Beyond's 2025 Travel Trends For Hosts To Watch

Beyond's 2025 Travel Trends For Hosts To Watch

Garrett BrownPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2024 · 515 posts · 553 votes

Summer 2025 travel trends just dropped from Beyond, and if you're hosting this season, there's a lot to unpack.

First, remember when guests would book two or three months in advance, allowing you to plan ahead? Those days are fading. According to the report, the average booking window has shrunk to 26 days, a 12 percent decrease compared to last year. In other words, people are procrastinating more than ever. If your summer calendar looks eerily quiet right now, you're not alone. The bookings just aren’t coming in as early as they used to.

What this means for hosts is simple: get flexible. Shorten your minimum stay requirements, offer more aggressive last-minute discounts, and hold off on that mid-June panic attack. Guests are still out there. They’re just booking later than they used to.

The report also notes that major cities are finally recovering. Places like New York, San Diego, and Seattle are experiencing stronger demand as travelers return for concerts, food, and all the other aspects of urban life have to offer. But they’re still price sensitive, so if your place isn’t reasonably priced for what it offers, don’t be surprised if you get skipped.

Meanwhile, rural and nature-based markets remain strong. If you're near hiking trails, lakes, or anything that smells remotely like fresh air, you're in decent shape. But competition is stiff and expectations are higher than they were in 2020, so things like better photos, improved amenities, and unique experiences still matter.

Curious if others are seeing the same. Are your guests waiting until the last second? Are cities heating up again where you are? What’s your market doing this summer?

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Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 712 posts · 642 votes
1y

booking closer to arrival date is similar to last year. I agree about some flexibility, but disagree about shortening minimum stay requirements. Mine stayed the same from last year and didnt see any change in bookings. Guests are getting smarter in the searches, I think decor also plays a big part in getting guests. They will search 10, 15, 20 properties. Having something that was eye-catching or memorable will help them come back to your listing. That wall mural, bright colors, etc. Yes, some people wont like it, but it will help stand out in an ocean of STR's they are looking at. Make sure your bedrooms look good, the mom's are making most of the decisions and they are looking at where they are sleeping on the vacation. they know kids will sleep anywhere.

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  • Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 712 posts · 642 votes
    1y

    booking closer to arrival date is similar to last year. I agree about some flexibility, but disagree about shortening minimum stay requirements. Mine stayed the same from last year and didnt see any change in bookings. Guests are getting smarter in the searches, I think decor also plays a big part in getting guests. They will search 10, 15, 20 properties. Having something that was eye-catching or memorable will help them come back to your listing. That wall mural, bright colors, etc. Yes, some people wont like it, but it will help stand out in an ocean of STR's they are looking at. Make sure your bedrooms look good, the mom's are making most of the decisions and they are looking at where they are sleeping on the vacation. they know kids will sleep anywhere.

  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    This is more true for smaller single family properties, but I am still seeing advanced bookings for larger properties because multiple families and groups of friends have to coordinate vacation days and lock in a property.

  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    We also did some minor price adjustments on non-holiday dates and got 3 bookings in one day. Not sure if it was a coincidence or not. One of those was a $8k 5 day booking over thanksgiving and those rates had not been adjusted so that one had to be a coincidence.

  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    I agree with @John Underwood mostly on it depends on the property.  I suppose it matters on the market, and the season.  I currently have 66 listings and they range from studios to 7 bedroom waterfront homes.  Off of the top of my head the lead time on 0-2 bedrooms is maybe 3 days max.  It is not uncommon to start a month with 0 days booked, but end with 28+ nights booked (stays are on average longer as well).  The 3 and some 4 bedrooms probably book 2-3 weeks out on average.  The larger 4 br up to 7 are still bookings 2-3 months out of longer for holidays and peak times, but not as far out or at as much frequency as it was in the past.

  • Member since 2022 · 527 posts · 413 votes
    1y

    As others have said, it may be market dependent but also customer type dependent. My season next year is almost fully booked in 2 of my properties and have been for a few months now (Feb - April). These are older guests that know they need to secure good properties early. My summer and off season guests are a different crowd - Families and younger folks. They are definitely booking last minute. My top property (stunning if I say so myself) has been booked for a bit but the others have been radio silent but are filling up only 1-3 weeks out. I normally have a 7 night minimum but Pricelabs drops it to 5 as the dates are within a few weeks. But so far, only one guest booked 5 nights another booked 8. These are two booking I received over the weekend for this week and next. The other couple are for 7 nights. 

  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    1y

    We are still getting the majority of the bookings 6-12 months in advance.

    The rest of the calendar fills in the closer to the season it gets.

  • Member since 2024 · 10 posts · 2 votes
    1y

    We started off 2025 with our highest level of bookings since we started in 2022 (Portland, OR). Bookings are strong through September. But we have seen very few bookings come in over the last three months. One reason is likely that prime weekends/long weekends are booked through Sept...but our fall is very open right now. Its unusual to not see more regular bookings come through. The trend toward shorter booking windows could explain this...but the reduction in booking pace eerily corresponds with economic turmoil beginning in March. 

    Do others feel macro economic conditions are impacting bookings?

  • Member since 2022 · 14 posts · 12 votes
    1y

    Larger, unique, higher end still booking out farther. Obviously market dependent. We have one we own booking 4 months out in a mid size city on a river. A bunch we manage in a mountain vacation market that range from 3 bed to 6 bed. Everything is last minute there, even for larger and higher end. And ADR is coming way down in that market. In the mid size city market, we cant price it high enough it seems like. 

  • Investor · Atlanta · Member since 2022 · 146 posts · 72 votes
    1y

    Thanks for sharing, Garrett. These trends really resonate with what we're seeing in metro Atlanta. Guests definitely are booking closer to their arrival dates, so staying flexible with pricing and availability is key. Curious if others in metro areas are seeing similar patterns with last-minute bookings and guest preferences this summer? The booking window for our properties (mix of townhomes and SFH, ranging from 2 BR to 5 BR) have an average booking window of 5-10 days.

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