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This week, we’re highlighting Daniel and Dave, the brothers behind Fun Coast Rentals. After purchasing their first short-term rental in New Smyrna Beach, they immersed themselves in the vacation rental industry and learned the business firsthand. In just five years, they’ve grown to manage 23 rentals through a hands-on, owner-focused approach, with OwnerRez supporting their day-to-day operations.

Can you tell us a little bit about your history?

My name is Daniel C., and together with my brother Dave, we are the founders and co-owners of Fun Coast Rentals. We were born and raised in a small town in central Italy near Naples, and our journey into vacation rentals began after college pursuits brought us both to the United States, on the Central Florida coast, or the “Fun Coast”.

We initially invested in long-term rentals in the area, but our path shifted when we purchased our first short-term rental in the heart of New Smyrna Beach, right on Flagler Avenue. At the time, we had no prior experience managing a vacation rental, so we partnered with both a large local management company and, later, a national provider, thinking they would help make our investment a success. Unfortunately, both experiences fell short in terms of communication, transparency, and owner support.

Rather than accept the status quo, we decided to immerse ourselves in the vacation rental industry and learn the operational and technical sides firsthand. We tested multiple PMS platforms via trials before ultimately choosing OwnerRez, which became the foundation of how we operate today.

Five years later, Fun Coast Rentals manages 23 properties in New Smyrna Beach, with additional homes coming online this year in 2026. Our growth has been driven by a hands-on, owner-focused approach and a commitment to doing things better than our competitors, for both property owners and guests.

What is your background?

Believe it or not, both my brother and I are aviators! We both went to school in aviation-related fields.

Were you always in vacation rentals or property management, or is this a 2nd/3rd career?

Property management is definitely a second/moonlight career for us currently. We both are pilots at separate major US airlines and simultaneously manage the property management business.

Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located, or did you move there later?

We originally grew up in central Italy and eventually moved to the United States, more specifically the "Fun Coast" in the late 2010’s. We finally settled on moving to New Smyrna Beach 3 years ago, when our vacation rental business really started taking off and demanding more of our time.

If later, is there something that drew you to that area?

The laid back charm and old-school surf town feel of New Smyrna Beach (NSB) is hard to ignore. By and large, chains and big corporations have been kept out, so the elements that make NSB so special have been preserved. It’s truly an undiscovered gem in Florida.

What do you love the most about the vacation rental business?

I love delivering a great stay experience for my guests and property owners alike. It gives me great satisfaction when a guest tells me they appreciate my services and property offering.

What do you dislike the most about it?

I dislike when guests are mean or downright disrespectful to myself or my support staff.

What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?

We enjoy using OwnerRez because it offers excellent value, regular updates, and is highly customizable for our business. In my opinion, one of the most useful features of OwnerRez are the (many) Channel Integrations. They’re always rock solid and feature-rich when compared to competing PMS’s (so I hear). Anytime a newly supported API feature for a channel is supported by an OTA, OwnerRez is very prompt at supporting it on their end as well.

Daniel and Dave have done an incredible job building a successful management company while pursuing careers in aviation. We’re proud to support their commitment to doing things better for both property owners and guests and look forward to seeing them continue to grow.

This week’s roundup covers Airbnb’s global rollout of Reserve Now, Pay Later, a new World Cup host incentive, Vrbo’s new optional weather guarantee, Airbnb’s strong Q4 performance, and an Arizona bill that could expand local authority over short-term rentals. Let’s dive in.

Airbnb announced that its Reserve Now, Pay Later option is now available worldwide for eligible listings. Originally introduced in the summer of 2025 for U.S. travelers booking domestic stays, the feature allows guests to secure a reservation without paying anything upfront and pay later, shortly before the end of a listing’s free cancellation period. The program applies to listings with flexible or moderate cancellation policies and is designed to offer more flexibility for travelers while helping improve booking conversions for hosts. Airbnb says the feature saw a 70 percent adoption rate in Q4 of last year and hopes it will encourage more guests, including those traveling for major international events this year, to lock in stays earlier.

As part of Airbnb’s continued push to promote World Cup travel and help fill an expected lodging shortage in host cities, Airbnb is offering a new incentive aimed at bringing more hosts onto the platform. New hosts who list an entire home in one of the 16 World Cup host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and complete their first stay by July 31st, 2026 can earn a $750 bonus on top of their regular booking income. Airbnb says demand for stays in host cities is already rising, and the program creates a strong opportunity for new hosts looking to enter the vacation rental space.

Vrbo announced a partnership with WeatherPromise to introduce an optional weather guarantee for select bookings. U.S. travelers will now see the option to add WeatherPromise to certain reservations during the booking process. The add-on provides a refund if severe weather significantly disrupts a stay, including events such as hurricanes, wildfires, or major snowstorms. WeatherPromise monitors conditions at the destination, and if rainfall or other covered weather exceeds the set thresholds, eligible guests are automatically refunded without needing to file a claim. Vrbo says the feature is designed to give travelers more confidence when booking during unpredictable weather seasons, while also helping hosts protect bookings and reduce weather-related cancellations.

Airbnb released its fourth-quarter 2025 financial results, reporting positive growth to close out the year. The company posted approximately $2.78 billion in revenue, up about 12 percent year over year, while gross booking value reached roughly $20.4 billion, an increase of around 16 percent compared with Q4 2024. Airbnb also reported that nights and seats booked grew about 10 percent year over year, marking its strongest quarterly booking growth in more than two years. Airbnb pointed to continued expansion into newer global markets, such as India, Brazil, and Japan, as key drivers of performance. The company also highlighted increased use of AI across its platform, noting that roughly one-third of customer support issues are now resolved without the need for a live agent. Airbnb says it hopes to carry this positive momentum into the new year through continued investment in AI, further expansion into new markets, and an increased focus on hotel stays.

Previously reported in Industry News on February 6th, an Arizona state bill aimed at giving local governments more authority to regulate the vacation rental industry passed the House Commerce Committee on Wednesday. House Bill 2429 would establish new occupancy standards, allow for license or permit suspensions, and add further requirements such as background checks for operators. The bill now heads to the full Arizona House for a vote.

As listing sites continue to roll out new booking tools and lawmakers revisit short-term rental policies, the vacation rental landscape continues to evolve. Check back next week for the latest news.

March is a month of transition. 🌱 We’re stepping out of winter and into spring and summer, which means the busy season is right around the corner for many vacation rental markets. Now is the time to make sure your systems are fully built out and optimized for performance. A little attention now can make a big difference once bookings start picking up.

This month, we’ll be hosting OwnerRez demos, live Q&As, and two Focus Sessions walking through new and improved OwnerRez features. Sign up and join us as we continue to learn and improve together. We’ll also be attending two in-person events in March.

On March 5th, we’ll be at the 2026 Poconos VRO Short Term Rental Conference. Back for its third year, this conference offers practical tools, ready-to-go strategies, and networking opportunities with more than 600 industry professionals, community leaders, and trusted vendors. At the same time, March 5th to 6th, we’ll be at the 2026 Carolinas' STR Conference in Cary, NC. This conference brings together regional insights, national expertise, and local connections. If you’re attending either event, stop by the OwnerRez booth to meet the team, ask questions, and grab some swag.

Webinars:

 3/3/2026 OwnerRez Demo

Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.

Register now!

 3/11/2026 Focus Session - Property Photos

Join us for a live webinar on the Property Photos area inside OwnerRez. In this Focus Session, we’ll walk through the improved design and user experience of the in-app property photos area, and how you can now add captions, assign photos to specific rooms or accessibility amenities, and upload videos during the photo upload process. We’ll also cover the new photo exclusions feature that allows you to exclude individual photos from specific listing channels, making it easier to maintain brand consistency, comply with channel-specific requirements, and customize messaging for each audience.

Register now!

 3/12/2026 OwnerRez Demo

Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.

Register now!

 3/13/2026 OwnerRez Q&A

Join us for a live Q&A! Please write in questions prior to the webinar so we can start off by answering those right away.

Register now!

 3/19/2026 OwnerRez Demo

Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.

Register now!

 3/20/2026 Focus Session - Confirm & Pay Form & PayPal Integration

Join us for a live webinar on the Confirm & Pay guest form and the PayPal integration inside OwnerRez. In this Focus Session, we’ll walk through the improved Confirm & Pay form, designed to streamline reservations, reduce emails, capture guest information, and enable instant confirmations so guests can book 24/7. We’ll also cover what’s new with the upgraded PayPal integration, including support for Venmo and Pay Later, better transaction visibility, and a modern, streamlined checkout experience.

Register now!

 3/23/2026 OwnerRez Q&A

Join us for a live Q&A! Please write in questions prior to the webinar so we can start off by answering those right away.

Register now!

 3/24/2026 OwnerRez Demo

Join us for a live demo of OwnerRez! Our client engagement team will give a high-level demonstration of how OwnerRez looks across all of its menus and features.

Register now!

In-Person Events:

2026 Poconos VRO Short Term Rental Conference

Back for its third year, the Poconos STR Conference brings together vacation rental owners and managers, aspiring hosts, real estate and legal professionals, local leaders, and STR advocates to imagine, collaborate, and achieve. Attendees can expect an inspiring keynote, high-impact sessions, and breakouts covering advocacy, branding, technology, operations, and compliance, plus networking with 600+ industry professionals, community leaders, and trusted vendors. More than just another industry event, this is the must-attend gathering for anyone shaping the future of short-term rentals in the Poconos, offering practical tools, meaningful connections, and strategies you can put to work immediately. Register here!

When: March 5, 2026

Where: Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, PA

2026 The Host Connects Carolinas

Are you looking to connect with other short-term rental hosts, investors, operators, and STR service-providers who operate in or serve short-term rentals in North or South Carolina? Then this conference is for you! Be ready for regional insights, national expertise, and local connections through high-quality STR education, networking, and collaboration. Register here!

When: March 5-6, 2026

Where: One Eleven Place - Cary, NC

Hi Jay,

We officially launched Beach Boutique Rentals in August 2020 with 5 properties. We have chosen to grow slowly over the last 5 years and are selective about the properties we will manage. If not for that fact we would be much larger today!

From your initial start up of running your own rental property to now managing 70, how long does it take you to get to that point? We have very similar aspirations and are currently managing our single property with owner Rez and a number of other integrated tools as we do want to focus on our guests and their experience, not on the administrative tasks.

Episode six of Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals is now available!

Hosted by OwnerRez co-founders Paul Waldschmidt and Chris Hynes, the podcast features honest, behind-the-scenes conversations about growth and what it really looks like to build and scale a software company. Inspired by years of candid discussions, each episode offers a raw look at how Paul and Chris think through challenges, opportunities, and where the business is headed next.

🎙️ Episode 6 Now Live

EP6 - Delegation, Company Culture, and What’s Ahead in 2026

In Episode Six, Paul and Chris talk about personal endurance challenges and how quickly Q1 ramps up once the year gets underway. They discuss the excitement and frustrations of early-year planning, how their approach to delegation is evolving, and why giving teams more ownership is becoming increasingly important as the company grows. They also explore how AI is changing what they build, what company culture means to them, and share a look ahead at what’s coming in 2026, all through the lens of working "on" the business versus working "in" the business.

You’ll hear about:

• Personal challenges
• The excitement and frustration of Q1
• How delegation must evolve with growth
• How AI is changing how we build and what we build
• How to sustain and build culture
• Working on the business versus working in the business
• A look ahead to what’s coming in 2026

It’s a peek behind the scenes at how Paul and Chris are approaching growth and delegation without losing the unique culture that’s defined the product.

Listen Now

Watch Now

Walk ’n Talk: The Business Behind Vacation Rentals is available on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

New episodes are already in the works, and we can’t wait for you to join us on the walk.

This week’s roundup covers Airbnb’s new host safety training, Ireland easing proposed short-term rental restrictions in small towns, shifting regulatory conversations in U.S. cities, and a look at how unique vacation rentals are scaling into successful businesses. Let’s dive in.

Airbnb announced a new global host training initiative focused on helping prevent and identify human trafficking on its platform. Developed in partnership with ECPAT International and with direct input from Airbnb hosts, the free online course educates operators on recognizing warning signs, preventing trafficking, and reporting suspicious activity. Airbnb says the initiative builds on existing partnerships with anti-trafficking organizations and is designed to encourage hosts to take an active role in combating this worldwide issue.

Ireland is moving to scale back proposed short-term rental restrictions for smaller towns and rural areas after concerns that the original plans could hurt tourism and local economies. The Irish government said this week it will revise the initial proposal, which would have applied new restrictions to towns and cities with populations of 10,000 or more. Under the revised plan, caps on the number of short-term rentals and additional rules would apply only to towns and cities with populations of more than 20,000. Officials say the change is intended to better balance housing needs with the economic importance of tourism, particularly in rural communities that rely heavily on the vacation rental industry.

Hilton Head Island officials this week reviewed a proposal that would increase permit fees for most short-term rentals within town limits. The measure would replace the current $250 flat permit fee with a $150 per-bedroom structure, raising costs for many properties while lowering fees for some smaller rentals. Town staff says the new fee model is intended to better support the growing cost of short-term rental enforcement, including inspections, complaint response, and additional staffing as rental activity continues to increase. The proposal advanced out of committee on a 3–3 vote and is scheduled to go before Town Council for two readings on March 10th and March 31st.

Pittsburgh City Council advanced legislation Wednesday that would create new restrictions and requirements for short-term rental operators, with a final vote expected in the coming months. If approved, the proposal would establish a paid licensing program, require operators to obtain zoning approval, and require the designation of a responsible party within 25 miles of the property to handle issues. The measure would also introduce limits on occupancy, require operators to maintain a guest log, set minimum age requirements for renters, and formally prohibit parties, a rule that already exists under Airbnb’s platform policies.

Business Insider released an article this week highlighting a couple who have built a seven-figure vacation rental business by turning shipping containers into short-term rentals. Their company, The Box Hop, founded in 2018, focuses on design-forward, modular units placed in outdoor and nature-focused destinations, tapping into growing traveler demand for unique stays that offer unique experiences. The incredible growth and success of their business point to continued traveler interest in off-the-beaten-path properties across the vacation rental market.

As platforms invest in safety initiatives, governments revisit regulatory approaches, and unique accommodations gain traction, the short-term rental landscape continues to evolve. Check back next week for the latest news.

Thank you for clarifying that it was a "mis-speak" in the post! 

That is correct. We do not yet have Statement Views for PM Statements.

Thanks, Joel. My initial question was asking for clarity on the January 28th release item that states: "Enable prorated expense category columns in PM statement views. OwnerRez added prorated expense category columns to PM statement views, enabling better expense allocation across time periods." 

Your answer seems to clarify that the change referenced there relates to Owner Statement views not PM Statement views as indicated in the blog post. Am I understanding you correctly?

Hi Alece, I'll try to clarify.

The change that was released in January was to the Owner Statement Views to allow prorating Expense Categories like Commission:

Anne was attempting to answer your other question about how you would prorate commission expenses on the PM Statement. Specifically, the "Include Bookings: Include bookings that arrive by the statement date and prorate amount if departure is after statement date" will prorate booking expenses in PM v2. I believe that change was release in either November or December of last year, though I don't have the exact date in front of me.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, Anne. To my knowledge, "Include bookings that arrive by the statement date and prorate amount if departure is after statement date" has always been an option on the PM Statement. Are you saying that selection now also prorates the expenses not just the booking revenue? As in ALL expenses? (Pro-rating a cleaning fee, for instance, is not super helpful. Just the commission.)

It's not super clear what's changed or what changes we must make to utilize said changes.

It’s official, we’re among the best in vacation rental technology once again for the 6th year in a row!

OwnerRez has been named a Vrbo 2026 Elite Connectivity Partner, placing us in an exclusive group of software providers recognized for innovation, reliability, and performance across the Vrbo marketplace. This marks our 6th consecutive year earning Elite status, and once again, we’re proud to say we remain the only independent channel manager to achieve this distinction year after year. 🏆

What Elite Connectivity Partner Status Really Means

Vrbo’s Elite Connectivity Partner designation isn’t about popularity or volume; it’s about excellence. Out of more than 100 integrated partners, only a select few meet Vrbo’s rigorous standards for technical quality, consistency, and overall performance. Elite status recognizes partners that deliver:

• Rock-solid technical reliability with consistently high uptime and fast response times
• High-quality listings that help properties stand out and convert better
• Strong booking performance with fewer errors and smoother guest experiences
• Advanced functionality that simplifies operations and helps managers grow

In short, this recognition confirms that our connection with Vrbo doesn’t just work; it works exceptionally well.

Technology That Doesn’t Just Perform, It Drives Growth

Over the past year, our Vrbo integration continued to level up in meaningful, revenue-driving ways. Highlights from 2025 include:

• Full Vrbo Promotions Support, including strike-through pricing, promotional badges (Last Minute, Early Bird), OneKey member discounts, mobile discounts, and eligibility for special Vrbo ad placements like Black Friday campaigns. These enhancements help listings stand out in search results, increase click-through rates, and convert more bookings, all while working seamlessly with OwnerRez’s existing discount rules.
• Automatic 5-Star Reviews on Vrbo, professional, positive guest reviews are now posted automatically after checkout, helping managers maintain stronger review activity, higher average ratings, and better alignment with Vrbo performance metrics while intelligently skipping reviews in dispute or problem scenarios.
• Automatic Vrbo Review import allows all Vrbo guest reviews to sync directly into OwnerRez without manual effort, making it easier to track feedback, monitor performance, and manage reputation from a single system.
• Smarter Vrbo Messaging in the Unified Inbox, including better handling of guest-initiated cancellation requests, cleaner message threading, and improved reliability, helping managers respond faster and stay organized.
• “Sourced by Expedia” Booking Attribution provides clear visibility into when Vrbo bookings originate from Expedia’s broader network, allowing managers to better understand booking sources, attribution, and channel performance.

A True Partnership

Elite status is also a reflection of strong collaboration. We’re grateful for the continued partnership with the Vrbo and Expedia Group teams and the shared commitment to raising the bar for vacation rental technology. Thanks to the incredible team at Vrbo, including Shelby, Stacey, Jill, Gavin, and many others, for their support.

Looking Ahead

As we move further into 2026, our focus remains the same:

• Build dependable, high-performing tools
• Invest in smart automation and innovation
• Make it easier for managers to deliver great stays

Thank you to our users for trusting us with your businesses, and to our partners for pushing us to be better every year. Here’s to another year of growth, reliability, and great stays. 🚀

Can you clarify what you mean by "Enable prorated expense category columns in PM statement views"?

That option has been there in Owner Statement views for a long time... however there is no way to create/save custom PM statement views so I'm confused what this is referring to. It's not even an option in the settings for creating an individual PM statement:

I'd like to be able to prorate PM Commission in PM Statements for bookings spanning multiple months, and it sounds like this could accomplish that... but I'm not seeing where/how. In the Owner Statement view, it's cleaner to show the non-prorated Commission -- but it should prorate on the PM Statement. Can you clarify how this can be accomplished or where I may be missing the PM Statement Views you referenced here?

Alece, I had to check with one of our engineers on this question. I believe that you want to select "Include bookings that arrive by the statement date and prorate amount if departure is after statement date" in the PM Statement > Included Bookings section.

Can you clarify what you mean by "Enable prorated expense category columns in PM statement views"?

That option has been there in Owner Statement views for a long time... however there is no way to create/save custom PM statement views so I'm confused what this is referring to. It's not even an option in the settings for creating an individual PM statement:

I'd like to be able to prorate PM Commission in PM Statements for bookings spanning multiple months, and it sounds like this could accomplish that... but I'm not seeing where/how. In the Owner Statement view, it's cleaner to show the non-prorated Commission -- but it should prorate on the PM Statement. Can you clarify how this can be accomplished or where I may be missing the PM Statement Views you referenced here?

GREAT addition of the Rate Change History on the Rate Calendar!

Hi Manel - when billing begins in March, Rezzy works like our other premium features: it's applied to all properties if the feature is enabled, even if you exclude certain properties from receiving Rezzy replies. If not set to reply to guest messages, Rezzy will still create tasks and summarize guest sentiment across all bookings.

Reach out to us if you have any further questions. Thanks!

Will we be able to turn on Rezy by property or is it an All or None setting? We need it for one of our properties, maybe 2 but we have the others not billable right now due to the LA fires and will likely be over a year before they are bookable again 

February brought some big updates to streamline your hosting. 🚀 We've redesigned the Booking Overview tab and header, overhauled Airbnb channel onboarding, added channel exclusions for property photos, and added the ability to have more than one custom payment method per property. Plus, powerful new messaging tools, including: Broadcast, the ability for Scheduled Triggers to fire at 15-minute intervals, and additional capabilities for Rezzy AI! Vrbo Same-day Booking support also begins April 1st! And much more, February was packed with goodies, read on!

• New Features
  • Booking Overview
  • Broadcast
  • Airbnb Channel Onboarding
  • Vrbo Same Day Bookings
  • Scheduled Triggers
  • Manual & Custom Payment Methods
  • Property Photos Channel Exclusions
  • Pay With Cause
• Rezzy AI
  • Quoting
  • Automatic Host Reviews
• Enhancements
  • Listing Quality Analyzer
  • Inquiries
  • Check-out & Check-in Times
  • Ask Rezzy
  • Grace Periods
  • Inbox Filters
  • Reports
  • Owner Portal Dashboard
  • PM Statements
  • Team Access Staff Members
  • Statement Tax
  • Nightly Rates
  • USA ePay
• Design
  • Confirm & Pay Guest Form
  • Guest Count Icons
  • Listing Quality Analyzer
• Tweaks
  • February 4th Release with 3 Tweaks
  • February 11th Release with 1 Tweak
  • February 18th Release with 3 Tweaks

New Features

In case you missed the First Look on February 16th: Introducing the New Booking Overview Page in OwnerRez, we completely redesigned the booking overview page in our February 18th release. The header now displays booking details with badges for nights, guests, and pets across all booking tabs. New sections for Tasks and Messages provide better visibility into your booking workflow, and navigation has been streamlined with a horizontally scrollable tabbed interface.

Key improvements include the following.

📋 A more organized, visually structured Overview layout
✅ Tasks and Messages surfaced directly on the Overview page
🏷️ A consolidated tags row showing manual tags, early check-in, special indicators, and more
🚀 Streamlined navigation with a cleaner, horizontally scrollable tab interface

Everything is designed to make it faster and easier to scan a booking and take action. This is just the beginning! Additional refinements are already in motion, and we will continue improving the experience over time.

Broadcast

Urgent situations sometimes arise, requiring notification of all current guests, informing guests about unplanned building maintenance, emergency storm notifications, or any changes that could affect multiple guests, even at a specific property.  With our February 25th release, OwnerRez added the Broadcast feature in the Unified Inbox, allowing hosts to quickly and easily notify current and near-future guests via channel or SMS (no email).

To select which guests to send your Broadcast message to, navigate to the Unified Inbox and click on the Broadcast button.

Based on your selections of the Select Booking to Message pop-up, Matching Bookings are displayed, allowing you to select which bookings to send your Broadcast message to, and you can select all or only specific bookings. Click Select number of Bookings.

You can change the selected bookings by clicking the filter icon on the right side of the To field, and you can use field codes to customize your message by clicking the Insert Field Code icon at the bottom.

After you click Send, the Sending Broadcast Name of your Broadcast pop-up will confirm that your message has been sent.

If you have the OwnerRez SMS premium feature enabled, you can send a channel and an additional Broadcast message via SMS to direct bookings by checking the Send additional copy via SMS checkbox. If the guest is reachable only via SMS, a single Broadcast message will be sent to the same phone number.

Airbnb Channel Onboarding

OwnerRez's Airbnb channel integration enables property managers to reach Airbnb's global audience while automating property availability, rates, and rules, preventing double-bookings, and optimizing revenue. On February 4th, OwnerRez implemented a new Airbnb channel onboarding process that allows users to either import their existing Airbnb listings into OwnerRez, create new properties in OwnerRez based on those listings, or create a new Airbnb listing directly in OwnerRez, ensuring complete synchronization before your property becomes bookable on Airbnb.

To get started, navigate to Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > + Connect a Channel > Connect Airbnb, and you'll see these streamlined options.

➕ Create a New Airbnb account

Looking to up your marketing game? Check out all of OwnerRez's channel management options.

Vrbo Same Day Bookings

Same-day bookings fill last-minute vacancies, maximize revenue, and attract spontaneous travelers ready to book immediately. With our February 18th release, OwnerRez added support for Vrbo's upcoming April 1, 2026, policy change, which now allows same-day bookings. Thanks to OwnerRez's Elite Status with Vrbo, we can provide OwnerRez Vrbo channel-integrated hosts with early access to configure same-day bookings immediately. However, Vrbo won't actually allow guests to book same-day arrival reservations until April 1.

To configure your property/ies to accept Vrbo same-day bookings, navigate to Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > your Vrbo Channel Integration > Channel Settings > Booking Window & Duration, and select Allow same-day bookings (guest can book today).

Scheduled Triggers

Effective guest communication at the right time can greatly impact guests, and scheduled triggers are the dynamic tool that automatically sends those messages (email, channel, SMS) based on events or time conditions. A popular and longstanding feature request has been to enable triggers to send messages on the half hour or at 15-minute intervals. With our February 4th release, OwnerRez has implemented the ability for scheduled triggers to send messages on the half hour or at 15-minute intervals.

To see these new time intervals in action, navigate to Settings > Messaging > Triggers > + Create Trigger > Scheduled > How long before/after/when on the day of?

Explore all of OwnerRez's robust messaging tools!

Manual & Custom Payment Methods

Many of our international clients use multiple manual and custom payment methods (e.g., Venmo, Zelle) in regions where traditional payment methods are unavailable. However, it was difficult to distinguish between payment methods because the same name was used internally, leading to duplicates such as "Venmo" appearing multiple times in the payment method grid and affecting deposits and QuickBooks settings.

With our February 4th release, OwnerRez users can now utilize multiple custom payment methods for the same property. We also added an "Internal Name" field to help differentiate between similar payment methods, visible throughout the system.

Add your additional custom payment methods by navigating to Settings > Financial > Payment Methods > + Connect a Payment Method > Manual Payments > Add Custom Option. In the Options > Internal Name field, enter the name of the custom payment method. This Internal Name is only visible to you, not to potential guests.

On the Payment Methods grid, the multiple custom payment methods for the same properties are displayed along with your internal name.

Looking for a new payment processor? Check out all of the OwnerRez Payment Processing options.

Property Photos Channel Exclusions

Excluding specific photos from platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com helps tailor marketing, maintain brand consistency, comply with channel-specific requirements, and customize messaging for each audience. OwnerRez added the ability to exclude individual photos from specific listing channels as part of our February 4th release.

To exclude photos from specific listing channels, navigate to Properties > your specific Property > Listing Content > Photos, click on the editing pencil icon, and on the Change Photo Details pop-up, select which listing channels you want to exclude the photo from in the Hide this photo from dropdown list. After you save your selections, you'll be able to hover over the photo to see which channels it's hidden from.

When you select OwnerRez Website from the Hide this photo from dropdown list, that photo will be excluded from both OwnerRez Hosted Websites and Integrated Websites.

With our February 18th release, OwnerRez added Pay With Cause as a new integrated payment method partner. Pay With Cause, started by longtime vacation property owners, is a modern payment processor with a purpose: it believes in community and donates part of each transaction to a charity of your choice at no extra cost to you.

Considering adding a new payment processor? Check out all of OwnerRez's payment processor options.

Rezzy AI

Quoting

OwnerRez's Rezzy AI is your powerful assistant for guest messaging and task automation, helping you manage your workflow so you can focus on what matters most. With our February 4th release, we amped up Rezzy's capabilities to provide accurate pricing quotes directly in the Unified Inbox for potential new and modifying existing reservations, including rent, surcharges, discounts, and taxes, as well as channel-specific rate adjustments.

While Rezzy's skills are robust, we also added firm guardrails to prevent her from creating or modifying existing bookings or quotes. Instead, she creates a Task for you to review and act on the guest quote or booking modification request.

Automatic Host Reviews

Not all guests are ideal. Some may have caused damage or are unhappy about additional charges, and you don’t want to encourage them to leave a review. By not sending negative host reviews, you may prevent an upset guest from posting one. With our February 25th release, hosts with Rezzy AI enabled will have automatic reviews skipped for Airbnb and Vrbo bookings with negative sentiment by default.

Rezzy AI-enabled hosts can review which automatic 5-star host review bookings to skip by navigating to Reviews > Host Reviews tab > and, from the Automatic 5-star Reviews dropdown list, selecting Configure Settings for either Airbnb or Vrbo > Bookings to Skip. This booking has a negative sentiment is selected by default, but the user can deselect it by unchecking the checkbox and clicking Save Settings.

Intrigued about adding AI to your tech stack? Explore how OwnerRez's Rezzy AI premium feature can help you stay one step ahead without lifting a finger.

Enhancements

Listing Quality Analyzer

OwnerRez's Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) reviews your properties for common errors, unsupported content, or incomplete configurations. We've improved the LQA by adding a Located in column in the LQA results, with clickable links to the affected in-app areas, with our February 4th release.

Inquiries

Providing inquiry links saves hosts time by allowing them to instantly access the full inquiry details without switching tabs or searching for the original inquiry. OwnerRez has added Inquiry links directly in the Unified Inbox Guest Information area as part of our February 18th release, allowing hosts to instantly access the full inquiry details.

Check-out & Check-in Times

Same-day turnovers with overlapping or non-standard check times pose serious risks: inadequate cleaning, guest encounters, property damage, stressed staff, negative reviews, and failure to meet quality standards. With our February 4th release, OwnerRez added warnings to quotes and the change booking forms that indicate when previous or next bookings arrive/depart on the same day, with visual indicators for overlapping or non-standard check-in or check-out times.

If an overlapping changeover occurs, the Quote overview displays a pink warning banner that indicates a conflicting check-in or check-out time for the guest name of the conflicting booking, and you can click the link to go to that booking.

If you change a booking with a potential overlapping changeover, the Change Booking page displays a pink warning banner indicating a conflicting check-in or check-out time for the guest name in the conflicting quote, and you can click the link to go to that quote.

Ask Rezzy

Did you know you can always chat with Rezzy for free? Rezzy helps you find answers to your questions with intelligent search results and detailed summaries from OwnerRez sources, including support articles and guides, all for free. As part of our February 4th release, Ask Rezzy is now available to all OwnerRez users in the in-app Help menu.

When searching Ask Rezzy, not only will search results include detailed "how-to" summaries, but you'll also have the opportunity to continue your chat with Rezzy. Like other online search results, users can provide Rezzy feedback by clicking a thumbs-up or thumbs-down button.

Grace Periods

Offering a grace period reduces chargebacks and disputes by giving hosts flexibility to verify bookings before finalizing charges. With our February 18th release, OwnerRez treats grace period payments as normal payments with scheduled capture dates, providing a clearer view of your booking totals by showing pending payments in the payments grid with a "Pending" label. These payments will be automatically captured at the end of the grace period.

Inbox Filters

Filtering inbox messages prioritizes urgent guest needs, reduces noise, saves time, and ensures no critical booking communication is missed. While OwnerRez developed the new Broadcast feature, we also enhanced the Inbox filters in selection and display, and can include sent Broadcasts, as part of our February 25th release.

To filter Inbox messages, click the upper-right filter icon.

The Inbox filter options include guest contact, date, via channel, booking status, property, and any broadcasts.

When the filter is applied, you'll see that filters are active and can clear them by clicking the filter X or Show All.

Reports

Report filters let rental managers quickly isolate specific properties, dates, or booking sources—turning overwhelming data into focused insights for faster, smarter decisions. OwnerRez added a property tags filter to reports, allowing users to select one or more tags to include only properties with those tags, with our February 25th release.

Users can choose between "any selected tag" (default) or "all selected tags" to filter by their property tags on reports.

Owner Portal Dashboard

OwnerRez's Owner Portal Dashboard includes an 11-month visual representation of the monthly booking overview, with the current month in the middle for visibility. Some owners were confused by the data presentation, mistaking it for a booking remittance and not understanding the concept of proration. To help clarify the data presented, OwnerRez introduced a new "Grouped By" filter on the Owner Dashboard for PMv2 users on February 4th, enabling users to customize how booking data is organized.

The available options are: "Any part of stay, prorated" (default), "By arrival date," "By departure date," and "By booked date." This enhancement enables owners to gain deeper insights into their data and to better control how they view their booking activity.

PM Statements

PM Statements focus on the overall financial health of your property management business, including revenue and expenses collected across multiple properties. OwnerRez removed the bottom Booking Expenses section from the PM Statement area with our February 4th release.

Why did we make this change? In OwnerRez's upgraded Property Management v2 (PMv2), booking expenses are included based on the Include Bookings proration option, simplifying PM statement creation by removing unnecessary configuration options.

Dipping your toes into property management? Check out the OwnerRez Property Management premium feature.

Team Access Staff Members 

Keeping your team informed about payment issues, billing changes, and subscription updates prevents service disruptions and speeds problem resolution, eliminating the need to wait for admin intervention. As a follow-up to our August 20th, 2025, Team Access Staff Billing release, OwnerRez has enabled account billing notifications for Staff Members (if enabled), previously sent only to the primary account owner. These notifications include invoice, payment, and subscription alerts that were previously sent only to the primary account owner.

To configure your Team Access Staff Member's account billing notifications, navigate to Team Access > Staff tab, select + Invite Staff Member or edit an existing staff member, select Full access, uncheck Hide billing in the Access section, and select Allow this user to opt-in to receive notifications for my account in the Notifications section.

Team Access Staff Members can configure their billing notifications by navigating to My Profile > Notifications > Account notifications.

Statement Tax

Short-term rentals in certain countries (e.g., Canada, Australia, New Zealand) are subject to GST (Goods and Services Tax) and/or HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in Canada, which must be charged by PMs to the owner. However, this tax proved confusing for some of our users, who inadvertently added Statement Taxes unnecessarily. To assist users, OwnerRez added an alert for users with Statement Taxes configured when creating Owner Statement previews, with a link to our Statement Taxes support article, in our February 25th release.

Nightly Rates

Setting appropriate rates for your short-term vacation rentals is the foundation of profitability and occupancy optimization. OwnerRez reorganized the rates section to simplify navigation, with no functionality changes, as part of our February 18th release.

• Added a new dedicated Seasonal Rates section with improved navigation between different rate types
• Moved Import and Export operations to the top level
• Renamed "Rates" to "Nightly Rates" throughout the application
• Added a dedicated Nightly Rates Table (formerly Spot Rates)

We renamed Rates to Nightly Rates and added a dedicated Seasonal Rates area to the Settings > Pricing area.

Instead of a tabbed Rates area, the Seasonal Rates area has its own dedicated page with Import and Export options at the top.

We renamed the Rates page to a dedicated Nightly Rates page with Import and Export options at the top.

Wondering what happened to the Spot Rates tab? It's still available. Simply click on the View Table button at the top of the Nightly Rates page.

All the information and functionality from the former Spot Rates tab are still available in the Nightly Rates Table.

As part of our February 18th release, OwnerRez rebuilt the USA ePay payment integration, removing dependency on legacy components and adding support for API key PIN authentication, following the same pattern as our other modern payment gateways, making it more reliable and easier to maintain.

Thinking about adding a new payment processor? Review all of OwnerRez's payment processor options.

Design

Confirm & Pay Guest Form

Online booking forms streamline reservations, reduce emails, capture guest information, provide instant confirmations, and operate 24/7, allowing guests to book immediately when inspired rather than waiting for business hours. OwnerRez improved the cancellation policy and payment detail displays with a cleaner layout on the Confirm & Pay guest form, reorganizing how fees, taxes, and payment schedules are displayed to make pricing information clearer and more accessible with our February 11th release.

When guests book, the Price details section includes a link to add a discount code by clicking the "Have a discount code?" link, and the Cancellation Policy includes a link to View Details.

When guests click "Have a discount code?", a pop-up will appear that allows them to enter their code.

The Pricing details will reflect the discount code (10% off rent) dynamically.

When guests click the View Details link in the Cancellation Policy section, a pop-up appears with detailed, user-friendly cancellation information.

Guest Count Icons

Icons communicate faster, transcend language, save space, and enhance recognition through familiar symbols. With our February 4th release, OwnerRez replaced the guest count letters (A, C, P) with icons and tooltips in booking, quotes, and inquiries for visual clarity.

And when you hover over the icons in the booking list, quote, and inquiry grids, the indicator text is displayed.

Listing Quality Analyzer

The OwnerRez Listing Quality Analyzer (LQA) tool checks your property listings for common mistakes, unsupported content, and incomplete settings. OwnerRez enhanced the LQA by now displaying results in a more mobile-friendly format with our February 18th release. Each property is now its own section with the property name and LQA status as a header. On mobile, element details are now displayed in a vertical layout with improved navigation links to help you quickly find and fix listing issues.

Tweaks

February 4th Release with 3 Tweaks

Add Listing Quality Analyzer warning for Vrbo listings with multiple dining rooms. Since Vrbo only supports one dining room per property, we now sync only the first dining room to Vrbo and display a warning in the Listing Quality Analyzer when multiple dining rooms are detected.

Ensure new owner setting defaults created from the property on the PM Owner Configuration tab are consistent. Configuring new owner settings from the property owner configuration tab was inconsistent with other in-app areas. OwnerRez has standardized the new owner settings to show fees as reimbursed expenses, give commission back on fees, prorate bookings across statement dates, include undeposited payments, and set expanded view preferences by default across all PM areas.

Remove Vrbo's deprecated Accommodations Summary. Vrbo no longer supports the accommodations summary field, and properties with Vrbo channel integrations may see it disabled in the description editor with an indicator that it's no longer supported, and that the accommodations summary field will not be sent to Vrbo.

February 11th Release with 1 Tweak

Remove non-functioning Import from Channel button on the Spot Rates page. Since the Import from Channel button on the Spot Rates page no longer functioned, OwnerRez removed it. 

February 18th Release with 3 Tweaks

Add PMv2 upgrade prompt when creating owner statements. To encourage PMv1 users to upgrade before their accounts are automatically upgraded at the end of February 2026, OwnerRez added a PMv2 upgrade prompt encouraging them to upgrade to PMv2 before proceeding, and offers options to either review the upgrade now or continue with statement creation.

Increase Airbnb maximum cleaning fee cap. To ensure that OwnerRez aligns with Airbnb's recent policy change on the maximum cleaning fee cap, we increased the maximum cleaning fee from the previous $600 + 25% of the nightly price to $700 + 25% of the nightly price.

Remove Rezzy Conversation Ending setting section. Since Rezzy is already eager to respond all the time, forcing her to always have the last word appeared unnecessary and heavy-handed. With that in mind, OwnerRez removed the Rezzy Conversation Ending section from the Rezzy Settings section.

This week’s roundup covers Airbnb’s early World Cup travel insights, strong demand for Kansas City’s major events short-term rental permits, proposed policy changes in Arizona, a narrow STR vote in Albuquerque, and a Missouri proposal that could add new costs for vacation rental operators. Let’s dive in.

Airbnb released a new report this week sharing early insights into travel patterns for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as demand continues to build ahead of the tournament kicking off this summer. According to Airbnb’s internal data, travelers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada are driving the highest volume of searches for stays around match dates. Some of the matches generating the most demand on Airbnb include Haiti vs. Scotland in Boston, USA vs. Paraguay in Los Angeles, and Uruguay vs. Cape Verde in Miami. The report also notes that families and groups account for more than half of World Cup trips, with Los Angeles seeing the strongest demand from this segment. Across host cities, Airbnb says a large percentage of available listings are priced under $500 per night, and early booking trends show guests are gravitating toward these more affordable options at this time.

Previously reported in Industry News on November 14th, Kansas City’s new major events short-term rental permit is already seeing strong interest ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. City officials now say they’ve received more than 200 applications since December and expect as many as 1,000 short-term rentals could be operating during the tournament. The temporary permits are intended to help ease the city’s expected lodging shortage and keep nightly rates more affordable for visitors. To help short-term rental operators in the area prepare and improve their operations, the OwnerRez team is currently at the MOVHA Hosting Crash Course in Kansas City, a two-day event focused on safety, good neighbor policies, guest experience, cleaning, and day-to-day operations. Click here to see all the upcoming events OwnerRez will be attending in 2026!

Arizona’s short-term rental landscape could see significant changes as new proposals are being considered by state lawmakers. Since 2016, state law has limited cities' ability to restrict short-term rentals, but several bills moving through the Legislature would give local governments more authority to regulate the vacation rental industry, including allowing permit caps, zoning restrictions, and additional tax requirements. Separately, Governor Katie Hobbs has proposed a new $3.50 per-night tax on short-term rental stays to help fund utility assistance programs for low-income residents. For short-term rental operators in Arizona, now is a good time to get involved and make your voice known on these bills.

Albuquerque’s City Council voted down a proposed short-term rental regulation this week, marking the third time similar measures have been rejected in recent years. The proposal would have required a 100-foot distance between new short-term rentals, but failed on a narrow 5-4 vote. Supporters said the rule could help reduce concentration in residential neighborhoods, while opponents argued it would unfairly restrict property owners and hurt tourism. The close vote reflects the continued divide over how Albuquerque should approach short-term rental regulations.

Missouri lawmakers this week advanced Bill 126, a proposal that would add new costs and requirements for short-term rental operators. The bill, approved by the Board of Aldermen committee, would require operators to obtain a city business license and pay a 3 percent fee on all rent charged. If passed, revenue collected under the proposal would be directed into a new Affordable Housing License Fee Fund. The bill now heads to the full Board of Aldermen for a vote.

As World Cup travel demand builds and local governments continue to weigh short-term rental policy changes, the short-term rental industry continues to take shape in 2026. Check back next week for the latest news.

This week, we’re highlighting Julie Andrews and Stephen Parsons, co-founders of Beach Boutique Rentals. Based on Anna Maria Island, Julie and Stephen built their business with a focus on genuine relationships and quality over quantity. With OwnerRez supporting their day-to-day operations, they’ve grown their business to over 70 properties while maintaining a hands-on, boutique approach.

Can you tell us a little bit about your history?

Beach Boutique Rentals was co-founded by Julie Andrews and Stephen Parsons on Anna Maria Island with the goal of doing vacation rental management a little differently. From the beginning, the focus was on quality over quantity and on building genuine relationships with property owners. What started as a small, hands-on operation has grown into a curated portfolio of thoughtfully managed homes, while still keeping that original boutique feel intact.

What is your background?

Our background is rooted in working closely with people and paying attention to the details that matter. From the beginning, we’ve focused on clear communication, staying organized, and being thoughtful in how we manage both homes and relationships. That foundation continues to shape how Beach Boutique Rentals operates today, with a strong emphasis on trust, consistency, and care.

Were you always in vacation rentals or property management, or is this a 2nd/3rd career?

Vacation rentals became a later career for both of us. We first entered the space as property owners, managing our own vacation rentals and learning the business from that perspective. That hands-on experience gave us a clear understanding of what owners need and what truly makes a management partnership successful, which eventually led to the creation of Beach Boutique Rentals.

If a later career, what did you do before?

Before vacation rentals, we both came from education backgrounds, Stephen in elementary education and Julie in higher education. While those careers were very different from property management on the surface, they required strong communication, organization, adaptability, and the ability to manage many moving parts at once. Those people-first skills transferred in meaningful ways and continue to guide how we run Beach Boutique Rentals today.

Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located, or did you move there later?

Julie originally grew up in Buffalo, New York, and always dreamed of living on Anna Maria Island, a goal she eventually made a reality. Stephen is originally from Virginia and, like many people, was drawn to the area for the lifestyle and warmer climate.

What do you love the most about the vacation rental business?

What we love most is the combination of hospitality and ownership. Every home is personal, and being trusted to care for it while also creating a great guest experience is incredibly rewarding. No two days are the same, and the work stays engaging because it’s always about people, not just properties.

What do you dislike the most about it?

The biggest challenge is that the work never really turns off. Vacation rentals operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week, and issues don’t always happen at convenient times. That constant responsibility can be demanding, but it also reinforces the importance of being prepared and having strong systems in place.

How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?

We use it in just about every way possible. OwnerRez is the main platform we rely on to run the day-to-day side of our business. We use it to manage reservations, calendars, guest communication, and owner reporting, all in one place. Having everything centralized helps us stay organized, avoid small issues turning into bigger ones, and maintain consistency as our portfolio grows. It supports the way we like to operate: professional behind the scenes, while still keeping the experience personal for owners and guests.

What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?

It’s honestly hard to pick just one most useful feature, because OwnerRez offers so many tools that work well together. That said, right now we’re especially loving the new Rezzy AI rollout, who we’ve renamed Rezzie, the Beach Boutique Rentals AI Assistant. She’s been handling after-hours guest inquiries and helping keep communication flowing when our team is offline. She’s already been a huge help, and it’s impressive how quickly she continues to learn and improve.

In a short amount of time, Julie and Stephen have gone from vacation rental owners to running a thriving vacation rental business. We look forward to seeing Beach Boutique Rentals continue to grow in 2026.

Meet Jodie Willey, founder of 365 Blue Vacations. Born and raised in Colorado, Jodie has spent her career in hospitality, working her way from the front desk to General Manager of a timeshare resort in Breckenridge. After more than a decade in resort operations, she launched 365 Blue Vacations in 2021, combining her timeshare experience with short-term rentals to help owners maximize their investments. Today, Jodie manages a portfolio of over 60 short-term rentals in Breckenridge, using OwnerRez as the foundation of her business.

Can you tell us a little bit about your history?

I was born and raised in Boulder, CO, and now live in Breckenridge, CO. I have worked in hospitality since graduating from Colorado State University. I moved to Breckenridge in my late 20s, and while I have left a few times, I moved back permanently in 2006. In 2008, I became the General Manager of the Hyatt Residence Club in Breckenridge, where I spent the next 13 years. That role gave me a stronger understanding of resort operations, owner relations, and the ins and outs of timeshare.

In 2020, at the start of COVID, I was working 60+ hours a week and decided it was time to prioritize my family. I started a more traditional 9-5 for a while, thinking about starting my own business. I missed hospitality, especially working directly with owners and guests. That’s what led me to start 365 Blue Vacations, where I combined my knowledge of timeshare with short-term rentals.

What is your background?

After graduating from CSU, I started my career in the hospitality industry at the front desk and worked my way up to General Manager of a timeshare resort. My experience in timeshare showed me a missing link for many owners. Some could no longer use their week due to changing family dynamics, while others wanted to turn their ownership into a rental revenue source. When I decided to build a business around helping those owners, a friend introduced me to OwnerRez, which became the foundation I needed to manage timeshare rentals.

Were you always in vacation rentals or property management, or is this a 2nd/3rd career?

Yes, I have always been involved in hospitality to some degree. What I do today is an extension of that background, just in a more focused way.

Are you from the geographical area where your properties are located, or did you move there later?

I’m a true-born-and-bred Coloradan. I’d love to eventually expand my business beyond Breckenridge, but for now, this area is keeping me plenty busy!

What do you love the most about the vacation rental business?

For me, it’s the relationships with my owners. Of course, I enjoy helping guests make memories and offering fantastic experiences, but when I left Hyatt, I truly missed the relationships I had built with owners. Starting 365 Blue Vacations allowed those relationships to grow again, just in a different way.

What do you dislike the most about it?

Letting anyone down, whether it’s an owner or a guest. You can’t always rent every week, and with timeshares, it’s often the one week an owner owns. If that week doesn’t rent, neither of us sees any revenue, and that’s always hard for me.

How do you use OwnerRez to manage your business?

OwnerRez is integral to the operation of my business. I looked at many software companies, and very few work in a way that truly supports timeshare rentals. Timeshares are weeklong reservations, and every owner has a different week, so the setup must be flexible.

I manage 67 properties but work with over 350 individual owners, which adds another layer of complexity. It took me a bit to really dial everything in, but OwnerRez offers so many powerful tools, templates, triggers, tags, credit card processing, API connections, seasons, mutual blocking, and more. I’m sure there’s always more to learn, but I feel like I’ve gotten it dialed in well.

What is the most useful feature OwnerRez offers?

OwnerRez offers so many features that are vital to my operation, it’s hard to pick just one. Channel management, seasons, and the ability to easily adjust minimum and maximum night stays are essential. Rezzy AI has also become a valuable tool, along with many other features that help keep my business running smoothly and successfully.

Jodie’s background in hospitality and timeshare operations allows her to deliver excellent guest experiences and strong returns for owners. With OwnerRez supporting her business, we look forward to seeing 365 Blue Vacations continue to grow.

No upcoming webinars are planned at this time, but you can see AruvoTV in action here.

Hi Jenny,  We are always looking for opportunities to do webinars with partners.  I will ask our marketing team to let you know if that is on the road map!

Super grateful for Cam, Greg, and Jason for helping me with so many things over the years.  I hope someday you will have phone support (ongoing) instead of having to schedule calls.  I look forward to seeing all new developments and releases!

This week’s roundup covers San Diego blocking a proposed short-term rental tax, new 2026 investment insights from AirDNA, cities continuing to adjust short-term rental rules ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a legal challenge to Dearborn’s STR ban, and a new HGTV series spotlighting vacation rentals. Let’s dive in.

Previously reported in Industry News on January 23rd and October 10th, San Diego’s proposed short-term rental tax was officially rejected this week. After hours of public comment and debate on Wednesday, the San Diego City Council Rules Committee voted 3–2 to block the measure, preventing it from moving forward to the full City Council and appearing on the June ballot. The proposal would have imposed a new annual tax of up to $8,000 on short-term rentals and vacation homes, with revenue directed toward affordable housing and homelessness programs. Supporters presented the tax as a tool to address housing affordability, while opponents argued it would disproportionately affect hard-working hosts and the vacation rental industry as a whole in the area. Councilmember Raul Campillo, who voted against the measure, said the tax would undermine small businesses and warned the city would ultimately lose more revenue than it would generate if it passed the new tax.

AirDNA released a report this week highlighting its top 10 markets for short-term rentals at the $700,000 to $1 million price point. The rankings are based on gross yield, comparing AirDNA’s projected annual short-term rental revenue against the average purchase price of homes currently listed for sale in each market. AirDNA notes that while gross yields in this higher price tier tend to be lower than in more affordable markets, higher-end properties often generate stronger overall revenue per listing, potentially allowing investors to own fewer assets while receiving similar returns. Markets featured on the list include Santa Rosa/Rosemary Beach, Florida, the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, each posting projected gross yields between 9.0 and 9.8 percent based on current inventory. AirDNA also released a companion report highlighting the best places to invest with a $250,000 to $400,000 budget, using the same gross-yield methodology. That list includes Burlington, Kentucky, Abilene, Texas, and Savannah, Georgia, with average gross yields ranging from 15.9 to 17.9 percent.

Brea, a city in Orange County, California, has become the latest local government to amend its short-term rental rules as cities across the U.S. prepare for increased travel demand tied to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. City officials approved a new short-term rental pilot program that will allow rentals to operate under a regulated framework where they were previously banned. The new program will allow up to 100 permits, issued through a lottery, with hosts required to comply with rules around parking, safety inspections, minimum stay requirements, and business licensing. The city estimates the program could generate roughly $500,000 in annual revenue while helping accommodate the large number of visitors expected during the upcoming global events. The program will run through December 31, 2029, and will expire unless extended by the City Council.

Previously reported in Industry News on July 18th, Dearborn’s short-term rental ban is now being challenged in federal court by a group of property owners and short-term rental operators.  The ordinance, passed in July 2025 and taking effect on January 1st, prohibits short-term rentals in single-family residential neighborhoods. In the lawsuit, property owners argue the city violated due process by eliminating a previously permitted land use and that any ban should have exempted properties that were already operating as short-term rentals.

On Wednesday, HGTV announced the premiere date for its new series, Wild Vacation Rentals, with the first episode set to air on March 2nd. Each episode will feature three unique vacation rentals in the U.S., beginning in the central United States. They will be showcasing amazing design, hilariously honest guest reviews, stories straight from the owners, and the incredible experiences that set short-term rentals apart. We hope to see a few OwnerRez-powered properties featured along the way.

As cities continue to shift short-term rental regulations and fresh investment data is released, the vacation rental landscape continues to take shape in 2026. Check back next week for the latest news.

We’re excited to welcome Kicbac as a new integration partner, helping OwnerRez users simplify payments while maintaining predictable processing costs.

About Kicbac

Kicbac is a modern payments platform built to support businesses with complex workflows, high card usage, and frequent refunds. Through this integration, property managers can process guest payments securely, streamline refunds and cancellations, and maintain predictable processing costs without reserves or surprise fees. Kicbac focuses on transparency, reliability, and real human support, making payments one less thing property managers have to think about.

Pricing

Pricing is customized based on transaction volume, card mix, and business needs. Most OwnerRez customers see lower effective rates, simplified refund handling, and more predictable monthly costs compared to traditional processors. Quotes are provided after a quick review of recent statements. 

Ready to Connect?

Get started with Kicbac by visiting here and checking out the OwnerRez support article for integrating OwnerRez with Kicbac.

We’re excited to share some great news for OwnerRez users listing on Hopper. Listings that are live on Hopper may now also appear on Capital One Travel, giving your properties access to even more travelers and added visibility through one of the largest travel platforms available today.

What does this mean?

Capital One Travel is powered by Hopper’s underlying booking technology. With this recent expansion, many vacation rentals distributed through Hopper are now eligible to be shown to travelers searching on Capital One Travel at no extra setup required on your end. If your property is already connected to Hopper through OwnerRez, and live and bookable on Hopper, it may now also be surfaced to Capital One Travel users automatically.

A quick note on eligibility

Listings shown on Capital One Travel are curated by Hopper as part of their partner distribution platform. While most Hopper listings are eligible, inclusion is not guaranteed for every property, and there is no published criteria. This is intentional on Hopper's part and helps maintain a consistent, high-quality guest experience across partner channels. If your listing doesn’t appear right away, that doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem; it may simply not yet be included in that expanded distribution.

Why this matters

This is another example of how OwnerRez helps extend your reach without adding complexity. By listing on Hopper, you can unlock:

• Increased exposure to new audiences
• Access to high-intent travelers booking through Capital One
• More opportunities to fill your calendar

If you’re not yet listed on Hopper and want to take advantage of this additional exposure, now’s a great time to explore it.

As always, we’ll continue working closely with our partners to expand distribution opportunities and keep you informed as things evolve.

Keep up the great work! OR amazes me every day.