Short-Term Rental and Vacation Rental News

Choice Hotels recognizes that traveler behavior is changing. For the sometime-business and other-times-leisure traveler, Choice Privileges members can earn points whether staying in a hotel or in a vacation rental. And because "millennials want instant gratification," according to CEO Stephen Joyce, Choice is giving it to them in the form of perks at check-in.

More meeting planners are considering Airbnb as a viable accommodation option, based on new partnerships and programs that dramatically increase the value proposition for themselves, their clients, and their attendees.

For all its success, Airbnb still has work to do when it comes to attracting timeshare distributors to its network.

More data on Airbnb's business will hopefully give the industry greater insight into how it really fits into the evolving hospitality ecosystem.

Don't downplay the importance of intangibles and narratives in the online travel business. Expedia won 2015. Booking.com won't sit back in 2016. In this transitional year in online travel and lodging on so many levels, you can expect that Booking.com will be heard from.

We can't wait until Airbnb goes public so we can finally get some transparency and stop hearing about hosts trying to make ends meet. It's so much more sophisticated than that.

Clearstone Venture Partners claims that funding LeisureLink is a better investment than in Airbnb or HomeAway. That may be a frivolous boast but what's clear is that a lot of people are going to make a ton of money on the business and distribution side of the vacation rental and alternative lodging industry.

It is very attractive for Booking.com to abstain from charging travelers a booking fee on vacation rentals. But the lack thereof means Booking.com's commissions may not be competitive and shareholders will likely demand that Booking.com maximize the revenue opportunity and impose the booking fee.

Airbnb, in theory, could ease some cities' opposition to its business by giving landlords a revenue share of their tenants' rentals. It's an interesting idea, albeit with tons of hurdles.

The 10 most popular cities for Airbnb rentals on New Year's Eve account for about 27% of total guests.