Host Tips & How-To's

Airbnb's 15.5% host-only fee is now mandatory, plus new checkout rules start Nov 20. See what changed and the best commission-free direct booking sites, including Houfy.

Real costs and proven strategies to get more direct bookings for your short-term rental, from free channels and Google Ads to QR code signage that turns foot traffic into bookings.

Arbitrage worked because rents were cheap, demand was exploding, and nobody had written the rules yet. All three reversed. What killed it, why most cities have closed the door, and what to do if you are still set on trying.

Run one address through five revenue estimators and you get five different numbers. Here is what PriceLabs Revenue Estimator Pro, AirDNA, Airbtics, BNBCalc, and Rabbu are each actually good at, what to check before you trust any projection, and the order we would run them in.

"Should we install a noise monitor?" The host groups almost always say yes. We think that is right for party-prone properties and wrong for most others. Here is how weather, guest privacy, and the real time cost stack up against how rarely noise is actually a problem.

"We own and operate our short-term rental. Life is getting busy, what should we outsource first?" It is the most common question in the host groups, and the right answer flips completely depending on whether you want more income or more properties. Here is what to hand off first, what to keep, and what is not worth doing at all.

Thinking about getting into short-term rental management? This complete guide covers how to start as an Airbnb co-host, launch a property management company, and what you need to know about STR arbitrage in today's market.

Your standard homeowners policy probably isn't covering you the way you think. This guide breaks down what STR insurance actually is, why AirCover isn't enough, and how the top 7 providers stack up in 2026 — including our top pick.

A pool is one of the highest-value amenities an Airbnb can have, and one of the fastest ways to earn a bad review when it is neglected. Here is the maintenance rhythm that keeps it guest-ready.

Guests decide whether to click your listing in seconds, and that decision is made almost entirely on the first photo. Why professional photography is the highest-return investment most hosts can make.

The right co-host turns a stressful side hustle into something closer to passive income. What a co-host actually does, what to look for, and how to structure the arrangement so it holds up.

Cleanliness is the most reviewed aspect of any short-term rental, which makes your cleaner a brand decision rather than an operational one. What to look for and what to avoid.

The hosts who consistently earn more and get better reviews treat the rental like a business from day one. Five habits that separate good hosts from great ones.

Consistent 5-star ratings are not luck. They come from systems at every touchpoint: pre-arrival messaging, friction-free check-in, anticipating needs, fast problem response, and a post-stay follow-up that earns the review.

AI messaging plus a well-built digital guidebook can handle most routine guest questions instantly. How the pieces fit together, and where a human still has to stay in the loop.

Your listing has seconds to earn a click. Five things that move the needle: titles that stop the scroll, photos that sell the space, descriptions that answer questions early, and the small settings that quietly drive ranking.

Smart locks, leak sensors, and connected detectors earn their keep on a short-term rental. Here is what actually delivers a return, what order to buy in, and where the popular picks are less clear-cut than they look.

Manual rate-setting quietly costs you money every month. How dynamic pricing works, what it actually optimizes, and how to choose between platform tools and dedicated software.

The tools that actually earn their monthly fee: a property management system, dynamic pricing, smart home basics, and a channel manager with a direct booking path. What each does, and when it starts paying for itself.

Most guest questions are predictable, which makes them automatable. Here is how to automate roughly 80% of guest communication, which 20% should always stay human, and how to build the guidebook that makes the whole system work.

Downturns do not hit every property equally. Here is how to protect occupancy and margin through a soft market: pricing for value, diversifying your guest mix, cutting cost without cutting quality, and building direct bookings.