Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights

How guests find and book holiday lets has changed massively. In this episode of Holiday Let Insider, Owen Burt, SEO Manager at Sykes Holiday Cottages, explains how AI search works, why people are clicking less, and what hosts can do to build businesses that get found online.

Owen breaks down how his SEO role has evolved, what makes a listing easy for AI to read and recommend, why consistent details across all booking sites matter, and why reviews are becoming even more important for AI visibility. If you want more direct bookings and to get your cottage cited in AI answers, this is your practical playbook for AI, SEO, and listing optimisation.

In this episode:

- How search behaviour has shifted to AI answers
- Why only 5% of AI searches result in a click
- How to structure your listing title, description, and amenities for AI search traffic, answer engine optimisation, and generative engine optimisation 
- Consistency, reviews, and trust signals that help AI recommend you
- Simple steps to increase Airbnb bookings and direct bookings 

TIMESTAMPS

1:51 The way people search has changed massively
7:34 How the SEO manager’s role has evolved
9:34 People are clicking less – only 5% of AI searches result in a click
14:55 Let your property with Sykes Holiday Cottages: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/letyourcottage/
15:32 What makes your listing easy to read for AI
20:34 Keep details consistent across all booking sites
22:28 Reviews are getting even more important
25:59 How to take advantage of AI search

GUEST: Owen Burt, SEO Manager at Sykes Holiday Cottages: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owen-burt-736355107/

SERIES: Holiday Let Insider – from Host Planet and Sykes Holiday Cottages, part of the Host Planet ecosystem, helping hosts build smarter, more successful, and more sustainable short-term rental businesses.

TOPICS: AI search, SEO,  vacation rental marketing, vacation rentals, short-term rentals, Airbnb host tips

Welcome to Episode 3 of the STR Growth Curve, a 12-part series from the Host Planet Podcast and Hospitable mapping the 12 stages of growth in short-term rentals – from setting up your first rental all the way through to selling your property management business. Our goal: help you build a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable hosting business.

Stage 3 is all about when hosting stops being fun and starts feeling like a full-time job. Mark and Kirsten Krikke share how to make it fun again by hiring cleaners, finding and training the right cleaners, why you need back-up cleaners, the first piece of STR software to pay for and what to avoid, the processes and average week at this stage, and how to communicate with guests when automation becomes essential.

Plus the signals you're overwhelmed with hosting, a habit or system that pays back enormously at this stage, and the signal you're ready to scale or stay where you are, including how AI and automation with Hospitable helps hosts save time, handle guest messaging, and build systems that scale.

📘 Download the STR Growth Curve e-book: https://www.hostplanet.club/str-growth-curve

🏠 Try Hospitable – Get 25% off for your first 3 months: https://hospitable.com/partners/hostplanet

In this episode:

1:26 When it stopped being fun and started feeling like a full-time job
4:53 How to make it fun again: Hire cleaners
7:32 Finding and training cleaners is essential
9:13 The first piece of STR software to pay for (and what to avoid)
13:30 The processes and average week at this stage
16:22 Hospitable
18:29 Problems don't faze at this stage
20:04 You need back-up cleaners
20:34 How to communicate with your guests (automation is essential)
21:44 The signal you're overwhelmed with hosting
23:59 A habit or system that pays back enormously at this stage
26:43 The signal you're ready to scale (or stay where you are)

Follow the Host Planet Podcast to catch the entire STR Growth Curve series. Sign up for the Host Planet Newsletter, read by hosts and property managers in 100+ countries: https://www.hostplanet.club/

Joyhill Property Management: www.joyhill.ca

Grab a copy of Mark and Kirsten's book on mid-term rentals: www.markandkirsten.ca

Follow Joyhill Property Management on Instagram: @joyhill.property

Mark's podcast: www.twostewards.ca

Travellers are now booking stays directly from ChatGPT – but is your business getting cited?

In this episode of the Host Planet Podcast – powered by Lodgify – we’re joined by Jason Cincotta from Kismet to break down how AI search really works for short-term rentals, and how you can get found, cited, and booked.

If you want to build a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable property management business, this is your playbook for AI search optimisation, vacation rental marketing, and winning more direct bookings.

You’ll learn where LLMs get their answers from, why AI-delivered traffic is so hard to track, whether your traditional SEO still matters, where you need to show up online to get cited, the technical checklist to be AI-readable, and how to take a booking directly from AI. 

Jason also shares where AI search is heading next and why this could be the biggest direct booking opportunity in years.

Timestamps:

1:03 Use code HOSTPLANET20 for 20% off Lodgify: https://www.lodgify.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet
1:47 How travellers are using AI to book stays
4:17 AI-delivered traffic is hard to identify
7:11 Where do LLMs get their answers from?
9:41 How to get found and cited by ChatGPT and other LLMs
11:56 Does traditional SEO progress count for anything now?
15:06 Where you need to show up online
18:19 The technical aspect of getting found by AI
25:03 How to take a booking directly from AI
28:58 Is this the biggest direct booking opportunity in years?
31:44 Where is AI search going?
33:54 Kismet and where you can find out more

Jason Cincotta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncincotta/

Kismet: www.makekismet.com

Series powered by Lodgify – get 20% off with code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.lodgify.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet

Subscribe to Host Planet for more on  vacation rental management, hospitality marketing,  and AI-powered hosting.

#HostPlanet #VacationRentalMarketing #DirectBookings

Agentic AI is becoming the Chief Action Officer for short-term rental hosts. Here's how to use it to save time, make money, and scale.

In this episode of AI-Powered Hosting – from Host Planet and BOOM – we talk to Sab Mulligan about agentic AI for short-term rental hosts and property managers, and what it takes to build smarter, more successful, and more sustainable businesses with AI.

Sab shares how a 650-unit operation in Malta uses AI as a senior member of the team, how AI helped a guest propose to his girlfriend, and why the future is so much more than just responding to guests quickly. We dig into how to embed your brand tone in an AI agent, the difference between prompts and playbooks when training AI, how Zzzing works with BOOM, and why Sab is making the case for no more dashboards.

Plus: why tech should be making money or saving money, what hospitality architects will do by 2027, and where Zoe is heading next.

In this episode:

- Agentic AI as Chief Action Officer
- Using AI across 650 units in Malta
- Embedding brand tone in your AI agent
- Prompts vs playbooks
- No more dashboards
- Tech ROI for hosts and managers

Timestamps:

1:04 Agentic AI as a Chief Action Officer
2:22 650 units in Malta – having AI as a senior member of the team
3:56 AI helped a guest propose to his girlfriend
5:10 How to embed your brand tone in an AI agent
8:21 Much more than responding to guests quickly
10:41 BOOM:
11:32 How Zzzing works with BOOM
13:21 The difference between prompts and playbooks when training AI
17:59 Making the case for no more dashboards
22:16 Tech should be making money or saving money
26:12 Expect hospitality architects by 2027
28:17 Connect with Sab – and where Zoe is heading in 2027

🔗 Explore BOOM: https://www.boomnow.com/?utm_source=HostPlanet&utm_medium=Sponsor&utm_campaign=2026

📬 Connect with Sab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahar-goldboim-80820b95/

AI-Powered Hosting is a six-part series from Host Planet and BOOM exploring how 
artificial intelligence is transforming the short-term rental industry – from 
automation to full agentic execution. Quote 'Host Planet' to get 50% off PMS onboarding with Boom: https://www.boomnow.com/?utm_source=HostPlanet&utm_medium=Sponsor&utm_campaign=2026

#AgenticAI #ShortTermRentals #VacationRentals

Welcome to Episode 2 of the STR Growth Curve, a 12-part series from the Host Planet Podcast and Hospitable mapping the 12 stages of growth in short-term rentals – from setting up your first rental all the way through to selling your property management business.

Our goal: help you build a smarter, more successful, and more sustainable hosting business.

Stage 2 is all about optimising your first listing so it actually gets booked. Sandy Lee shares the difference between listings that get booked and those that don't, why you need to treat hosting like a business from day one, why professional photos are everything, the most common mistake hosts make with guest messaging, how to earn strong reviews and turn a four-star review into a five-star review, and how to handle your first bad review. 

Plus what you should and should not automate from day one, including how AI and automation with Hospitable helps Sandy save time, use data to make better decisions, and get ready for property number two.

📘 Download the STR Growth Curve e-book: https://www.hostplanet.club/str-growth-curve

🏠 Try Hospitable – Get 25% off for your first 3 months: https://hospitable.com/partners/hostplanet

In this episode:

1:15 The difference between listings that get booked and those that don’t
2:54 Treat it like a business – get organised
4:05 Professional photos are everything
5:42 It’s changing every day?
7:38 The most common mistake hosts make with guest messaging
8:58 Why Sandy responds to messages personally
9:27 How to earn a strong review
11:19 Automation vs manual – Sandy loves the data from Hospitable
13:51 Check out Hospitable
16:20 What you should and should not automate from day one
17:45 How to turn a four-star review into a five-star review
19:26 What new hosts over- and under-estimate at this stage
21:04 How to handle your first bad review
22:52 The signal you’re ready to take on your next property
23:41 Educate yourself before you start hosting

Follow the Host Planet Podcast to catch the entire STR Growth Curve series. Sign up for the Host Planet Newsletter, read by hosts and property managers in 100+ countries: https://www.hostplanet.club/

Distilled Destinations: www.mydistilleddestinations.com

STR JumpStart: www.strjumpstart.com

Follow Sandy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strjumpstart