This week’s roundup covers Vrbo piloting sponsored listings, Airbnb’s new Extended Cancellation Option, free World Cup tickets for select bookings, a new STR ordinance in Glendale, Wisconsin, and a helpful guide to identifying your guest avatar. Let’s dive in.
Vrbo has officially begun testing sponsored listings, with an official rollout planned for later this year. The new advertising option will allow vacation rental operators to pay for increased visibility in search results, similar to sponsored placement programs already common across the hotel industry. Expedia Group says the feature is currently being piloted and could eventually expand beyond Vrbo to include placements on Expedia.com. The announcement marks a major step toward paid visibility becoming an influential part of the vacation rental industry in future years, highlighting the importance of diversifying across multiple booking channels and investing in a direct booking strategy.
Airbnb is testing a new Extended Cancellation Option, allowing guests to pay an additional fee at checkout in exchange for the ability to cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before check-in. Importantly, hosts will still be paid according to their existing cancellation policy, with Airbnb covering the difference between the guest's refund and the host's payout. The canceled dates will also be immediately reopened for new bookings. The new guest offering is currently being piloted on listings using Moderate, Limited, Firm, or Strict cancellation policies and can be disabled by hosts at any time.
On Monday, in response to a recent shooting at an unlicensed short-term rental, the city of Glendale, Wisconsin, passed a new STR ordinance. The new rules ban all bookings shorter than 7 days, require each property to have an in-town manager available 24/7, and require a license from the health department. While most residents who attended the council meeting supported the changes, local operators expressed concern that the new restrictions could put them out of business.
Airbnb announced this week that free FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets will be included with select stays across the platform. Listings that include free tickets will feature a soccer ball icon at the top of the listing page and will be available across all 16 World Cup host cities. Airbnb says that, in total, hosts and guests will receive more than 1,300 complimentary tickets throughout the tournament, including surprise tickets gifted to existing guests as well as tickets included with future bookings covering matches from the group stage through the World Cup Final.
AirDNA published an interesting article this week on the value of understanding your guest avatar. The article explains how guest avatars go beyond broad demographics and can help operators understand the real motivations, priorities, and expectations behind each booking. It also walks through several ways to identify your guest avatar, including analyzing reviews, looking at common pre-booking questions, and diving into market-level data. AirDNA states in the article, "Understanding your guest avatar can help guide smarter decisions around amenities, property design, listing copy, and investment strategy."
As OTAs experiment with new ways to drive bookings and small communities continue to evaluate short-term rental regulations, the vacation rental industry continues to evolve in 2026. Check back next week for the latest news.