Edition No. 89
October 5, 2026
Everything the short-term-rental business needs to know today.
Also filed
- The Money
Tourist taxes gain political momentum as local funding tools
Tourist taxes are increasingly being used by local governments as a political tool to raise revenue. While these levies are typically presented to the public as a mechanism to manage crowded destinations, Skift reports that their core appeal to local officials is the ability to raise money from visitors who cannot vote against them.
- Platforms
Hilton chief executive says new AI agents struggle to access rates
Hilton's chief executive officer says he wants to make booking rooms through artificial intelligence agents easy, but current technology struggles to gain access. According to Skift, Meta's Muse AI agent is currently finding it difficult to pull pricing data directly from hotel group websites, meaning online travel agencies may remain the easier entry point for now.
- Host Life
Short term rental leaders launch new academy to professionalize operators
Industry leaders have launched the STR Academy during the VRMA week in Nashville, Tennessee. Simon Lehmann opened the academy alongside exclusive category partners Beyond, Guesty, Pikl, and Breezeway, according to VRM Intel. The initiative is supported by seven industry ambassadors and aims to provide new operator education as the short-term rental sector professionalizes.
- Platforms
Marriott signs Thailand first branded apartments in Khao Lak
Marriott International has signed an agreement with KS Hotels and Resorts to open two new properties at Khao Lak's Matalay. The development will feature a 160-room Moxy Hotel alongside Thailand's first Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, which will feature 60 units, according to the company.
- Markets
Pavilion rolls up twenty vacation rental managers in business twist
Pavilion has acquired 20 vacation rental property management companies in a new roll-up business model. According to Skift, the strategy will test whether the company can scale efficiently while operating a dozen or more different software systems. Private equity investors are looking for returns, while the majority-owner operators of the acquired local businesses are trying to retain their autonomy.
Get the Gazette in your inbox.
The day's crackdowns and platform moves, the money, the design and the stays going viral, plus the desk's verdict, in one short email every morning.