Is Airbnb's 6% direct booking link actually a win for hosts?

On STR Pricing Pulse – powered by Host Planet and Beyond – Dr Zak Ali, President of the ISTRM, breaks down Airbnb's in-the-news test to cut fees to 6% when you bring your own guest. Is it right to call it an affiliate link? Why is Airbnb doing this now? And how should you price direct vs OTAs?

Zak covers the industry response, why it's all about the numbers, how to price across different platforms, the biggest mistake hosts and property managers make about channels, and what operators should check this week.

Get channels, pricing and guest experience right to build a smarter, more successful and more sustainable business — and create the clean booking data AI tools need to actually help you price.

Timestamps:

2:46 It’s right to call it an affiliate link

5:53 Why is Airbnb doing this?

9:40 The industry response

11:37 It’s all about the numbers

12:13 Check out Beyond: https://beyondpricing.info/launchbase

13:23 How to price across different platforms

17:06 Pricing directly versus OTAs

19:04 The biggest mistake hosts and property managers make about channels

22:31 What operators should check this week

🔗 More from Host Planet: https://www.hostplanet.club/

Zak Ali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zak-a-056b2714/

ISTRM: https://istrm.org/

Subscribe for more from Host Planet.

#STRPricingPulse #Airbnb #DirectBookings #ShortTermRental #HostPlanet

Setting up your first Airbnb? Stage 1 of the STR Growth Curve shows you exactly how to launch right – pricing, cleaning, reviews, and essential tech.

Welcome to Episode 1 of the STR Growth Curve, a 12-part series from Host Planet and Hospitable mapping the 12 stages of growth in short-term rentals – from setting up your first rental all the way through to selling your property management business. Our goal: help you build a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable hosting business.

Stage 1 is all about hosting your first property. Colleen Coale from Hurford Place Hospitality shares how she got started, the logistical essentials when uploading your first listing, what she got wrong on day one, how to find and train your cleaning team, how to price right from day one, and how to win great reviews and handle difficult guests. Plus the essential tech you need from day one, including how AI and automation with Hospitable helped Colleen grow.

📘 Download the STR Growth Curve e-book: https://www.hostplanet.club/str-growth-curve

🏠 Try Hospitable – Get 25% off for your first 3 months: https://hospitable.com/partners/hostplanet

In this episode:

0:00 Episode starts

1:40 How Colleen got started in short-term rentals

4:02 Hosting the first property

6:16 The logistical things you need to get right when uploading your first listing

8:32 The little things Colleen didn’t quite get right on day one

9:49 How to find and train your cleaning team

11:59 How to get your pricing right from day one

13:10 What surprised Colleen about hosting in the early days

14:45 Try Hospitable:

15:28 How Hospitable has helped Colleen to grow her business

16:24 How to get good reviews and how to deal with bad reviews

19:42 How to deal with a crisis and difficult guests

22:37 The essential tech you need from day one

26:15 Distribution: Airbnb, and then what?

27:30 What Colleen learned the hard way

29:48 The importance of photography

32:23 Welcome hampers and welcome notes – worth it?

33:43 Essential amenities

35:16 The importance of recommendations for guests and being a good advocate for your local area

37:16 The signal you’re ready to take on your second listing

38:34 What Colleen loves about hosting and her message to people who are unsure

Follow Host Planet to catch the entire STR Growth Curve series. Sign up for the Host Planet Newsletter, read by hosts and property managers in 100+ countries: https://www.hostplanet.club/

Follow Colleen Coale on Instagram: @WelcomeToHurfordPlace

Hurford Place Hospitality: https://hurfordplacehospitality.com/

Struggling to turn followers into bookings? Vanessa Aguirre shares the social media strategy independent hosts need for 2026.

In this episode of The Independent Host – a series from Host Planet and Lodgify – Vanessa breaks down knowing your target audience, updating a themed rental, which platforms to bother with in 2026, and how to win when we're all at the mercy of the algorithms.

You'll learn how often to post, whether you should show your face, why behind-the-scenes content works, how to turn a follower into a booking, and the biggest mistake hosts make when posting about their properties. Plus Vanessa on staging photos for your listing, getting guests to post about your place, staying consistent, the content which actually drives bookings, and looking at the analytics.

As always, we focus on practical ideas – including AI – to help you build a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable hosting business.

Learn how Lodgify helps Vanessa's business and use code HOSTPLANET60 to get 60% off: https://www.lodgify.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet

Timestamps:

1:12 Vanessa's journey in short-term rentals

1:45 Knowing your target audience

2:42 Updating a themed rental (it's not set and forget)

3:25 The platforms hosts should bother with in 2026

4:24 We're at the mercy of the algorithms

5:54 The platforms Vanessa uses to create content

7:14 How often should you post?

7:53 Should you show your face?

9:25 Take your audience behind the scenes

10:18 Use code HOSTPLANET20 to get 20% off Lodgify: https://www.lodgify.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet

11:06 How Lodgify helps Vanessa's business

11:47 How to turn a follower into a booking

12:55 Encourage guests to post about your place

13:17 The biggest mistake hosts make when posting about their properties

14:22 Stage some photos for your listing

15:58 Be consistent with your social media posting

17:25 The content which drives bookings

20:07 Look at the analytics

- Vanessa's hosting business: www.stayfemmehouse.com

- Tiktok - @Vanessaeaguirre

- Tiktok - @femmehouseAZ

- Instagram - @FemmehouseAZ

Follow Host Planet for more holiday let revenue tips, Airbnb growth hacks, and short-term rental automation.

#VacationRentalMarketing #AirbnbTips #TheIndependentHost

How do you design cleaning operations software that hosts and cleaners actually use when they're not at a desk?

Gabi Celemin from Turno joins Turnover Tactics to share how customer support informs product development, what customers asked for versus what was actually built, and how to design for everyone from new hosts to managers with hundreds of doors. 

Plus: product localisation and the impact of AI on Turno and the future of turnovers.

Turnover Tactics is powered by Host Planet and Turno – helping you build a smarter, more sustainable hosting business.

In this episode:

2:12 The Turno user experience

4:15 Customer support informs product development

5:55 Designing a solution for people who are not at a desk

9:05 How to help hosts and cleaners

11:55 Surprising elements which have changed the product

13:50 What customers asked for versus what was built

16:24 Product localisation

18:53 Trying to please new hosts and people managing hundreds of doors

20:43 The impact of AI on Turno

Connect with Gabi Celemin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielcelemin/

Contact: [email protected]

Powered by Turno: https://turno.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=host_planet

#ShortTermRentals #AirbnbCleaning #VacationRental #PropertyManagement #HostPlanet #TurnoverTactics #AI

Wales' 182-day rule is pushing self-catering owners to the brink – and there's a narrow window to change it. Almost a third of holiday letting businesses in Wales have already collapsed under 'hideous' council tax bills, and 26% are running at a loss. But there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel.

In this episode of the Host Planet Podcast – powered by Lodgify – James Varley sits down with Nicky Williamson of PASC UK to unpack the 182-day threshold for self-catering properties in Wales: why it's crippling businesses, why the Welsh Government has launched a 12-week consultation, what the right level should be, and how proposed exemptions could create big winners and big losers.

If you operate in Wales, this is your chance to be heard. We cover exactly what owners need to do – and how to respond to the consultation before it closes.

👉 If you found this useful, subscribe for weekly short-term rental insight, and share it with a host who needs to see it.

The Host Planet Podcast helps short-term rental hosts and property managers build smarter, more successful and more sustainable businesses — covering regulation, revenue, AI, guest experience, direct bookings and more. Sponsored by Lodgify: use code HOSTPLANET20 for 20% off.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

1:09 Get 20% off Lodgify with code HOSTPLANET20

1:59 The 182-day limit in Wales

3:14 Welsh hosts stung with 'hideous' council tax bills

4:40 30% of holiday letting businesses have collapsed

5:48 26% of STR businesses in Wales running at a loss

7:42 The Welsh Government's 12-week consultation on 182

9:13 What is the right level?

10:31 England's number – and what Wales should reduce to

13:01 Averaging nights over several years, and charity nights

14:50 Exemptions: big winners and big losers

16:22 What Welsh owners need to do – contribute to the consultation

18:24 The potential outcome of the consultation

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES

Nicky Williamson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolawilliamson/

PASC UK: https://www.pascuk.co.uk/

PASC UK 182 campaign: https://www.pascuk.co.uk/182-2/

Respond to the consultation – 'Classification of self-catering properties for local tax purposes': https://www.gov.wales/classification-self-catering-properties-local-tax-purposes

#shorttermrental #vacationrental #airbnbuk #selfcatering #wales #holidaylet #pascuk #hostplanet #lodgify #airbnbhost

Why don't guests book direct – and how do you fix it?

In this episode of Built to Book, Jonas Baum, Head of CX at Smoobu, breaks down how to build a direct booking website that converts. Learn the trust signals, AI workflows, and booking flow fixes to help you build a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable short-term rental business.

If you're getting traffic but no bookings, this is your 30-day plan to turn Airbnb and Booking.com guests into repeat direct bookers – with offers the OTAs can't match, better photography, stronger brand, and a frictionless checkout.

Special offer: Get 20% off Smoobu with the code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.smoobu.com/en/hostplanet/?utm_source=hostplanet&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=podcast_3

In this episode we cover:

- What goes wrong when a guest doesn't book direct

- Why brand matters whether you have one property or hundreds

- Core trust signals every direct booking website  needs

- How to utilise AI to build your brand and content faster

- Where booking flows lose people – and how to fix drop-off

- What to offer direct that Airbnb can't match

- How to convert an OTA booker to a direct booker next time

- Photography, about pages, add-ons and the traffic-but-no-bookings fix

- Simple 30-day plan for more direct bookings 

Timestamps:

1:34 When a guest doesn't book, what's gone wrong?

5:12 Brand means the same whether you have one property or hundreds

8:54 The core trust signals on a direct booking website

10:42 Get 20% off Smoobu with the code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.smoobu.com/en/hostplanet/?utm_source=hostplanet&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=podcast_3

11:36 How to utilise AI to build your brand

14:38 Where booking flows lose people

16:58 What to offer on your direct booking website (that the OTAs like Airbnb and Booking.com can't match)

19:59 Turn an OTA booker into a direct booker next time

22:23 What a website that's quietly killing bookings looks like

24:02 The importance of photography

25:46 The fix that flips the switch for hosts getting traffic but no bookings

27:12 A good add-on is a strong about page

28:31 The simple 30-day plan to achieve more direct bookings

Built to Book from Host Planet and Smoobu helps hosts drive more direct bookings with practical tips on websites, brand, marketing and automation.

#HostPlanetPodcast #BuiltToBook #DirectBookings

Is your holiday let truly winter ready..? Because a cold property is a 1-star review waiting to happen.

In this episode of Holiday Let Insider, from Host Planet and Sykes Holiday Cottages, Rachel Brennan shares exactly how smart hosts protect their property, price correctly, and deliver a 5-star guest experience when temperatures drop – helping you build a smarter, more successful and more sustainable business.

This series shares practical insights for holiday let owners and managers, including how AI and automation can support winter pricing, guest communications, and property operations.

Rachel breaks down the biggest winter pricing mistake owners make, how to adjust your listing and marketing to attract winter guests, and the simple touches that create a warm arrival and keep guests happy when it's raining outside.

In this episode you'll learn:

- The #1 winter pricing mistake that leaves your calendar empty

- How to adapt your listing and marketing for winter demand

- How to protect your property before the temperature drops

- How to keep guests entertained on rainy days

- How to deliver a warm arrival that drives 5-star reviews

Timestamps:

1:46 It’s time to get winter ready

3:29 The biggest pricing mistake owners make in winter

6:53 Adjust your listing and marketing to reach winter guests

10:01 Protect your property before the temperature drops

11:51 Work with Sykes Holiday Cottages: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/letyourcottage/

12:32 A cold rental is a 1-star review waiting to happen

14:56 How to keep guests entertained at the property when it’s raining outside

17:35 How to give your guests a warm arrival

19:52 The biggest impact for hosts in winter

Guest: Rachel Brennan, Sykes Holiday Cottages: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-brennan-26098118a/

Want to work with Sykes Holiday Cottages? Learn more about letting with Sykes and getting year-round support to maximise your occupancy and revenue: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/letyourcottage/

Join STR professionals in 100+ countries by subscribing to the Host Planet Newsletter: https://www.hostplanet.club/

#HolidayLet #SykesHolidayCottages #HostPlanet #HolidayLetInsider #ShortTermRental

Luxury hosting is getting harder – fire regulations, guest expectations, and running a UK business from abroad. Here's how top operators stay ahead.

In this episode of the Host Planet Podcast, sponsored by Lodgify, James Cornwell joins us ahead of the Host Planet Roadshow in Bath, where his business, Curated Property, is Event Partner. We talk bringing the STR community together, collaborating with competitors, and managing in the luxury space.

Plus: speaker Johnny Palmer on turning a plane linked to Pablo Escobar into an Airbnb – and James answers: was it really Escobar's plane?

Get 20% off Lodgify with code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.lodgify.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet

Timestamps:

0:58 Get 20% off Lodgify with code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.lodgify.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet

1:42 Bringing the STR community together in Bath

2:40 The value of attending industry events

5:01 Collaborating with competitors

6:28 Discover more about Johnny Palmer's Escobar plane

9:50 The story of Curated Property

13:51 Biggest challenges in 2026: fire risk regulations

18:25 Managing a UK business from Portugal

23:40 Challenges of managing in the luxury space

26:16 Customer service and the human touch

33:10 Was Johnny Palmer's plane really owned by Pablo Escobar?

Connect with James Cornwell / Curated Property:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescornwell/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curatedpropertycompany/

Get your ticket (just £40 each) for Host Planet Roadshow Bath: https://www.hostplanet.club/hp-roadshow-bath

#HostPlanet #SmarterHosting #ShortTermRentals

Mid-term rentals are having a moment — a perfect storm of supply shifts, rising nightly-rate competition, and a flood of 30–90 day demand.

In this Build for Growth episode, Host Planet sits down with Frank Bosi from Hostfully to break down the mathematics of mid-term stays: how to price them, how to rework your listing to attract longer bookings, and which distribution channels actually deliver them.

You'll learn the specific changes to make to your listing, why a digital guidebook becomes a serious conversion tool for mid-term guests, and what most hosts underestimate about protecting themselves on longer stays.

⏱️ Timestamps

1:46 Free PMS onboarding + 30% off digital guidebooks for life with Hostfully

2:42 The growth of mid-term rentals — a perfect storm

6:39 The mathematics of running mid-term rentals

9:40 What needs to change in your listing to attract mid-term stays

11:30 Why a digital guidebook helps immensely

13:20 How to price mid-term rentals

15:39 Distribution channels to achieve mid-term stays

19:53 What hosts underestimate about mid-term stays — and how to protect yourself

22:08 How to start attracting mid-term stays

25:33 Get in touch with Frank

🔗 Connect & Resources

🎁 Hostfully is offering Build for Growth listeners FREE PMS onboarding + 30% off digital guidebooks for life. Find out more: https://www.hostfully.com/host_planet

📧 Email Frank: [email protected]

📅 Book a Hostfully demo with Frank: https://cal.mixmax.com/frankbosi/demo?re=IiY1x2YuQXZuFGbwR3cvhGQzVWbhpmI&rn=ISelxmchZFIzVWbhpkI&messageId=UjWJnyJQ1a9zxhP2C

#MidTermRentals #BuildForGrowth #Hostfully #AirbnbHost #VacationRental

Is agentic AI about to take real work off your plate – not just give you more information?

In this episode of AI-Powered Hosting, from Host Planet and BOOM, Moran Goldboim unpacks where the short-term rental industry really is with AI, why trust and lack of experience are the biggest blockers, and the next leap: from information to action.

Learn what day-to-day tasks AI can already handle, how to think about architecture over features, why connected data is a game-changer, and how property management companies will be structured and run differently as AI models get more reliable.

This series helps you build a smarter, more successful and more sustainable short-term rental business — with AI as a practical tool, not hype.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Where the STR industry is with AI right now – and why experience matters more than trust

• From information to action: what agentic AI actually means for property managers

• The day-to-day tasks AI will take off your plate

• Why architecture beats features when building with AI

• How connected data unlocks real automation

• How the property manager UX will shift substantially

• Why AI models need a way out to eliminate hallucinations

• How far are we from fully trusting AI? And how org structure will change

TIMESTAMPS:

01:20 Where the STR industry is with AI right now

03:10 Trust is a big thing in AI – but lack of experience is the core challenge

04:35 The next leap: from information to action

06:03 What day-to-day things will AI take off a property manager's plate

08:54 How to understand agentic AI

10:52 Start with architecture over features

12:54 Connected data is a game-changer

14:10 The user experience for property managers will shift substantially

16:30 AI models need a way out to eliminate hallucinations

19:45 How far away are we from people completely trusting AI?

22:02 How AI will change the way property management companies are structured and run

🔗 Explore BOOM: https://www.boomnow.com/?utm_source=HostPlanet&utm_medium=Sponsor&utm_campaign=2026

📬 Connect with Moran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahar-goldboim-80820b95/

AI-Powered Hosting is a six-part series from Host Planet and BOOM exploring how 

artificial intelligence is transforming the short-term rental industry – from 

automation to full agentic execution. Quote 'Host Planet' to get 50% off PMS onboarding with Boom: https://www.boomnow.com/?utm_source=HostPlanet&utm_medium=Sponsor&utm_campaign=2026

#AgenticAI #PropertyManagement #ShortTermRental #VacationRental #PropTech #AIAutomation #Airbnb #HostPlanet #BOOM #AIPoweredHosting