Vacation Rental News & Insights

Good morning,

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

Amazon is testing Alexa as a hands-free way to book vacation rentals through Expedia (not sure how that would work), Maui residents are suing to stop Bill 9 which would phase out over 7,000 permitted STRs, and we break down the marketing emails that drive repeat guests and direct bookings.

Lets dive in. 

NEWS

Headline Roundup

• Amazon’s Alexa is integrating with Expedia for AI-driven vacation rental and hotel booking (PhocusWire)

• New analysis from Lighthouse shows the impact of STR regulations in major markets (HospitalityNet)

• CEO of Eviivo shares 7 steps for hospitality operators to manage rising fees in 2026 (PhocusWire)

• Airbnb's APAC general counsel advocates for evidence-based STR regulation (WebInTravel)

• Vrbo kicks off "Take It to the House" Fiesta Bowl sweepstakes (Morningstar)

• The biggest short-term rental trends of 2025 (The Host Report)

• Hawaii’s new “Green Fee” adds an additional 0.75% tax to vacation rental stays (Travel and Tour World)

• UAE based VBooking secures $5 million to expand AI-driven travel platform (Arageek)

• Sykes Holiday Cottages partners with park operator Landal (Chester Standard)

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

Thats why custom maps can boost bookings by up to 30%

When you add this to your listing:

• Guests decide faster: They feel more confident booking your place

• You save time: Reduce pre-booking questions like “How far is the beach?”

• Protects your Superhost status: Clarity helps prevent bad location reviews

It takes less than 5 minutes to make, costs less than a cleaning fee, and it pays for itself with your very first booking. 

INTERESTING INSIGHTS

Email Marketing Strategies

It feels like everyone says to “collect emails for direct bookings”, but almost no one explains what emails to send or why they matter. 

Emails take some upfront work to map out and create, but once your automations are in place, they compound over time. 

Here’s a few of my favorite marketing emails for STRs: 

One-time Emails

Welcome Email
Sent immediately after someone joins your email list, either through your website, PMS, or WiFi login. This is where you introduce your brand, share your story, and begin to build a relationship with the guest. The first email sets the tone, and welcome emails almost always have the highest open and click rates, so put your best foot forward and a little personality into it!

Post-Departure Email
Thank guests for staying and encourage them to book direct next time. It is also an ideal moment to ask for feedback or reviews.

New Property Announcements
For property managers, send an announcement email whenever you onboard a new property. Guests on your email list love discovering new places, and owners love seeing their home featured. These emails usually get really high engagement. And yes, your owners should be on your email list, not just guests. Show them you’re working!

Open Availability Emails
Use your list to highlight last-minute openings or short windows of availability. One great example I saw recently was a simple update that said: here are the dates we are fully booked, here is the one weekend still open. These don’t need to be complicated. Sometimes, people just need a reminder to plan their next trip, and you never know what might inspire someone to book their next getaway. Bonus points if you include a small discount.

Recurring Marketing Emails

Monthly Newsletter
It's really important to send at least one email per month to keep your list “warm”. Have fun with it while sharing genuinely helpful local insights like:

• Upcoming events happening in your area

• New restaurants or fun things to do opening in your area

• Weather reports like the date of first snowfall

• Interesting facts about the town… “this day in history”...  it could be anything! 

These emails remind guests what they enjoyed about staying with you and can spark their next booking.

Booking Anniversary Emails
Trigger an email based on the guest’s original booking date. Use your average booking lead time to determine when to send it (like 30, 60, or 90 days before their booking anniversary). Many guests return to the same area around the same time each year, and your place could become part of their yearly tradition.

Booking Abandonment Emails
If you have access to the data, send a quick reminder to guests who started the booking process but didn’t finish it. Keep the email simple with a single button that instantly brings them back to their reservation details to finish their booking. Life happens! People get distracted, sometimes they need a little reminder to finish what they started.

Standard Promo Campaigns
Highlight one specific property or unit type with a short description and a clear “Book now” call to action.

P.S. If you aren’t capturing guest contact info outside the OTA, you’re renting your customers instead of owning the relationship, and we’re all here to run a business, right?

I’m interested in what might be holding people back from doing this, so if you aren’t collecting guest emails and using it for marketing, hit reply - I want to hear your perspective or what you’re struggling with!

MARKET INSIGHTS

Mortgage Rate Snapshot

Mortgage rates barely moved this week, holding near two-month lows as the market waited for new economic data that could finally push rates up or down. Looking back on the full year, rates dropped nearly 1% in 2025, falling from 7.1% to 6.2% by the end of the year.

Regulations Update

• Maui property owners filed a lawsuit challenging Bill 9, which phases out approximately 7,000 permitted STR’s

• Fullerton, California, enacted a moratorium blocking all new short-term rental permits until 2027, effectively halting any new investment opportunities in the market

• Rhode Island imposed a new 5% tax on whole-home short-term rentals effective January 1, 2026

• Arizona's Court of Appeals upheld a 2017 state law preventing local governments from banning STRs, reinforcing statewide protections

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