vacation rental sector.