STR Data Lab™ by AirDNA

What happens when the biggest trends shaping short-term rentals don't come from within the industry at all? In this special midyear outlook, Jamie Lane and Bram Gallagher unpack the economic forces influencing STR performance—from inflation and interest rates to international travel and changing consumer behavior—and explain what hosts and property managers should be watching for during the se...

Is now still a smart time to invest in short-term rentals—or has the opportunity already passed? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA CEO Rohit sits down with John Bianchi, better known as the Airbnb Data Guy, to unpack the data-driven framework that's helped identify more than 400 profitable STR investments. From finding resilient markets to evaluating deals and designing properties t...

What does it take to survive—and thrive—through 15 years of nonstop change in the short-term rental industry? In this episode of The STR Data Lab, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane sits down with Brian Egan, Co-Founder and CEO of Evolve, to unpack the evolution of one of the industry's earliest and most influential companies. From launching before Airbnb became a household name to navigating COVID...

What if your next hire wasn’t a person—but an AI employee that never sleeps, never misses a task, and proactively manages your business? As labor costs rise and operational complexity grows, short-term rental operators are looking for new ways to scale without sacrificing guest experience. In this episode of The STR Data Lab, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane sits down with Bill Ulammandakh, forme...

After a slow and uneven start to the year, short-term rental performance is finally showing signs of life. In this episode of The STR Data Lab , Jamie Lane and Bram Gallagher break down the latest data—and what it really means for hosts, property managers, and investors navigating today’s shifting travel landscape. From the first occupancy gains in nearly a year to surprising demand patterns acros...

What happens when consumer confidence is shaky, global tensions are rising, and yet… travel demand keeps growing? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA’s Jamie Lane sits down with Tourism Economics President Adam Sacks to unpack one of the most important—and confusing—trends shaping the short-term rental and lodging industry right now: resilience in the face of uncertainty. From stronger-th...

Airbnb is no longer just a marketplace for stays—it’s becoming a fully integrated travel platform. In this special episode recorded live from Airbnb’s 2026 Summer Product Release in San Francisco, Jamie Lane sits down with Airbnb’s Chief Business Officer, Dave Stephenson, to unpack what these changes really mean for hosts, property managers, and the broader STR ecosystem. At the center of it all i...

What happens when strong travel demand collides with rising costs and global uncertainty? April’s data gives us a clearer picture—and it’s more nuanced than you might expect. In this episode of The STR Data Lab , Jamie Lane and Bram Gallagher break down the latest U.S. short-term rental performance and what it signals for the critical summer season ahead. On the surface, the numbers look solid: AD...

What if the dashboards you rely on today are already obsolete? In this forward-looking conversation, AirDNA CEO Rohit Bezewada joins Jamie Lane to unpack how AI is fundamentally reshaping the short-term rental industry—from how software is built to how hosts operate day-to-day. This episode goes beyond the hype. Rohit breaks down what “AI-native” actually means (and why most tools aren’t there yet...

What if the biggest threat to your short-term rental business… is also your biggest opportunity? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , Jamie Lane sits down with returning guest Mark Simpson to unpack how AI is rapidly reshaping the STR landscape—and what hosts and property managers need to do right now to stay ahead. From London conference “carnage” to real-world AI experiments generating thousand...

What if you could guarantee five-star reviews—without being on-site, glued to your phone, or buried in repetitive tasks? In this episode, AirDNA’s Jamie Lane sits down with Sean McGregor, Founder of NoCodeSTR.com to unpack how automation, no-code tools, and AI are transforming what’s possible in short-term rental operations. Sean McGregor helps short-term rental hosts and property managers “Automa...

How resilient is the short-term rental market in the face of a "camel’s back" economy? In this month's episode of the STR Data Lab, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane and Director of Economics and Forecasting Bram Gallagher peel back the layers of a complex March performance. While headlines grapple with energy price shocks and an ambivalent labor market, the underlying data reveals a...

What happens when the biggest bottleneck in your short-term rental business—guest communication—gets automated almost entirely? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , Jamie Lane sits down with Jay Ullrich, CEO and Co-founder of HostBuddy AI, to unpack how AI is transforming the way hosts and property managers operate at scale. From missed bookings due to slow responses to overwhelmed virtual assist...

What happens when AI, massive tech consolidation, and shifting guest behavior all collide at once? In this episode, Jamie sits down with industry veteran Richard Vaughton who’s seen every cycle of short-term rentals—from early spreadsheets to today’s AI-powered ecosystems. Together, they unpack a rapidly evolving landscape where yesterday’s tools are becoming obsolete, and tomorrow’s winners are b...

What happens when home prices stop rising—but the market still starts moving again? In this episode of The STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Mike Simonsen, Chief Economist at Compass, to unpack the biggest housing market shift in years—and why it matters deeply for short-term rental investors. After four years of frozen transaction volume and relentless price growth, 2026 is shaping up to be...

The short-term rental market never moves in a vacuum—and February’s data proves it. In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane and co-host Scott Sage unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of the latest performance numbers. From a sluggish winter season to the early signals of a strong spring break, they explore how supply growth, economic trends, and even...

STR Investor Sentiment Report 2026: Where Smart Money Is Buying Next What are short-term rental investors really thinking right now? In a market defined by higher rates, elevated home prices, and shifting demand, the real story isn’t fear — it’s selectivity. In this episode of The STR Data Lab , Jamie and Bram unpack AirDNA’s first-ever STR Investor Sentiment Survey — a deep dive into the motivati...

Travelers say they’re worried about the economy — but they’re still packing their bags. In this episode of The STR Data Lab, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane sits down with Seth Borko, Head of Research at Skift, to unpack the 2026 travel outlook and what it really means for short-term rental hosts and property managers. The headline? Travel remains the world’s top discretionary spending priority...

Is 2026 shaping up to be a breakout year for short-term rentals — or another year of mixed signals? In this January market review, the STR Data Lab team unpacks early indicators that could define performance for the rest of the year, from rising bookings and shifting travel patterns to economic tailwinds and major event demand. For hosts, property managers, and investors, these first-month signals...

What if the biggest opportunity in your STR business isn’t higher ADR or better occupancy — but who actually owns your guest relationship? In this episode of The STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Arthur Colker, CEO of StayFi, to unpack one of the most under-discussed levers in short-term rentals: guest acquisition costs and repeat demand. As OTAs continue tightening control over guest data a...

What happens when one of the largest centralized property managers in short-term rentals meets a deeply local, franchise-driven model? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA’s Chief Economist Jamie Lane sits down with Steve Schwab, CEO of Casago, to unpack one of the most consequential industry shifts of the past decade: the Vacasa–Casago merger. Steve shares an honest, behind-the-scenes loo...

Is 2026 shaping up to be the most compelling year for short-term rental investing since the post-pandemic boom? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane and co-host Scott Sage break down the newly released 2026 Best Places to Invest report — and explain why smart investors may finally see the odds shifting back in their favor. After several challenging years marked b...

2025 was anything but predictable for short-term rentals. After a surprisingly strong start, the second half of the year told a very different story — and the December data brings that contrast into sharp focus. In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane is joined by Bram Gallagher to break down the final U.S. performance numbers and what they reveal about the state of...

What if one of the biggest opportunities in rentals isn’t short-term or long-term — but everything in between? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , Jamie Lane sits down with Jeff Hurst, CEO of Furnished Finder and former President of Vrbo, to unpack why midterm rentals have quietly become one of the fastest-growing segments in the housing market — and why so many investors still misunderstand the...

Is the short-term rental industry struggling — or simply growing up? In this episode of The STR Data Lab , AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane sits down with Simon Lehmann to unpack what “normalization” really means for STR operators, investors, and property managers heading into 2026. After years of explosive growth, the industry is entering a new phase — one defined less by expansion and more by e...