What’s really happening in the UK short-term rental market heading into 2026?

In this episode of the Host Planet Podcast – powered by Hostfully – Sally Henry, VP of Business Development at Key Data, breaks down late-booking trends, the right OTA vs direct mix, why pricing discipline matters, and how hosts/managers can lock in early demand for peak periods.

1:15 What’s happening in the UK’s STR industry in 2025?

4:52 Is late booking the new normal?

6:51 Hosts need to cover their costs

8:27 Property managers need to be agile

10:59 OTA channels are growing at the expense of direct bookings  

14:04 What’s a good mix of OTA channels and direct bookings?

16:37 Rates are holding firm – pricing discipline is important

18:02 The holy grail is to get the early bookings

19:43 How to prepare for Christmas and New Year 

21:01 Short-term rentals are outperforming hotels in Scotland and Wales 

22:24 Get on every channel you can and understand your pricing and competitors

23:23 Find out more about Key Data: https://www.keydatadashboard.com/products/prodata?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=holiday_cottage_handbook

Link to the Key Data report: https://www.keydatadashboard.com/uk-quarterly-report

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Keen to book a Hostfully demo? Click here to connect with Frank Bosi: https://tinyurl.com/Hostfully-Demo

Email Frank: [email protected] 

Host Planet: https://www.hostplanet.club/

James Varley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdsvarley/

Sally Henry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-henry-3516229/

Key Data: https://www.keydatadashboard.com/products/prodata?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=holiday_cottage_handbook

Episode to check next: Welsh Holiday Let Owners Are Giving Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB-a8ZM5xWU&t=1s

Host Planet Podcast is presented by James Varley, a holiday let investor and property manager who is also the Founder of Host Planet. Before founding Host Planet, James spent 20 years in the media, including a decade leading corporate communications for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Contact the show: [email protected]

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