Latest Activity...
You guest will have the "ownerrez via marketmystr api" tag.
How do we know if we're using the most updated/official integration?
Great questions everyone!
Many users have already been using the integration for about a year. What’s new here is that MarketMySTR has now completed OwnerRez’s partnership and testing process, so it’s now listed as an official OwnerRez integration.
Functionally, it’s the same integration many of you are already using—this announcement just makes it official within the OwnerRez partner ecosystem.
MarketMYSTR is now officially integrated with OwnerRez, which is why we posted about it. Sometimes companies build connections using our publicly available OAuth API, but until they go through our partnership program and complete internal testing with our team, they aren’t considered an officially integrated partner. This announcement reflects that step.
If you’re curious about what MarketMYSTR specifically offers or how it works for marketing your rentals, we recommend reaching out to their team directly for more details on their platform and strategies.
I have the same question. We have OR and MarketMYSTR and it has been integrated for a year. Just wondering what is new!
I’m not hearing what exactly this does to market one’s rentals. I’m hearing it has some kind enhanced communication or CRM but am not learning what that is, what it’s about, and why OR would want to use a product that is doing what it’s supposed to be doing.
This week’s roundup covers new short-term rental legislation advancing in Arizona and Idaho, Airbnb’s latest leadership hire, a strategic look at Airbnb and Vrbo’s evolving growth strategies, and new data from AirDNA on the state of short-term rental arbitrage in 2026. Let’s dive in.
Previously reported in Industry News on February 6th, Arizona lawmakers have advanced a bill that would mark the first change to the state’s short-term rental rules since 2016 and allow limited local regulation. Earlier versions of the proposal would have allowed cities and towns to cap the number of vacation rentals and establish minimum distance requirements between them. However, pushback from local realtor groups and Airbnb helped reshape the bill into a more limited measure focused on repeat violations and overnight occupancy limits. The bill passed the Arizona House this week and now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
Going in the opposite direction of Arizona, the Idaho Senate on Monday advanced House Bill 583, a proposal that would further limit how cities and counties regulate short-term rentals. The bill builds on a 2017 state law that generally prevents local governments from restricting vacation rentals but allows regulations tied to public health, safety, and welfare. Supporters argue that some cities have used that clause to impose additional requirements, such as inspections, parking rules, fire safety upgrades, and licensing, that effectively limit short-term rentals. The proposal aims to clarify the earlier law by requiring local governments to treat short-term rentals the same as other residential homes and preventing additional requirements that do not apply to typical properties.
Airbnb announced this week that Gus Fuldner, a longtime Uber executive, will join the company as its new Global Head of Operations. Fuldner spent more than a decade at Uber working across safety, support, payments, and insurance, experience Airbnb says will help strengthen operations including community support, fraud prevention, safety, and the AirCover program. The move comes just weeks after Airbnb began testing airport pickup services, previously reported in Industry News on March 6th, and reflects the company's continued goal of becoming a “one-stop shop” for travel.
Rental Scale-Up by PriceLabs published an article this week breaking down the latest strategic moves from Airbnb and Vrbo. The analysis highlights how the two platforms are taking different approaches as the market evolves. The article notes that Airbnb is focused on reducing booking friction and expanding its travel ecosystem, while Vrbo is leaning into structured promotions, third-party partnerships, and broader distribution across the Expedia network. The article also reinforces the importance of diversifying across multiple booking channels instead of relying too heavily on a single platform.
AirDNA released an article this week using its internal data to examine whether short-term rental arbitrage still makes financial sense for operators. The report identifies Charleston, SC, Salinas, CA, and North Port, FL as the most profitable arbitrage markets in the United States based on the gap between lease costs and potential short-term rental revenue. Nationally, AirDNA reports that the average short-term rental premium averaged 138 percent in 2025, meaning STR revenue still exceeds rent in many markets, though the margin is narrower than it was in previous years. While rental arbitrage can still be a successful model in the vacation rental industry, the report highlights the importance of choosing markets with strong STR premiums and revenue growth that outpaces rent.
As local governments shift their approach to short-term rentals and major booking platforms look for new ways to grow, the vacation rental industry continues to evolve in 2026. Check back next week for the latest news.
How successful has it been for you?
Is there anything new about it? I've already been integrated for a couple of years.
Wasn’t there already an integration with MarketMySTR? What’s new about this?
This week, we’re featuring Justine Emerick, founder of Vacation In Rocky Point and an OwnerRez user since 2020. What started as “casually managing” quickly grew into a thriving business, and today Justine manages 13 homes and counting in Rocky Point with OwnerRez as the backbone of her operations.
I’ve been managing my personal vacation rentals in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, also known as Rocky Point, for about eight years. What started as managing my own properties slowly grew into something much bigger as other foreign owners began asking me to manage for them as well. I discovered OwnerRez and signed on in September 2020, and that’s when my business truly leveled up.
Property management is actually my third career. I started out in corporate America working in IT. Eventually, I left the corporate world to build an eBay business, which evolved into a successful retail operation where I sold on Zulily for many years. When COVID brought my retail business to an end, I pivoted fully into vacation rental management, something I had already been doing on a smaller scale for my own properties. What began as “casually managing” quickly turned into a thriving business as owners saw how I operated and wanted the same systems and professionalism for their properties.
I’m not originally from Puerto Peñasco, but we made the move there in 2018. We fell in love with the relaxed, laid-back, “vacation every day” atmosphere. Life moves at a slower pace here. Instead of spending hours commuting just to end up exhausted on the couch, our days include beach walks and sunsets over the Sea of Cortez. It’s hard to beat living where other people come to escape. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to live at the beach?
I love the flexibility and the ability to design my life around something I enjoy. I also genuinely love being part of people’s vacation experiences. We meet guests from all over the world, and it’s rewarding to know we help create the backdrop for family memories, celebrations, and getaways.
It’s a 24-hour business. You’re always “on” in some capacity. It can be hard to fully disconnect when guests are checking in, checking out, or traveling at all hours. That’s where strong systems and automation become essential.
OwnerRez is the backbone of my operation. I use it for both my personally owned properties and the portfolio I manage for other owners. It allows me to automate an incredible amount of communication, from inquiries and booking confirmations to check-in instructions and follow-ups, which gives me back time while still delivering a professional, consistent guest experience. Everything syncs in real time across channels, which is critical in a fast-moving market. I collect payments through my own processors, generate quotes easily, manage security deposits, and run detailed reports without juggling multiple systems. On the owner side, it gives my clients transparency. They can log in to see their calendars, view financials, and run reports anytime they want. That level of visibility builds trust and makes scaling possible. And when I need help, OwnerRez support is responsive and knowledgeable, which matters when your business runs 24/7.
It’s honestly hard to pick just one because the power is in how everything works together. The real-time channel syncing alone is invaluable. Add in automated messaging, integrated payment processing, easy quote generation, security deposit handling, a seamless direct booking site, and detailed reporting, and you have a complete ecosystem. Before OwnerRez, I was piecing together multiple tools. Now everything lives in one place. That’s what allowed me to grow from managing my own properties to running a full-service property management business for other owners. I genuinely would not be able to operate at this level without OwnerRez. It gives me structure, automation, professionalism, and scalability, while still allowing me to run my business my way.
Justine has built a thriving vacation rental management business in Rocky Point through strong systems and a commitment to professionalism. We look forward to continuing to support her vision and seeing Vacation In Rocky Point continue to grow.
Episode eight of Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals podcast is live!
The Walk ’n Talk podcast is hosted by Paul Waldschmidt and Chris Hynes, the two co-founders behind OwnerRez. Each episode is an honest conversation about what it takes to build a successful business in the vacation rental industry and the lessons learned along the way. Whether you’re a host, manager, entrepreneur, or just curious how vacation-rental software gets made, listen in and take away some ideas and strategies you can apply to your own business.
In Episode Eight, Paul and Chris discuss the idea of “hiring for pain” and how they are learning to recognize the difference between real problems and temporary pressure. They explore how pain can show up across teams during periods of growth, why understanding the problem is critical before hiring, and how slowing down can sometimes lead to better long-term results.
You’ll hear about:
It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how Paul and Chris are approaching growing pains and hiring decisions.
Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals is available on:
New episodes are already in the works, and we can’t wait for you to join us on the walk.
Yavuz,
Broadcasting is a great functionality, thanks for that. Needless to say, it would be most useful when email is added in the future.
Also I don't think your system recognizes the Custom Sources. Our direct bookings are mapped to a custom source, and we don't see a SMS icon next to them.
Thanks! We do have instructions for sending emails in our Notify All Current Guests About an Urgent Situation Template and Trigger support article.
Also, regarding Custom Sources, are you referring to SMS icons displayed in Broadcast messages? Or SMS messaging in general? If it's regular SMS messaging, SMS icons should be available when composing messages in the Unified Inbox.
I can see the SMS button now on Broadcast menu for all channels, either fixed or it was my bad.
Urgent Situation solution would not work properly for broadcasting purposes given the set of conditions for triggers and it is a work-around. I used broad casting already to inform our guests who stay next Monday and Tuesday for pest control; worked great with the ability to select a subset. However, the same cannot be established with the conditions as I believe you do not have a condition for 'stay dates' as you have now in the broadcast, nor does trigger has a selective process like broadcasting does.
Thanks for the many great updates!
Broadcast feature -- Since email messaging via templates or ad-hoc as needed is a significant OR offering and part of most of our communications strategies, can you help us understand your choice to limit Broadcast to channel messages and SMS? I recognize, as Anna pointed out, that y'all provide instructions for an alternate method of sending out messages via email in similar circumstances. However it is a clunky, cumbersome, and not-super-useful workaround that is nowhere near the same as offering the Broadcast feature for all modes of communication that OR already currently supports, which would include email. Please expand Broadcast to email as well.
Rezzy AI Quoting -- I'm stoked about the potential efficiency addition of having Rezzy help with adjacent night upsell quotes! I am still playing with this and a variety of other calendar-dependent Directives in my setup and sandbox, however I continue to run into consistency issues. Often Rezzy says it lacks explicit calendar data to verify whether a night is available or booked/blocked. I've got a support ticket open to discuss this already, but in light of this feature announcement, I wanted to be sure the Rezzy engineers were aware that it often lacks (or at least states that it lacks) access to the calendar data needed to execute these types of features.
Airbnb Inquiries in Unified Inbox -- Thank you for adding the inquiry link right into the conversation in the Unified Inbox. You know what would make this even better? Add the Pre-Approve button there as well. Reducing clicks and time spent navigating would be much appreciated in this case.
Inbox Filters -- This is helpful, but I often find I need to return to the Airbnb or Vrbo inboxes (directly on channel) as there is no ability to simply search the inbox in OwnerRez. For example, I know I've answered someone about military discounts before and I'd love to just find my previous reply to re-use now. No way to search in OR, so I have to go over to Airbnb to do it there. These limitations keep the Unified Inbox from being our go-to primary source as you intend/hope. Please add a way to search the inbox by words/phrases.
Owner Portal Dashboard -- Love the new ability for owners to view the prorated revenue, as reflected on our Owner Statements! Thank you!
Confirm & Pay Guest Form -- Thank you for these significant updates that addressed a deeply felt pain point!
Thank you so much for the spotlight on my business, so thankful to partner with Owner Rez :)
This week’s roundup covers new CDC guidance for vacation rental operators, a Hawaii bill aimed at strengthening STR enforcement, Airbnb’s push to expand its travel ecosystem, a new investment in Breezeway, and a court ruling upholding Folly Beach’s short-term rental cap. Let’s dive in.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance this week warning that poorly maintained water systems in vacation rentals can increase the risk of Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia. The bacteria can grow in warm, stagnant water found in hot tubs, showerheads, faucets, and water heaters, especially in properties that sit vacant between stays. The CDC advises short-term rental operators to maintain hot water systems at 120°F (49°C) or higher, flush water heaters regularly, and properly maintain hot tubs through regular cleaning, disinfectants, and balanced pH levels. According to CDC data, roughly half of the patients who stayed in a vacation rental also reported using a hot tub during their stay.
The Hawaii House Committee on Tourism advanced legislation this week that would give counties stronger tools to enforce short-term rental regulations. House Bill 1590, if signed into law, would allow counties to use time-stamped screenshots of online listings as evidence when investigating unlawful short-term rental activity and clarifies that counties can use revenue from the County Transient Accommodations Tax to support enforcement. The bill would also require booking platforms that collect service fees for short-term rentals to register with the State Department of Taxation and remit lodging-related taxes on behalf of operators. The proposal is yet another piece of legislation aimed at supporting the enforcement of Bill 9, which was passed at the end of 2025 and will phase out thousands of vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts in Maui over the next five years.
Skift published an interesting article this week looking at Airbnb’s growing push to become a “one-stop shop” for travel. According to Skift, Airbnb co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk said at a recent travel conference that the company is “once again thinking about being the one-stop shop for travel,” including homes, experiences, services, and “airport pickup.” Skift also reports that Airbnb has been testing airport pickup and scheduled private car transfers in several regions outside North America as of February. While no official announcement has been made, comments from the company suggest that ground transportation could be the next addition to Airbnb’s rapidly expanding platform.
Short Term Rentalz reported this week that Breezeway, a property care and messaging platform for vacation rental operators and an integration partner with OwnerRez, has secured a strategic growth investment led by Resurgens Technology Partners. Founder and CEO Jeremy Gall said the funding will help the company continue expanding its platform while investing further in AI-driven tools. The investment is also expected to support Breezeway’s broader plans for international growth.
After a drawn-out legal battle, a South Carolina appeals court has upheld Folly Beach’s limit on short-term rental licenses adopted by the city in 2023. The ordinance caps the number of short-term rental permits on the island at 800. In its ruling, the court determined that the policy regulates business licenses rather than zoning, a distinction that was central to the legal challenge. City officials say the cap is intended to preserve the island’s residential character while continuing to support tourism.
As new health guidances, evolving regulations, and emerging technology shape the market, the vacation rental landscape continues to evolve. Check back next week for the latest news.
Yavuz,
Broadcasting is a great functionality, thanks for that. Needless to say, it would be most useful when email is added in the future.
Also I don't think your system recognizes the Custom Sources. Our direct bookings are mapped to a custom source, and we don't see a SMS icon next to them.
Thanks! We do have instructions for sending emails in our Notify All Current Guests About an Urgent Situation Template and Trigger support article.
Also, regarding Custom Sources, are you referring to SMS icons displayed in Broadcast messages? Or SMS messaging in general? If it's regular SMS messaging, SMS icons should be available when composing messages in the Unified Inbox.
Broadcasting is a great functionality, thanks for that. Needless to say, it would be most useful when email is added in the future.
Also I don't think your system recognizes the Custom Sources. Our direct bookings are mapped to a custom source, and we don't see a SMS icon next to them.
Spring has arrived, and so has our March Product Update! 🌷 This month introduces the Quality Center, an expanded Booking.com channel integration, an upgraded Owner Dashboard with new Revenue and Payout filters, and more.
A centralized dashboard provides hosts with instant visibility into property performance, enabling faster decision-making to improve guest satisfaction and maintain competitive quality standards. Introduced with our March 4th release and enhanced with Airbnb-specific metrics with our March 25 release, the OwnerRez Quality Center is a consolidated dashboard that provides hosts with a centralized view of their property quality metrics. Rather than navigating multiple sections of the platform, hosts can access reviews, listing quality, and guest sentiment analysis from a single location. This unified approach streamlines the monitoring, evaluation, and improvement of your listings' overall quality.
The Quality Center is organized into distinct tabs: Overview, Reviews, Sentiment (if Rezzy-AI enabled), and Analyzer, each serving a specific function.
🐉 If Rezzy-AI is enabled, the Sentiment tab shows AI-driven guest feelings (e.g., positive, neutral, or negative) about their stays, grouped by arrival month, based on AI analysis of guest messages.
OwnerRez's Booking.com (BDC) private beta channel integration has finally moved into wide release with our March 11th update. This improved BDC channel integration connection pushes more of your OwnerRez configured property information and fees directly to Booking.com, allows users to connect multiple Booking.com accounts, and reduces the need to configure some details in the BDC Extranet.
While the integration process was complex, we want to thank the 87 invaluable and fearless OwnerRez users who helped us test along the way. Now that the improved Booking.com integration is finished, OwnerRez users can join at any time by navigating to Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > + Connect a Channel, and selecting Connect Booking.com.
Already an existing Booking.com (BDC) channel integrated user? Upgrade your BDC channel integration by starting with the Property Type Prerequisite section in our Booking.com Setup & Connecting support article.
OwnerRez Property Management (PM) users can grant their property owners access to the Owner Portal, allowing them to view owner statements and other items on the owner dashboard. However, some PM users were hesitant to grant this access because it often resulted in more questions from owners. With our March 11th release, OwnerRez has improved the Owner Portal by adding new filtering options to the Owner Dashboard. Now, owners can view various types of financial data, such as Revenue, Projected Revenue, or Payouts. To enhance visibility, the current month is now highlighted, and the column headers clearly indicate the selected amount type.
On the Owner Dashboard, owners can filter by Amount (Revenue, Projected Revenue, and Payouts), Months to Show (3-36 months), Booked as of (Any time or Year to date 🎉), and Grouped by (Any part of stay (prorated), By arrival date, By departure date, By booked date). Additionally, owners can view individual property information by hovering over months in the Revenue and Occupancy sections. To reduce confusion, payout information is automatically retrieved directly from owner statements.
Confirming whether your owners received their financial documents reduces the "did you send it?" questions and creates an accountability trail for property managers. OwnerRez added a download status to Owner Statements, which displays the download status with a timestamp when you click view, allows Property Management (PM) users to regenerate the PDF by clicking clear, and renames the "Download" button to "Export" for clarity, as a part of our March 25th release.
Are you starting to manage properties for others? Explore OwnerRez's Property Management premium feature.
OwnerRez's QuickBooks integration doesn’t automatically sync existing bookings or payments, past or future, to avoid affecting current data. The Batch Update for QuickBooks Sync tool allows you to find, enable, disable, or resync large numbers of bookings or payments. With our March 18th release, we added additional options to the Batch Update for QuickBooks Sync tool for deposits, payment nudge action, and bulk selection improvements.
QuickBooks users can now find and remove corresponding deposits or leave existing QuickBooks deposits as they are.
Additionally, we added a new option to re-sync payments that are already syncing.
At the bottom of the Batch Update for the QuickBooks Sync tool, we added a new 'select all' option and support for shift-click to allow users to exclude items from the batch update.
Avalara MyLodgeTax simplifies lodging tax compliance by allowing you to manage tax remittances for all properties in one place, ensuring accurate, real-time tax calculations across multiple jurisdictions. While the previous automatic Avalara transaction synchronization occurred on the 4th of each month, OwnerRez now allows hosts to choose which day of the month (1-9) the Avalara sync runs, with our March 4th release.
To select which day of the month you'd like your automatic Avalara transaction synchronization to occur, navigate to Settings > Financial > Avalara > your Avalara account > Change. On the Change Avalara Settings page, enter your desired sync day of the month and Save.
If no changes are made, the default automatic Avalara transaction synchronization will continue on the 4th of each month.
Need accounting expertise? Explore all of the OwnerRez Accounting integration options.
Following our December 17, 2025, New PayPal Integration with Venmo & Pay Later, OwnerRez continues to refine details regarding PayPal bookings, including specific information about refundable damage deposit details for PayPal bookings, with our March 18th release.
Since PayPal does not support automated refunds for refundable damage deposits (RDDs), which can only be refunded through the PayPal platform, we have added information about this limitation on the individual Booking > Transactions page.
We also added details about the RDD limitation on the individual Booking > Transactions> Security Deposit page.
Additionally, OwnerRez updated the Send Security Deposit Receipt to Guest system message to reflect that the RDD will be released after the host has had the opportunity to inspect the property after departure.
OwnerRez's Unified Inbox centralizes your guest communication across platforms, ensuring timely, organized responses, consistent messaging, and improved organization. We enhanced the Unified Inbox and Booking Overview Compose experience, which now opens a pop-up that allows you to easily search for contacts, add new ones, update existing contacts, and select messaging channels (e.g., Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, SMS). This makes it simpler to start conversations and manage your contacts directly from the Booking Overview for individual guests or from the Unified Inbox, as part of our March 25th release.
Looking to level up your guest communication? Explore all of your OwnerRez dynamic messaging options.
Locating and selecting Sources (formerly Listing Sites) from the long list of OwnerRez channel integrations was sometimes tricky. OwnerRez improved that feature by dividing the Applicability > Source listing site selector into three parts: Primary Channels, My Custom Sources (that can be expanded when clicked), and Other Channels, in our March 18th release.
Airbnb guest profile photos help hosts put a face to names, personalize communication, quickly reference guests, and maintain enhanced communication throughout the guest's stay. Following our January 28th Airbnb Guest Profile Photos update, OwnerRez now downloads and displays Airbnb guest profile photos when available across the app once the booking is confirmed, with our March 25th release.
Adding tracking to your hosted website can reveal which traffic sources (e.g., social media, email, ads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)) lead to bookings, helping you identify where to focus your resources. With our March 11th release, OwnerRez now automatically appends the booking ID to your custom redirect URL. For example, if you set a redirect URL to "https://yoursite.com/confirmation", guests will be redirected to "https://yoursite.com/confirmation?bookingId=ORB123456" after booking, helping you track the source of successful bookings more effectively.
Considering a direct booking website for your short-term vacation rental business? Check out the OwnerRez Hosted Website options.
Airbnb's evolving cancellation policies required frequent updates to ensure our in-app displays remained accurate for users. With that in mind, OwnerRez updated our Airbnb channel integration Cancellation Policy dropdown list to display only the cancellation policy names (Firm, Flexible, Limited, Moderate, Super Strict 30, Super Strict 60) with a link to Airbnb's Cancellation policies for your home help center article below the field in our March 18th release.
OwnerRez lets you control which properties connect to our Airbnb integration, with read-only or full access. With our March 18th release, you can now easily disconnect properties no longer in your portfolio by using the Reconfigure Onboarding dropdown list on the Airbnb channel integration Properties tab, which includes options to Change Import Options or Disconnect Properties.
Disabling a property lets you stop accepting bookings while still keeping some property information in OwnerRez. However, over time, it may be difficult to remember when you disabled the property. OwnerRez has added the date a property was disabled, available in both the properties grid and on the individual property's general info page by hovering over the Disabled label with our March 11th release.
Sending prohibited SMS content can result in restrictions to your communication with guests and your reputation, suspension or removal of access to your number, or even fines. Since all OwnerRez users are subject to SMS Regulations and must comply with our Privacy & Security Messaging Policy, we have improved Rezzy AI's (if enabled) detection of forbidden SMS message topics as a part of our March 25th release.
When guests send SMS messages containing forbidden topics or categories, Rezzy AI (if enabled) will respond with "Let me check on that and get back to you," and display a link to our Usage Limitations.
Rezzy AI will also create a Task to remind users about the forbidden SMS message categories.
Considering adding AI to your tech stack? Check out what OwnerRez's Rezzy AI can do for you!
Using OwnerRez's free in-app Ask Rezzy tool (Help > Ask Rezzy) not only offers detailed "how-to" summaries but also gives you the opportunity to continue your chat with Rezzy. With our March 4th release, we improved the Ask Rezzy chat interface on mobile devices by replacing the Contents button with proper History and New Chat items available in the kebab menu.
With our March 11th release, OwnerRez improved the default Agreement Title Display on mobile devices by reducing the rental agreement title font size from 32px to 22px and improving line-height styling.
OwnerRez revised the Find or Create Guest pop-up to match the styling (less green, more light grey) of the rest of the OwnerRez application as a part of our March 11th release.
Add date posted tooltip when hovering over forum posts. Instead of showing a vague "number of days/weeks/months/years ago" for the date posted in the OwnerRez forum, posts will now display the date a forum post was made by hovering over the 'minutes/days/weeks, etc., ago' text.
Add details about mutually blocked properties when snoozing properties. We added the following in-app text, displayed when snoozing properties, regarding mutually blocked properties: "If any of the properties are part of a mutually blocked property, each mutually blocked property must be snoozed individually."
Add help information to owner and PM statement status columns. For clarification, OwnerRez added a help tip icon to the owner and PM statement status columns.
Add an icon and tooltip for property share descriptions, prompting users to include URLs and details. For clarification, we added an info icon with the text "If a direct URL to your property share exists, please include it here along with any relevant general description." next to the property share description field.
Add "Mark as Read" option to Inquiries grid. OwnerRez added "Read" to the "Mark As" dropdown list options in the Inquiries grid to allow users to clear Unread Inquiries in bulk.
Add payment processor identifier field to system notifications and change the "Failed Reason" label to "Processor Message." For clarification, we added the Processor identifying field and changed the "Failed Reason" label to "Processor Message" in OwnerRez system notifications.
Add Vrbo same-day warning in property rules. OwnerRez added a warning in the property general rules section in-app, regarding same-day Vrbo bookings: "Vrbo doesn't allow specific hours – if same day is allowed, it will be allowed all day on Vrbo."
Display "Paid In Full" message on Payment guest form. When a fully paid booking's payment link guest form is visited, the form now displays a friendly message indicating that the booking is paid in full, preventing confusion and potential payment errors for guests whose bookings are already paid.
Enable Airbnb channel settings during onboarding. OwnerRez now allows users to edit their Airbnb channel integration settings and configure key settings, such as rate adjustments, during the channel integration process before their listing goes live.
Improve discount display in Confirm & Pay guest form. We improved how discounts appear in the Confirm & Pay guest form pricing sidebar on the right. Discounts are now separated from fees and taxes, making it clearer when discounts are applied. The pricing breakdown shows rent, fees & taxes, and discounts as separate lines that sum to the total amount.
Remove unsupported SMS brand submission "Somewhere else" location option and unsupported Tax Registration types, except for supported EIN and CBN. Since they are unsupported, OwnerRez removed the "Somewhere else" location option and all unsupported Tax Registration types, except for the supported EIN and CBN tax registration types.
Rename "Import Listing" to "Import Listings" and "Create Listing" to "Connect Properties" in the Airbnb Change Property Mappings dropdown menu. For better clarity and consistency in terminology, we clarified and renamed "Import Listing" to "Import Listings" and "Create Listing" to "Connect Properties" in the Airbnb Change Property Mappings dropdown menu.
Truncate Stripe bank account names longer than 64 characters. To address Stripe deposit errors caused by long bank names, OwnerRez has updated its deposit processing system to truncate bank names to 64 characters per transaction.
Add additional validation checks on the Payment and Security Deposit guest forms. OwnerRez has enhanced the Payment and Security Deposit guest forms by adding additional validation checks to ensure that all required fields (e.g., postal codes, state, province, etc.) are completed before the Authorize Security Deposit or Submit Payment buttons become active.
Add Vrbo account names to Channel Rate Tester dropdown list. The Channel Rate Tester (Tools > Channel Rate Tester) now shows Vrbo account names alongside their ora# identifiers in the channel dropdown list, making it easier to identify which Vrbo channel you're selecting. This matches how Vrbo channels are displayed in the Channel Integrations grid.
Alphabetize room Bed type dropdown list. For clarity, the Properties > Property > Rooms > Bedrooms > Bed Type dropdown list has been alphabetized.
Improve Converge payment failure messages. When a guest payment fails on Converge, we now display the full error message received, rather than only certain error types, to help users understand why the guest payment was declined.
Improve Vrbo listing status checks. The OwnerRez system now automatically checks and updates listing status when receiving availability, booking, or inquiry webhooks from Vrbo. Previously inactive listings will be rechecked for status during these events, ensuring our system accurately reflects the current state of your listings on Vrbo.
Prevent blocked-off time expenses from being added. Expenses cannot be attached to blocked-off times any longer. The expenses tab is now hidden on blocked-off bookings unless expenses already exist, and validation prevents adding new expenses to blocks.
Remove "With Guest Names" option from PMv2 owner statements. The "With Guest Names" option has been removed from PMv2 owner statements. This older option has been replaced by the more flexible PMv2 custom statement views, which provide better control over what information is displayed on owner statements.
Add support for National ID Code for HomeToGo channel integration. At HomeToGo's request, OwnerRez has added support for the National Identification (ID) Code field in the HomeToGo channel integration. National ID Codes will now be included in the XML output specifically for HomeToGo channel listings.
Improve payment method error handling and messaging, and provide more helpful messages to guests attempting bookings. We added in-app payment method failure error messages to help users identify and resolve payment processing issues by showing failure details and to provide more helpful messages to guests attempting to book.
OwnerRez's monthly Product Update blog posts summarize the new features, enhancements, tweaks, and design progress released throughout the month. Additionally, you can review our March 4th, March 11th, March 18th, and March 25th Changelogs for a complete list of each week's releases.
We’re excited to share our latest integration with MarketMYSTR, an all-in-one marketing platform built for the short-term rental market, giving OwnerRez users a new way to re-engage past guests and drive repeat bookings.
MarketMySTR is the easy-to-use marketing platform built exclusively for short-term rental hosts, investors, managers, and property owners. Whether you’re just getting started or scaling a portfolio, MarketMySTR brings powerful software, proven strategies, and next-level support together in one place, so you get more direct bookings, earn more profit, and leverage your time. The platform includes direct booking pages, email and SMS marketing, a social media planner, AI-enhanced automations and workflows, a global communications hub, an unlimited CRM, and a mobile app. With a native OwnerRez integration, your booking and guest data sync automatically, giving you the power to re-engage past guests and drive repeat bookings on autopilot. 525+ active users, 14-day free trial, no contracts, 3X ROI guarantee.
They offer three plans based on portfolio size:
Get started with MarketMYSTR by visiting here and checking out the OwnerRez support article for integrating OwnerRez with MarketMYSTR.
We’re pleased to introduce our latest channel integration with Vidle Housing, a nationwide mid-term rental platform for travel nurses and healthcare professionals, giving OwnerRez users seamless access to a strong audience of mid-term renters.
Vidle Housing is the only nationwide, fully furnished, mid-term rental platform exclusively serving travel nurses and allied healthcare professionals. Listing properties on VidleHousing.com is free and connects hosts with reliable renters who typically stay for 13-26 weeks, providing predictable income, reduced turnover, and fewer headaches.
There is no cost to list your properties on Vidle Housing. The platform retains 12% of the total booking amount only when there is a booking.
Get started with Vidle Housing by visiting here and checking out the OwnerRez support article for integrating OwnerRez with Vidle Housing.
This week, we’re highlighting Alece, founder of Come Visit Nashville and Rest Easy Nashville. After years of leading a nonprofit organization in South Africa, Alece brought her passion for meaningful guest experiences to Nashville and began renting rooms in her home. Today, she runs a boutique management firm built on strong systems and purpose-driven hospitality, with a portion of every stay supporting nonprofit organizations that fight human trafficking and empower women survivors through healing and employment.
Looking back, I’ve always worked in hospitality, just not in the traditional sense. I founded and led a nonprofit in South Africa for 13 years, focused on leadership development and AIDS prevention education. Alongside that work, we hosted thousands of travelers from around the world, and I developed an unexpected love for shaping meaningful guest experiences. After relocating to Nashville, I ran a nonprofit consultancy, providing communications and strategic support to mission-driven organizations. In 2015, I began short-term renting the guest rooms in my Nashville home and quickly discovered how much I loved hosting. I also became involved in advocacy efforts supporting fair and responsible short-term rental legislation.
Through those experiences, I met homeowners who were interested in hosting but felt overwhelmed by the regulatory complexity and operational demands. That led to launching Rest Easy Nashville in 2017, our boutique management firm serving homeowners, along with Come Visit Nashville, the guest-facing brand behind our thoughtfully hosted stays. We intentionally remain small and selective because excellence requires margin; space for focused attention, responsiveness, and maintaining the level of service our homeowners and guests rely on.
I swapped the savannah for the skyline when I moved to Nashville, and the choice was intentional. After years of rural life in South Africa, I was ready for an urban chapter with more opportunity and energy, but I didn’t want to lose the sense of community I’d come to value. Nashville feels like the rare city that offers both: vibrant and growing, yet still relational and deeply connected.
That balance has shaped how I’ve built my business. What I love most is helping guests experience Nashville in that same way: not just enjoying the neon lights and well-known attractions, but discovering the neighborhoods, restaurants, and local spots that give the city its heartbeat. I want people to leave feeling connected to Nashville, not simply entertained by it.
I love that it blends connection, operations, and purpose. There’s something deeply meaningful about welcoming people during moments that matter, from celebrations to medical stays and everything in between. Our homes quietly become part of those stories and memories. I love curating experiences that feel intentional and personal; spaces where guests feel genuinely cared for. Perhaps most importantly, this business allows me to integrate purpose into profit. A portion of every stay supports The Exodus Road, which works globally to fight human trafficking, and Thistle Farms, which empowers women survivors through healing and employment here in Nashville. After two decades in nonprofit leadership, it’s essential to me that my company reflect the values I’ve carried throughout my career. Every booking helps fund freedom, dignity, and hope, both locally and globally. That’s incredibly meaningful to me.
The stakes are high. When something goes wrong, it matters immediately. It impacts guests’ trips and homeowners’ investments. That level of responsibility requires vigilance, responsiveness, and an almost obsessive attention to detail. I take that seriously. I’m naturally a problem-solver, an over-communicator, and unapologetically detail-oriented, because in this line of work, sweating the small stuff prevents the big stuff.
Decide early what kind of operator you want to be, and build around that. There’s a difference between chasing scale and building with excellence. Growth without margin often erodes the very standards that create long-term success. Protect your standards fiercely. Build systems before you scale. Be selective about the properties and partnerships you take on. And never underestimate how much communication matters; guests remember how you made them feel far more than your amenities or décor. I’d also encourage new operators to be clear about their “why.” This business is demanding, and having a deeper purpose keeps you steady when things get complicated. For me, that includes building a company that supports causes I care deeply about. That bigger vision shapes every decision I make. Build something you believe in. When your standards and your purpose align, you won’t just create a business, you’ll create something that endures.
OwnerRez is the operational backbone of our business. It doesn’t just help us manage bookings; it helps us scale standards. The platform gives structure to everything we do, so nothing slips through the cracks. It allows us to operate with consistency and precision while preserving the warmth that defines our brand. Excellence depends on strong systems. OwnerRez provides the framework that allows us to deliver at that level, stay after stay.
Where OwnerRez truly shines for us is in the workflows and automation. We’ve built communication flows that are warm, thorough, and highly intentional. Guests often respond as though each message was written just for them, which is exactly the goal. That strategic automation allows us to deliver high-touch hospitality with consistency and clarity across every property and stay. We’re also in the early stages of training and testing Rezzy AI, exploring how it can strengthen responsiveness, structured task management, and intelligent revenue optimization within our systems, always in service of elevating the guest experience, never replacing the human element. That balance of customization and control within OwnerRez is what enables us to operate at the level we do.
Alece has built a strong model for purpose-driven hospitality in the vacation rental industry. We’re excited to continue supporting her vision through powerful messaging tools and automation.
We’re excited to introduce our integration with Pay With Cause, giving OwnerRez users a reliable new payment processing option with dedicated U.S.-based support and built-in charitable giving at no additional cost.
As a community-focused merchant processor, Pay With Cause helps create positive change through everyday business transactions. With state-of-the-art payment equipment and 24/7 U.S.-based customer support, they deliver a modern, reliable processing experience. What sets them apart is how they give back, by redirecting a portion of the processor margin, rather than increasing your pricing, to support charitable organizations and causes you choose. These contributions are calculated and distributed on a quarterly basis, allowing your business to make a meaningful impact through normal payment activity, without added cost or operational changes.
When you partner with Pay With Cause, you’re never on your own. Every merchant is assigned with a dedicated account representative for personalized support and is available to help with day-to-day needs, questions, and account reviews.
In addition, you'll have access to 24/7 U.S.-based technical and processing support through EPI (Electronic Payments), their backend processing partner. Whether it’s after hours, weekends, or holidays, live support is always available to assist with equipment issues, transactions, and system troubleshooting.
No overseas call centers. No endless transfers. Just knowledgeable support when you need it most.
No rate creep and processing fees 20-30% lower than Stripe. Contact Pay With Cause here for additional pricing information.
Get started with Pay With Cause by visiting here and checking out the OwnerRez support article for integrating OwnerRez with Pay With Cause.
Thanks for the great questions!
We checked with Vrbo, and they confirmed that the Weather Promise appears as an option in the Vrbo checkout flow. However, it does not currently flow through the API to OwnerRez.
That means:
-API-connected hosts do not need to take any action.
-There are no new fields or indicators in the booking request showing whether a guest purchased the Weather Promise.
-At this time, hosts will not see a flag inside OwnerRez if a guest opts into that coverage.
If Vrbo adds API support for surfacing this information in the future, we’ll absolutely review it and update our integration accordingly.
We’ll continue to monitor this and share updates if anything changes.
This week’s Industry News highlights a key zoning decision in Maui, Airbnb’s latest global Community Fund recipients, Faraday Future’s robotics deployment in vacation rentals, AirDNA’s 2026 investor outlook, and a new STR ordinance in Evanston, Illinois. Let’s dive in.
In continued coverage of Maui County’s vacation rental phase-out, previously reported in Industry News on June 6th, June 13th, July 4th, August 1st, August 29th, October 17th, and December 19th, the Maui Planning Commission voted Tuesday to deny the creation of two new hotel zoning districts that would have allowed thousands of short term rentals to continue operating in apartment zoned areas. The proposal was designed to lessen the impact of Bill 9, which was signed into law at the end of 2025 and will take effect on January 1st, 2029. Bill 9 will phase out thousands of vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts over the next five years in hopes of restoring long-term housing back to the market. With the Planning Commission’s denial, a two-thirds supermajority of the nine-member Maui County Council would now be required to advance the zoning change.
Airbnb announced this week the latest recipients of its Airbnb Community Fund, with nearly $10 million in donations going to more than 130 nonprofit organizations across 25 countries. The announcement marks the fifth year of Airbnb’s larger pledge to distribute $100 million to communities worldwide by 2030. This year’s donations focus on economic empowerment, sustainable and rural tourism, environmental sustainability, and efforts aimed at ending abuse and exploitation. Airbnb says recipients were selected with input from its global Host Advisory Board, helping ensure the grants reflect priorities identified by local hosting communities around the world.
Robots are making their way into the short-term rental industry. Faraday Future announced this week that it will begin 2026 deliveries of its EAI robots on February 27th, with the first units going to Golden Hills Investment LLC, a Florida-based luxury short-term rental operator. The company says the robots are designed to provide both “functional and experiential value to guests.” Faraday Future says the deployment is part of its broader EAI strategy and is intended to demonstrate real-world applications of robotics within hospitality settings. Additional deliveries are expected throughout 2026, as Faraday Future says it plans to continue expanding its investment and presence in the vacation rental space.
AirDNA released its 2026 Short Term Rental Investor Survey this week, offering insight into how investors are viewing the market in 2026. The report describes a sector defined more by selectivity than slowdown, highlighting continued confidence in short-term rentals even as supply growth stabilizes and market conditions shift. According to AirDNA, acquisition activity is increasingly concentrated among experienced, repeat operators, while smaller and first-time investors remain more cautious. AirDNA believes higher interest rates and rising operating costs are prompting investors to be more disciplined, placing greater emphasis on data-driven decision-making, careful market selection, and realistic revenue projections. The findings point to a maturing market, with growth driven primarily by operators who understand the landscape and are taking a measured approach in 2026.
Previously reported in Industry News on August 1st, Evanston’s City Council has now passed an amended vacation rentals ordinance following months of discussion over pending license applications and criticism of inconsistent rulings. The ordinance clarifies the city’s definition of a short-term rental, establishes an appeals process for denied licenses, and increases penalties for violations. Council members also removed proposed distance and concentration limits, opting instead to have staff evaluate whether new licenses would create a negative cumulative impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
As local governments revisit short-term rental laws, investors take a more selective approach, and new technologies enter the space, the vacation rental industry continues to evolve in 2026. Check back next week for the latest news.
Meet Jaci Christian, founder and owner of The Bear Cabins. After buying her first cabin in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, in 2020, Jaci began self-managing remotely and building systems as if she were already running a larger operation. That approach naturally led to consulting and, eventually, to a full-service management company. With a background in marketing, she blends strong systems with a creative eye for design and the guest experience.
I attended Abilene Christian University in West Texas, where I earned a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. I’ve always loved marketing and all things creative. In 2020, my husband and I purchased our first property as a personal investment. Even though it was “just” our property at the time, I intentionally set up systems and processes as if I were running a business because I knew I wanted to grow and acquire more properties in the future.
That approach is what ultimately led me into consulting and management. People began asking how I was self-managing remotely, what systems I was using, and how I had everything structured. When owners started asking if I would manage for them, I said yes, and that naturally evolved into launching my management company.
Vacation rental management is my second career. After graduating college, I attended flight school to become a flight instructor. I later met my husband, moved back home, and took a role in the marketing department of my family’s company. I worked there for five to six years through the birth of my first two children. Around the time COVID hit, shortly after my second baby, we purchased our cabin in Broken Bow. I began self-managing it remotely, which led to consulting and then to building a full-service management company from there.
I am not physically located in the same area as all of my properties. I’m a remote manager, located just under four hours away from our Broken Bow portfolio. We rely heavily on strong “boots on the ground” local teams, and we take team trips there regularly. I also personally own properties in that market, so my team gets to stay in them frequently. Operating remotely has strengthened my skills in delegation, systems, and accountability. In addition, I run Wise County Stays, which operates in the county and town where I personally live. That company grew from properties I own and manage as short- and mid-term rentals and has expanded from there.
What I love most about the vacation rental business is that it combines investing with creativity. I’m a real estate investor and professional at heart, but this business allows me to design, furnish, style, and market properties as well. It’s both analytical and creative. It’s challenging, fast-paced, and always evolving which fits my personality well.
What I dislike most is that it can feel like a “full-time, part-time, full-time” job. You may think you’ve built enough systems to step away for a weekend, but an unexpected issue like a flooding toilet at 9 p.m. on a Saturday can arise at any time, or a very challenging guest that cannot be pleased. While that unpredictability keeps things exciting, it can also be stressful when challenges appear at inconvenient moments or when I’m with my family.
Regarding OwnerRez, we use it extensively across our business. We utilize it for full-service management, co-hosting, and connecting to other owners’ properties. We rely on the property management tools for owner statements, owner portal logins, templates, triggers, upsells, reporting, and our website. We also take advantage of its integrations with listing platforms and other third-party software. There are so many capabilities within OwnerRez that I feel like we’re constantly discovering new ways to improve and streamline.
The most useful feature of OwnerRez, in my opinion, is how robust and flexible it is with reporting, importing/exporting, and integrations. I’ve never loved the idea of one large software trying to do absolutely everything if I don’t love how it performs a specific function. OwnerRez allows us to connect best-in-class third-party tools while maintaining seamless integration with listing platforms and internal systems. That flexibility has been invaluable as we scale.
We’re impressed by what Jaci has accomplished while living four hours away from her properties. We look forward to continuing to support her business through integrations, reporting, and more, and are excited to see her business continue to thrive.
Curious if API connected hosts will have the ability to see if a guest has purchased the VRBO. Weather insurance.
I have been trying to talk to someone at GuestSmiles for the last week regarding an incorrect invoice. Phone calls go to voice mail with no return call,no response to website contact us form, and no one responds to the webpage chat feature.
How will the VRBO Weather Promise apply to API connected hosts, or will it be not available to our guests at all?
Episode seven of Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals podcast is live!
Inspired by their weekly walks, Paul Waldschmidt and Chris Hynes, co-founders of OwnerRez, created the Walk ’n Talk podcast to give everyone a peek into the challenging conversations that have shaped OwnerRez over the years. Whether you’re a host, manager, entrepreneur, or just curious how vacation-rental software gets made, listen in for real insights and real-life stories from the vacation rental industry.
In Episode Seven, Paul and Chris dig into whether conferences actually provide real value for vacation rental operators and software companies. They talk through OwnerRez’s history with conferences, how they think about marketing spend, and why relationship-building is their top priority. They also share some exciting updates around OwnerRez events in 2026.
You’ll hear about:
It’s a raw look at how Paul and Chris approach their business and challenge conventional thinking in the vacation rental industry.
Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals is available on:
New episodes are already in the works, and we can’t wait for you to join us on the walk.
