This week’s roundup covers Airbnb’s use of machine learning to prevent unauthorized parties, Vrbo's new features, insights from Utah’s short-term rental study, Airbnb’s new host fee structure, a proposed STR tax in Colorado, and the top winter destinations for 2025. Let’s dive in.
Airbnb rolled out its anti-party system ahead of Halloween weekend to help hosts prevent unauthorized gatherings. The company says, “This proprietary system uses machine learning to analyze attempted bookings of entire homes over the Halloween weekend, looking for signs of a potential party risk, such as the length of the reservation, the distance of the listing from the guest’s location, property type, and timing of the booking, including last-minute requests.”
Bookings flagged as higher risk will be blocked, and guests can choose alternative accommodations, like a private room where a host is more likely to be present. Last year, the system stopped roughly 38,000 people in the U.S. and 6,300 in Canada from making high-risk bookings. Airbnb says the goal is to reduce disruptive parties and provide hosts with extra support in keeping their properties and neighborhoods safe during one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Vrbo announced a series of updates this week, starting with rebranding its “Book with Confidence Guarantee” as VrboCare and expanding rebooking assistance from 30 days to 90 days for eligible stays. The platform also added new tools to improve listing accuracy and make key details easier for travelers to find. A new "Loved by Guests" badge now highlights properties with exceptional reviews, scoring 9.4 or higher overall and in key categories like cleanliness, location, and check-in. Vrbo is also tightening standards for its Premier Host program, which will move to a listing-level designation next year. Listings must now maintain a 99% acceptance rate, zero cancellations, and a 9.2 or higher rating. Other updates include AI-generated review summaries, AI-generated Q&As, a new Property Highlights section, and the option for travelers to upload photos with their reviews for added transparency.
A recent Utah Taxpayers Association study tested what would happen if the state’s short-term rentals were converted into traditional homes, aiming to provide lawmakers a clearer picture of short-term rental effects, as the industry continues to face blame for housing unaffordability. The report found that short-term rentals account for just 1.9% of the state’s total housing and have minimal impacts on affordability. They concluded that even if all year-round short-term rentals were converted into residential homes, the median price would drop by only 0.4%, approximately $2,000 on a $500,000 home, and fewer than 1,000 units would become affordable for average-income families. The study notes they “would not fundamentally solve local housing shortages or materially shift affordability for most residents.” At the same time, short-term rentals generate $1.19 billion in direct visitor spending and support roughly 10,200 jobs. Billy Hesterman, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, says lawmakers should focus on “incentivizing more affordable housing types rather than punishing or regulating” short-term rentals.
Airbnb has implemented its “Single Fee” structure for all hosts using property management or channel management software. As of Monday, all API-connected hosts have been automatically transitioned from the old split-fee model, which consisted of a 3% host fee plus a 14–16% guest fee, to a single 15.5% host-only fee. Airbnb says the change aims to improve “price transparency,” increase consumer trust, and address one of the biggest guest complaints: “too many fees.” If you haven’t adjusted your Airbnb rates yet, your payouts will reflect the higher host fee. To maintain consistent revenue, we recommend increasing rates by about 15.5%. With the right adjustments, this update should have little to no impact on your vacation rental business. OwnerRez users can easily update their rates within OwnerRez by navigating to Settings → Channel Integrations → Airbnb. For a step-by-step guide on adjusting pricing and understanding this change, please read our Vacation Rental Guide: How to Adjust Your Pricing for Airbnb’s New Fee Structure.
Vail, a small ski town in Colorado, has added a proposed 6% increase to short-term rental taxes to the November ballot. Short-term rentals are currently taxed at 10.8%, and the Vail Common Sense Housing Committee is concerned that the additional tax, added directly to the guest’s total, could drive away the tourists Vail relies on to thrive. Supporters say the measure would fund housing in and around Vail, while opponents argue it unfairly targets short-term rental hosts. Airbnb has contributed $30,000 to the opposition campaign, noting the tax singles out hosts while exempting larger corporate hotels.
Airbnb shared with Travel + Leisure its list of top trending winter destinations for this year, highlighting the influence of the Winter Olympics and the rise of “gateway travel,” where travelers seek cities on the outskirts of natural landscapes. The Australian Capital Territory and Santiago, Chile, are among the top global destinations reflecting this trend. In the U.S., Champion, Pennsylvania; St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; Hermosa Beach, California; and Dover, Vermont, ranked among the top destinations. Airbnb also noted a surprising trend of families planning longer stays, with a third of families choosing to stay for a week or more.
As the holiday season kicks into gear, expect more shifts in regulation, technology, and traveler trends across the vacation rental landscape. Check back next week for the latest news!