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Every story the desk has filed, newest first: the crackdowns, the platform moves, the money, host life, design, the stays going viral, the markets and the world.

Markets FORGET THE VACATION RUSH: TRAVELING NURSES ARE THE MARKET HOSTS ARE MISSING While other hosts chase tourist dollars and regulatory headaches, a steady stream of high-quality guests is waiting for a different kind of rental. It By Dana WhitfieldJuly 28, 2026Analysis
Markets The Flight Tax Is Here: Why Drive-To Markets Are Your Last, Best Bet Airline woes, crushing inflation, and a new guest mindset are rewriting the short-term rental playbook. Forget the airport scramble—the real money is By Dana WhitfieldJuly 28, 2026Analysis
Markets The Insta-Bubble: A-Frames, Domes, Treehouses Are Overrunning the Market. Is Your Novelty Stay Already Obsolete? The STR world is awash with unique-stay listings, each promising Instagram fame and outsized profits. But as the floodgates open, the once-lucrative n By Dana WhitfieldJuly 28, 2026Analysis
Markets Scottsdale's Party Apocalypse: How a Boomtown Busted Itself into Regulation Scottsdale became a bachelorette mecca, then cities fought back. What happens when a party market grows up, and how do hosts survive the inevitable ha By Dana WhitfieldJuly 28, 2026Analysis
Markets The Smoky Mountains Showdown: How a Cabin Gold Rush Became a Host's Nightmare A cautionary tale from the country’s hottest rental market: unchecked growth and easy money turned the dream into a race to the bottom, leaving a trai By Dana WhitfieldJuly 27, 2026Analysis
Host Life The Bouncer's Dilemma: Vetting Guests in the Wild West of STR Platform rules and fair housing laws tie your hands, but your property is on the line. STR NEWS cuts through the noise: what you can ask, what you can By Tammy BrooksJuly 27, 2026Analysis
Markets The Brutal Truth: Why Smart Money Is Bailing Out of Oversaturated STR Markets The party's over for many short-term rental operators. We break down the chilling signs of RevPAR compression, the markets drowning in supply, and whe By Dana WhitfieldJuly 27, 2026Analysis
Host Life The Invisible Margin Assassin: How Restocking Costs Bleed STR Profits Dry It's not the mortgage or taxes that quietly kill your short-term rental's bottom line. It's the relentless, unbudgeted drain of toilet paper, fresh to By Tammy BrooksJuly 27, 2026Analysis
Host Life Pet-Friendly Is a High-Wire Act: Free Money Until You Fall The siren song of pet-owner dollars can be deafening, but unprepared hosts face a costly plunge. This isn't about cuddly companions; it's about cold, By Tammy BrooksJuly 26, 2026Analysis
Host Life THE CALENDAR KILLER: Double-Bookings Are A Threat. Here's How To Win. A double booking isn't just an inconvenience; it's a financial gut-punch and a reputational nightmare. We dig into why cross-listing can be a trap, th By Tammy BrooksJuly 26, 2026Analysis
Host Life Your Listing Title Is a Wasted Asset. Stop Burning Money on Bad Headlines. Most hosts treat their listing title as an afterthought, a quick label for their property. They are dead wrong. The title is the sharpest weapon in th By Tammy BrooksJuly 26, 2026Analysis
Host Life The Ghost in the Machine: Why Your 3 AM Guest Message Needs More Than a Bot The STR industry promised freedom through automation, but the sharpest hosts know when to let the algorithms run wild and when to step in. The line be By Tammy BrooksJuly 25, 2026Analysis
Host Life The Mid-Term Stays Are Crushing Bans and Reshaping Host Fortunes Regulatory crackdowns left many short-term rental hosts scrambling. But a quiet shift to 30-plus-night bookings isn't just a workaround — it’s a strat By Tammy BrooksJuly 25, 2026Analysis
Host Life Rental Arbitrage: The High-Stakes Gamble That Can Pay Big or Burn You Down It looks like easy money: lease an apartment, list it on Airbnb, and watch the cash roll in. But the real story of rental arbitrage is a brutal calcul By Tammy BrooksJuly 25, 2026Analysis
Host Life Turnover Day Is Where Amateurs Bleed Money — The Operational Gap That Crushes Profit Many hosts chase every booking, but the rush to flip a property between guests costs more than it earns. We expose the hidden leaks that drain your ST By Tammy BrooksJuly 25, 2026Analysis
Host Life One-Star Extortion: Hosts Fight Back Against Review Blackmail The threat of a bad review for a refund is a weapon in the guest's arsenal. Hosts are tired of it. Here's how to hold the line, understand platform po By Tammy BrooksJuly 24, 2026Analysis
Host Life AMENITIES ARMS RACE: THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY PAYS OFF Hot tubs, lightning-fast Wi-Fi, dedicated workspaces: every host chases the edge. We cut through the noise to expose which extras deliver real ADR lif By Tammy BrooksJuly 24, 2026Analysis
Host Life Your Listing Photos Are Killing Your Revenue. Here's How to Fix It. In the brutal fight for bookings, amateur photos scream 'amateur host' to guests. Stop leaving money on the table. We break down the visual strategy t By Tammy BrooksJuly 24, 2026Analysis
Host Life The 30-Night Trap: How a Guest Becomes a Squatter, and How to Fight Back Every host's worst nightmare: the short-term guest who refuses to leave. What happens when hospitality ends and tenancy begins, and how to protect you By Tammy BrooksJuly 24, 2026Analysis
Host Life The Security Deposit Is a Myth. Your Bank Account Is Not. Every host thinks a security deposit is their shield against damage. They're wrong. This is the truth about how claims really work, and the digital ar By Tammy BrooksJuly 23, 2026Analysis
Host Life The Nightmare Guest: How to Win the Fight for Your Property Your STR is a business, not a charity. When a guest goes rogue, the stakes are brutal. Here’s the STR NEWS playbook for spotting the threat and securi By Tammy BrooksJuly 23, 2026Analysis
Host Life Camera Inside? You Just Threw Your Entire Business Into the Fire STR NEWS pulls no punches: The 'security camera' in your rental could cost you everything. This is the hard truth on surveillance, what's allowed, and By Tammy BrooksJuly 23, 2026Analysis
Host Life Smart Locks Are a Revenue Trap If You Don't Plan for the Worst The promise of seamless self-check-in is a host's dream, but when the tech fails at 11 p.m., it can turn your profitable rental into a money pit. Here By Tammy BrooksJuly 23, 2026Analysis
The Money Underwater and Overleveraged: The Great STR Reckoning Arrives For hosts who bought at peak prices with cheap money, the current market is a brutal reality check. We break down the stark choices: refinance, sell, By Dana WhitfieldJuly 22, 2026Analysis

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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.
Skift →
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.
Skift →
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.
VRM Intel →
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.
Hospitality Net →
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.
Skift →
The Money
Hotels face rising AI costs without immediate profit gains
Hotel technology investments continue to rise, but properties are seeing more upfront costs than immediate bottom-line gains from artificial intelligence. According to data analyzed by Skift, hospitality businesses are struggling to balance promises of retaining staff with the pressure to show immediate profit-and-loss improvements from their AI integrations.
Skift →

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