Good morning,

Here’s what’s going on in the vacation rental world this week:

Airbnb is now offering a private car service in 125+ cities (chauffeurs, meet-and-greets, the works), Idaho just passed a law that stops cities from regulating STRs - making it arguably the most STR-friendly state in the country, and Lake .com launched a membership plan that lets hosts funnel booking traffic from its platform to the host's own website to book direct.

Lets dive in. 

NEWS

Headline Roundup

• Airbnb launches private car service in 125+ cities (The Host Report)

• Idaho's new law stops cities from regulating short-term rentals (The Host Report)

• Lake .com launches membership plans for vacation rental hosts (The Host Report)

• AirDNA releases its February 2026 U.S. market review (AirDNA)

• Easter bookings jump in 18 of 22 European markets (The Host Report)

• Maryland is the first state to establish uniform, statewide safety requirements for STRs (Bethesda Magazine)

• Apaleo launches AI copilot (Hospitality Tech)

• Luxury vacation rental group Eterniti raises €30m (PhocusWire)

• PriceLabs launches Revenue Accelerator (Travel Daily Media)

• RMS partners with GuestRevu to streamline guest feedback (Yahoo Finance)

The #1 Priority for 84% of people booking a place to stay is The Location!

INTERESTING INSIGHTS

Is Airbnb competing with Uber now?

The private car transfer service Airbnb began piloting earlier this year is now officially live. Starting yesterday, guests in over 125 cities across Asia, Europe, and Latin America can pre-book a private car between their listing and their airport or transport hub directly in the Airbnb app.

After booking a stay, guests will see the option to schedule a car service in the Trips tab. For arrivals, there's a meet-and-greet option where a driver waits at the arrival location with the guest's name. For departures, the driver picks up directly at the listing. Guests can view and change their booking details within the app.

This is a guest-facing feature. Hosts don't need to do anything, and there's no host compensation or involvement tied to the service.

The "Entire Trip" play

The launch is part of Airbnb's broader Services expansion, which started in May 2025 with categories like private chefs, personal training, and spa treatments. Private car transfers are the latest addition. 

This is a part of Airbnb's "entire trip" strategy. Airbnb wants to be the place where the trip gets planned, booked, and managed. Instead of guests bouncing between apps for their stay, their ride, and their experiences, Airbnb is trying to consolidate all of it under one roof.

So is Airbnb competing with Uber now?

Not really. Even though it kinda feels like Uber, it's not competing with Uber’s core business.

Welcome Pickups, Airbnb's partner for the car service, sets the prices for scheduled transfers booked in advance, planned around check-in and checkout. Uber's core product is on-demand, immediate rides, anywhere, anytime. These are two different use cases, and on-demand rides aren’t part of the new Airbnb feature.

MARKET INSIGHTS

Mortgage Rate Snapshot

Mortgage rates hit an 8-month high near 6.7% mid-week before falling back below 6.5% on Iran diplomacy signals. It was the best two-day drop since the war began, but still far above February's sub-6% levels.

Regulations Update

• Costa Rica is enforcing a 2019 law requiring all STR operators to register, issue digital invoices, and pay 13% VAT plus income tax

• A judge ruled Hermosa Beach's STR ban in the Coastal Zone illegal, potentially opening 200+ properties 

• Connecticut's H.B. 5536 would create a statewide STR registry and let municipalities add up to 2.75% in additional taxes

• Pennsylvania's H.B. 2303 would establish countywide registries with tiered operator categories and 24/7 contact requirements after two Pittsburgh Airbnb shootings

See this weeks full regulations report here: (The Host Report)