Good morning,

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

Vrbo’s adding AI search and Reserve Now, Pay Later, winter is starting strong with 14 of 19 US ski markets pacing ahead of last year, and we break down why a 5.0 rating may not be good enough to get your Airbnb listed on Amex Travel.

Lets dive in. 

NEWS

Headline Roundup

• Vrbo’s adding AI search and Reserve Now, Pay Later (The Host Report)

• KeyData’s 2026–27 ski season outlook (KeyData)

• Airbnb spends $12.6m on LA elections ahead of the STR expansion debate and the 2028 Olympics (Politico)

• Wyndham launches Homes & Havens vacation rental collection (Wyndham Hotels & Resorts)

• Airbnb will give 10 cents from every stay to its nonprofit, estimating about $500 million over five years (PhocusWire)

• All Seasons acquires CooperWynn in Park City, and RealJoy acquires Emerald Coast Retreats in Panama City Beach (Nearsight)

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INTERESTING INSIGHTS

Airbnb × Amex: The 11% That Made the Cut

Last week, I wrote an article about how Airbnb became Amex Travel’s exclusive vacation rental partner.

For hosts, tapping into Amex cardholders is a pretty ideal demographic. A NerdWallet study found that 32% of Americans planning a vacation are using credit card points to pay for it.

And Amex cardholders have a higher income and spend more on travel than the average person (the average Amex Platinum household earns over $400,000 and regularly redeems points for luxury stays).

But not every Airbnb gets in front of them. Only ~11% of global listings (~1 million out of 9 million) are actually showing up on Amex, so Airbnb’s clearly hand-picking the more premium homes.

What it takes to qualify

Jamie Lane, AirDNA’s Chief Economist, pulled 5,000 Amex Travel listings across four major markets and matched them to AirDNA’s data. Here’s what he found:

• All Airbnb Luxe listings are included, and they’re the only ones eligible for Amex's $600 Platinum Lodging Credit.

• Every non-Luxe listing that makes the cut is for an entire place, rated 4.85+, with at least 10 reviews.

• Over 99% are Guest Favorites or a Superhost.

• Instant Book, cancellation policy, price and cleaning fees made no difference.

But even checking all of those boxes still only gives a listing about a 63% chance of showing up… The rest comes down to the host or property manager’s overall account.

Hosts whose portfolio averages below ~4.7 had zero listings on Amex (meaning even a 5.0 home can get dragged down by lower-rated properties on the same account).

How to check if your property is listed

If you (or a friend) have an Amex card, log into the Amex Travel portal and search your market to see if your property is visible.

MARKET INSIGHTS

Mortgage Rate Snapshot

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level since late September as tech stocks slid to their lowest level since July and investors moved money into bonds. A stronger-than-expected job openings report nudged rates up slightly Tuesday, but they stayed near one-month lows.

Regulations Update

• Galveston, Texas took its STR complaint hotline in-house after recording 264 violations and $25,384 in fines and court costs

• Southold, New York is weighing a 1% cap that would cut its 640 active STRs to about 120 lottery permits

• New Orleans’ Planning Commission backed a one-STR-per-block limit and rejected opening four more French Quarter blocks to STRs

• Hawaii County’s Bill 147 would redefine STRs as stays under 180 days and let hosted rentals operate in residential zones without a use permit

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