This Week’s News & Insights

Good morning,

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

Maui moves to shut down 7,000 legal vacation rentals in apartment-zoned areas, California takes Airbnb to court over alleged wildfire price gouging, and the Biebers’ $70K-per-week Spanish villa is the latest ultra-luxury STR to make waves.

This week in the markets: Mortgage rates held steady but could swing with this week’s economic data and Fed meeting, Dallas investors celebrate an appeals court win keeping single-family STRs alive, Ocean City’s 51-49 vote narrowly protects STRs from a proposed ban, and more details on Maui’s 6-3 council vote threatening thousands of STRs.

Lets dive in. 

Custom Maps: The Easiest Way to Boost Your Bookings

NEWS

Headline Roundup

• How Depreciation Recapture Works and 3 Strategies to Help You Mitigate It (The Host Report)

• Maui Approves Short-Term Rental Ban (The Host Report)

• California Sues Airbnb for Alleged Price Gouging Following Wildfires (Reuters)

• Hospitable’s Guest Portal Gets a Major Overhaul (The Host Report)

• White Paper: How Rising Inventory Is Reshaping the Housing Market (John Burns Research & Consulting)

• 10 Up-and-Coming Markets for STR Investment in 2025 (Beyond Pricing)

• Inside Justin and Hailey Bieber’s $70,000-a-Week Spanish Villa STR (Fox Business)

• MakeMyTrip Launches Experiences Booking Platform, Adds 200,000 Tours and Activities (Phocuswire)

• Sabre Launches Mosaic Travel Marketplace (Phocuswire)

• Travel Chapter Expands Portfolio with Two New Brands: Glampingstays and holidaylodges (Glamping Business)

INTERESTING INSIGHTS

I’m excited to announce a super simple way to boost your bookings, that you can add to your listing in less than 5 minutes.

Think about it - when a guest is deciding which Airbnb to book, they’re swiping through dozens of listings.

Statistically, 84% of guests say location is the #1 priority when booking an Airbnb, and 65% of people are visual learners.

Yet, most Airbnb listings do a terrible job showing off their location, and write their location information in a long wall of text: 

But that's a little silly, because guests don't actually read the listing details when they’re quickly scrolling through multiple listings, deciding which one to book.

But every single guest always looks at the pictures! 

Adding a beautiful custom map to your listing photos has 3 key benefits:

1. Stops the scroll: guests pause, zoom in, and immediately visualize themselves at your property, which leads to more bookings

2. Differentiates from competition: while other listings have boring text, you have an eye-catching visual that everyone understands, which leads to more bookings

3. Prevents bad reviews: no more "it was further from downtown than I thought" complaints

Create a custom map for your Airbnb in less than 5 mins: app.thehostreport.com 

MARKET INSIGHTS

Mortgage Rate Snapshot

Mortgage rates stayed mostly flat over the past week, with small midweek bumps before slipping lower at the end. Late bond market gains could lead to further rate drops, but upcoming economic reports and a Fed announcement may cause sharp swings in either direction.

Regulations Update

• Maui County Council's 6-3 vote bans short-term rentals in apartment-zoned areas, potentially forcing over 7,000 units averaging $500,000 each into long-term housing conversions

• Dallas, Texas STR investors benefit as state appeals court upholds injunction against the city's 2023 STR restrictions, allowing continued operations in single-family neighborhoods

• Nantucket enforcement paused while town appeals court ruling that would ban non-owner-occupied short-term rentals under 31 days in certain residential districts

• Ocean City, Maryland voters narrowly rejected proposed STR ban in single-family districts, preserving rental operations despite close 51-49% margin

• Ocean City, New Jersey approved 3% tax on platform bookings expected to generate $1.8 million annually, though Airbnb is challenging the legality and state approval is required

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