STR News.

This guide from Hostfully outlines the complexities of vacation rental payments, focusing on direct bookings and automation. It emphasizes payment methods, including those used by OTAs, and advises on what hosts should consider when choosing a payment system. Key benefits include less admin, better cash flow, and stronger fraud protection, encouraging automation to improve efficiency.

Airbnb has partnered with Welcome Pickups to offer private airport transfers, providing a more comprehensive travel experience for guests. This integration streamlines transportation options, potentially enhancing guest satisfaction. Hosts can now offer a more seamless guest journey with direct booking options, benefiting from a potentially improved guest experience.

Operto ONE, a coordinated AI platform designed for independent hotels, has launched, streamlining distribution, guest service, and property operations. The platform integrates multiple AI agents, automates routine tasks, and monitors generative AI visibility. It also combats revenue leakage to intermediaries, enhancing direct bookings. This is a move toward more efficient operations.

This BiggerPockets article discusses the evolving landscape of short-term rentals, highlighting the shift toward treating STRs as businesses. Hosts should focus on building strong operational systems, diversifying booking channels, and investing in direct booking to thrive in 2026 and beyond.

This article compares two property management systems (PMS), Lodgify and Uplisting, highlighting their features and target users. It then advocates for Hostfully as a better alternative, emphasizing its broad feature set, integrations, and customer service. Hosts should consider evaluating their current PMS and if they need more direct booking and marketing features, then Lodgify is best. If they prioritize automation and low costs, Uplisting is a good choice, but Hostfully may offer a wider range of services.

This podcast episode features Eviivo, a property management system (PMS) that aims to help hosts save time, simplify operations, and grow bookings. Eviivo emphasizes direct bookings and integration capabilities, which can help hosts reduce reliance on OTAs. Consider exploring PMS options like Eviivo to streamline your hosting operations and boost direct bookings.

This Skift article highlights a problem with Vrbo's OneKey rewards program, where travelers can earn points but are unable to redeem them for bookings. The update aims to fix the issue, improving the overall guest experience and incentivizing repeat bookings. This fix could increase guest loyalty and drive more direct bookings for hosts.

This article summarizes key lessons learned from 350+ episodes of the "Get Paid For Your Pad" podcast. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on guest experience, automating operations, and building direct booking channels. Also included are summaries of specific episodes on revenue management, CEO strategies, hotel vs. STR pricing and host overwhelm.