All Forum Posts by: Garrett Brown

Airbnb recently put out their top summer travel trends and 10 cities to watch for summer 2025. While most of the news release was focused on international cities at the top, I thought it was fasicinating about a couple particular trends they are tracking. "Star Chasers" and "Staycations".

First, spontaneous local travel is on the rise:

Over 60 percent of "nearby" searches are from families and groups planning trips within 300 miles of home

Forty-three percent of Americans are choosing to drive rather than fly for their summer travel

Thirty-nine percent say they are traveling domestically instead of internationally to save money

Nearly one in three parents with kids under 18 are actively choosing staycations over longer trips

Last-minute bookings are up, with flexibility and availability playing a major role in guest decision-making

To take advantage of this trend, hosts should consider promoting easy weekend getaways or “within driving distance” escapes, offering flexible cancellation policies, and setting one- or two-night minimums to appeal to last-minute planners. Listings should highlight family-friendly amenities such as board games, bunk beds, fire pits, and open outdoor areas that cater to groups and parents traveling with children. Using language like “perfect for a spontaneous escape” or “local getaway without the long drive” in your title and description can help attract nearby guests. Additionally, updating your photos and captions to emphasize comfort, convenience, and accessibility will better align your property with what today’s staycationers are searching for.

The second trend Airbnb is tracking is “Star Chasers”:

Travelers are planning trips specifically around concerts, sports events, festivals, and other entertainment

Properties near stadiums, amphitheaters, arenas, racetracks, or event grounds are seeing increased demand

Guests are looking for accommodations that are walkable or a short drive from major venues

Hosts in these areas should optimize their listings by including proximity references in the title and description, such as “5 mins to concert venue,” to immediately appeal to event-driven travelers. Mentioning specific local events or festivals in your calendar or listing description can help capture search traffic around those dates. Enhance the guest experience by including venue schedules, nearby restaurant recommendations, and ride-share tips in your guidebook. Strategically adjust pricing and minimum stays around big event weekends to reflect higher demand, and consider offering later check-outs or early check-ins for guests attending concerts or games.

Airbnb also released its top trending U.S. destinations for summer 2025. These include:

Shandaken, New York

Long Beach, California

Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

San Francisco, California

Page, Arizona

Bristol, Tennessee

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Clemson, South Carolina

Irvine, California

Miami Gardens, Florida

If your listing is in or near one of these locations, now is the time to update your listing to reflect current demand. Mention proximity, emphasize flexibility, and highlight anything that would appeal to either staycationers or Star Chasers.

Just some insight from Airbnb so you can help make your short-term rental a long-term success! Happy hosting everyone.

Airbnb just released their Q1 2025 earnings report, and there’s a lot to unpack. The topline numbers look solid: revenue is up 6 percent year-over-year, and bookings hit over 143 million nights and experiences, which is an 8 percent increase. So yeah, growth is still happening. But it’s not the same wild surge we saw in previous years. Things are leveling out.

One thing that really stands out is how much the U.S. market is doing the heavy lifting. Domestic travel is still king. Only 2 to 3 percent of bookings in the U.S. came from international travelers. So your marketing, your amenities, and even your communication style should reflect that. Think road trippers, weekenders, and families looking for regional getaways.

Another interesting shift: last-minute bookings are still strong, but those far-out reservations are slowing down. If you’ve been trying to fill your calendar months in advance and wondering why it’s crickets, this could be why. Shorter lead time is becoming the norm, so you may need to rethink how you set up your calendar and pricing strategy.

The data also shows that high-income travelers are still booking consistently (duh right). But budget-conscious guests seem to be pulling back. If you’re in the luxury or mid-tier space, you’re probably okay. If you’re operating in the more affordable range, you might be seeing tighter margins or shorter stays.

Behind the scenes, Airbnb is making moves too. They’re pulling ideas from past slowdowns and prepping a big product release for May 13. It’s expected to include smarter AI recommendations and tighter integration between stays and experiences. In plain English, that means they’re trying to keep guests inside the Airbnb ecosystem—and that could affect how your listing performs.

So what does this mean for you as a host? A few things.

First, make sure your listing appeals to domestic, regional travelers. They’re still driving demand.

Second, tighten up your pricing strategy around short-lead bookings. Guests are making faster decisions, so you want to stay competitive without slashing rates too far.

And third, pay attention to how your listing shows up in the app. Airbnb is betting big on guests finding what they want without leaving the platform. If your photos, amenities, or descriptions don’t match what the algorithm thinks a guest wants, you could get buried.

The main takeaway here is that Airbnb isn’t collapsing, but it is maturing. This is when the operators who treat their rentals like businesses start pulling away from the ones who are just winging it.

Curious to hear from others: are you changing your strategy this year based on how the market is moving?

Sign up for our FREE weekly STR newsletter called "BiggerStays" that covers all the STR news, markets, data, and inspiration you need to make your short-term rental a long-term success.
https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcasts/short-term-rental

How do you feel about this as hosts? I am slightly torn but do believe this is the way to go.  https://skift.com/2025/04/21/airbnb-makes-total-price-displa...

Why it’s good for you as a host:

• Transparency builds trust. Guests seeing the real price upfront means fewer surprises and angry messages like “I didn’t know cleaning was 150 dollars.”

• Fewer abandoned bookings. Guests are less likely to bounce mid-checkout when the price doesn’t spike at the end.

• You can stand out. If your pricing is clean and fair, you’ll look great next to listings that inflate fees.

Why it might sting:

• High-fee listings could suffer. If you rely on low nightly rates with big cleaning or service fees to look cheap in search results, this change exposes that.

• It forces you to get competitive. Pricing strategy matters more than ever now, no more burying the true cost.

It’s ultimately good for the guest experience, which long-term is good for hosts who run a tight ship and price honestly. If you’ve already been transparent and thoughtful with your pricing, this levels the playing field in your favor.

Hey everyone, I am actually the creator of the BP STR Calculator in conjunction with some other members. Full transparency, it is just an excel spreadsheet. I'd be happy to look if you want to send it over in a message! I am going to guess that they are not a cash flowing deal or your expenses are not being properly estimated.

I do alot of Meta ads but this is very property specific as some have mentioned. If you have a plain jane property, you are better off probably skipping and working on google ads or SEO more. 
Do you have a social media for the property? If so, the best ways are to take the most viral post you had organically and turn it into an ad. You also should have a meta pixel on your website page to be able to retarget and a conversion metric on your website to be able to track conversions. Attribution is one of the hardest things with ads though always because most people will just go Google it at some point if you don't have an irresitible offer attached to the ad. 

Hospitable, Pricelabs, and Turno. The holy trinity of STRs lol I get around 70% direct bookings on my unique stays because of social media. My regular style houses are about 70% airbnb and 20% direct, and 10% booking.com/vrbo.

I would be concerned if you are the only one doing this in your area and also, I'd rather Airbnb be the enemy of the guest by adding their service fee than me be the enemy because I have to raise my prices by 12%. Airbnb is trying to shift the consumer mind frame of "outrageous Airbnb fees being charged" so it's more like a hotel I would guess with this effort. Just like how people say "hotels don't charge cleaning fees!" when in reality, it is baked into their pricing. 

I love it when they highlight the success stories of STRs and the benefits added. Thanks for sharing, Mike! 

One of the most significant benefits to owning an STR is the benefits it brings come tax season. Luckily, while I am not a CPA (not even close), BiggerPockets partnered with Hospitable (the #1 STR Management software) and Amanda Han, CPA, to bring a FREE STR tax guide to the community. Learn how to save yourself $$$ and stress come tax season every year. Let us know what is the biggest takeaway you found from it!

https://www.biggerpockets.com/resources/real-estate-investme...

@Preston Dean is spot on!  https://www.biggerpockets.com/business/finder/property-manag...


@Andrew Steffens highlighted a good point and something to look into with companies if you truly want someone to handle most of the operations. 

I recommend everyone self-manage their first STR typically and use tools like Hospitable to manage it correctly.
1) you will learn what it takes to manage an STR to know later on if a PM is actually worth it. It's not as daunting as you may think with systems set up and continuous education.
2) Most PM's are expensive and will eat up a significant portion of your revenue and as you have found, often only take listings at certain revenues. 

What is your biggest fear or concern about self-managing? @Arthur Schwartz , Maybe I can help ease your mind or provide a resource.