This week’s roundup covers AirDNA’s 2026 mid-year outlook, new pricing tools from PriceLabs, tighter short-term rental restrictions in Málaga, and continued booking growth across the European Union. Let’s dive in.
AirDNA released its 2026 mid-year report this week, pointing to positive signs in the short-term rental market. With fewer new listings being added than expected, potentially due to mortgage rates remaining above 6% and ongoing global conflicts, established vacation rental operators are seeing greater pricing power. AirDNA expects both demand and available listings to grow 2.7% this year, with occupancy averaging 57.4%, slightly above pre-pandemic levels. Revenue per Available Rental (RevPAR) is also projected to increase 2.9%, driven largely by stronger nightly rates. While AirDNA expects demand to dip slightly during the second half of 2026, limited supply growth should continue to create a favorable market for established short-term rental operators.
PriceLabs announced three new product updates this week aimed at giving vacation rental operators more flexibility and control over their pricing. The first is a new mobile app for iOS and Android that allows users to monitor performance and make pricing updates while on the go. The second is a new AI connector that lets users connect their account to AI tools like Claude and use natural language prompts to analyze performance, build revenue strategies, and make pricing changes. Lastly, PriceLabs expanded its Customer API, giving users additional ways to automate pricing tasks, build custom dashboards, and connect PriceLabs data with their internal systems.
Málaga City Council in Spain is making the news this week after passing new planning restrictions that will make it more difficult for short-term rental operators to create new listings. The new regulations will require proposed hotels, hostels, and short-term rentals to go through a planning modification process and demonstrate that the project would provide a public benefit to the surrounding area. The move builds on Málaga’s 2025 block on new short-term rental registrations and aims at slowing investors from converting residential housing into rentals across the city.
A new Eurostat report, tracking booking data from January through March 2026, shows a 9.7% increase in nights booked across the European Union. During the first quarter of 2026, guests booked 144.3 million overnight stays through online platforms. Malta saw the strongest growth, with overnight stays up 30.5%, and larger markets such as Germany and Italy each reporting increases of nearly 15%. Every EU member state recorded year-over-year growth during the quarter, pointing to continued strength in short-term rental demand across Europe.
Registration is now open for the 2026 OwnerRez Roadshow! This August, the OwnerRez team will be joined by Rental Guardian, Lynnbrook Group, Turno, Avalara, and StayFi for three FREE full-day events in Blue Ridge, GA, Gulf Shores, AL, and Tampa, FL. Each event will feature talks from STR industry experts, roundtable discussions, an all-speaker Q&A panel, FREE coffee, a FREE lunch, and plenty of opportunities to connect with the OwnerRez team and co-hosts. Whether you’re new to the vacation rental industry or a seasoned operator, we hope you’ll join us this summer!
As the vacation rental market shows positive signs across the U.S. and Europe, and cities continue looking for new ways to regulate short-term rentals, the industry continues to evolve. Check back next week for the latest news!