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

Welcome to Built to Book, the podcast series from Host Planet and Smoobu, where we dig into the operational side of short-term rentals.

Is AI the answer to every problem in your hosting business? Jannik Abraham, Managing Director of Smoobu, joins us to cut through the hype and explain how hosts and property managers can use AI properly, starting with strong foundations.

We cover why AI won't save a business that's already struggling, the signs you're losing control of your operations, what AI actually is (and isn't), where to start, how to keep human guardrails in place, why your AI agents need performance reviews, how to decide whether an AI tool is worth using, and why the best operators are both high-tech and high-touch.

SPECIAL OFFER: Get 20% off Smoobu with the code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.smoobu.com/en/hostplanet/?utm_source=hostplanet&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=podcast_5

Timestamps:

1:38 AI won't save your business!
3:03 You need strong foundations
4:05 How to know if you're losing control
6:38 Most people do not understand what AI is
9:17 Get 20% off Smoobu with the code HOSTPLANET20
10:12 Where to start with AI
11:43 How to use AI while having human guardrails
14:29 Performance reviews for AI agents
16:10 How to decide whether an AI tool is worth using
20:18 High-tech and high-touch
21:59 You're not behind, you're being marketed to
24:27 Reach Jannik and Smoobu

Smoobu: https://www.smoobu.com/en/hostplanet/?utm_source=hostplanet&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=podcast_5

Jannik Abraham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannik-abraham/

About Built to Book from Host Planet and Smoobu: practical conversations to help hosts build smarter, more successful, and more sustainable businesses.

From 20 November, Airbnb is changing what hosts can ask of their guests. Rental agreements, ID copies, guest contact details, gated Wi-Fi, and guidebooks are all affected.

In this Build for Growth episode, Host Planet sits down with Margot Schmorak, CEO and Co-Founder of Hostfully, to answer the big question: after 20 November, who owns the guest – you, or Airbnb?

Margot explains how property managers in the Hostfully community are reacting, why Airbnb is making these changes (and how AI and LLMs play into it), and whether Airbnb could row back. You'll learn the change that should really be keeping property managers up at night, how to protect yourself, how to handle the new rules across different booking channels, how to market your rental from here, and the three things to do this week to get ready.

⏱️ Timestamps

2:04 Free PMS onboarding + 30% off digital guidebooks for life with Hostfully
3:00 Who owns the guest from 20 November: you or Airbnb?
5:24 The reaction of the Hostfully community
9:00 Airbnb wants to protect its revenue, and it knows the LLMs are coming
11:42 Could Airbnb row back a bit on these changes?
12:31 Why haven't direct bookings taken off?
15:15 The change that will keep property managers up at night
16:57 How should managers protect themselves?
20:31 Gated Wi-Fi and guidebooks are out
22:45 Review your Airbnb listings today (use AI to do it fast)
23:53 How to handle the rule changes across different channels (start with a PMS)
26:39 How to market your rental now
29:17 Three things to do this week to get ready for Airbnb's rule changes
30:09 Get in touch with Margot

🔗 Connect & Resources

🎁 Hostfully is offering Build for Growth listeners FREE PMS onboarding + 30% off digital guidebooks for life. Find out more: https://www.hostfully.com/host_planet

📧 Email Margot: margot@hostfully.com

#AirbnbRules #BuildForGrowth #Hostfully #AirbnbHost #VacationRental

Who's booking UK holiday lets, when are they booking, and how long do they stay? In this episode of Holiday Let Insider, Owen Burt, SEO Manager at Sykes Holiday Cottages, shares the 2026 booking trends every holiday let owner needs to know, and how to use them to get more bookings this winter and into 2027.

Owen explains why couples are now driving more demand than families, what families still want from a holiday let, and why seven nights remains the most popular stay length, for now. He also covers the shift to last-minute bookings, why some guests have already booked for next summer, and why large groups plan further ahead than anyone else.

In this episode:

- The 2026 trend every host needs to pay attention to
- Why seven-night stays could be about to change
- How couples are driving more demand than families
- What families look for when booking a holiday let
- Last-minute demand versus early booking, and how to plan for both
- Why large groups book further ahead than any other guests
- Practical steps for a strong winter and a strong start to 2027

TIMESTAMPS

0:30 Let your property with Sykes Holiday Cottages: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/letyourcottage/
1:15 The 2026 trend every host needs to pay attention to
5:28 Seven nights is still the most popular stay (but that could change soon)
9:01 How to attract more bookings considering 2026 trends
12:22 Couples are driving more demand than families
16:28 What families want from a holiday let
22:31 Demand is last-minute, but some people have already booked for next summer
26:24 Large groups plan ahead more than any other demographic
29:35 Advice for owners who want a strong winter and strong start to 2027

LINKS

Rachel's winter episode: https://youtu.be/OmDB92yORS4

Sykes Pulse Report: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/letyourcottage/advice/article/holiday-letting-pulse-report

Let your property with Sykes: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/letyourcottage/

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: holiday let trends, UK holiday lets, booking trends 2026, holiday let marketing, short-term rentals, holiday let owner tips

At some point, working harder stops working. Jason Baxter, Founder of Marketics and former leader of a large property management operation, shares the systems, team structure, and KPIs that take you from heroics to a business that runs without you solving every problem.

Welcome to Episode 7 of the STR Growth Curve, a 12-part series from Host Planet 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 7 is all about moving from heroics to systems. Jason explains how turnovers tipped him over the edge, the system that had the biggest impact, a framework for guest interactions that go sideways, why owners leave and why they stay, and why rejecting the wrong properties matters. He also breaks down how to keep standards consistent across many markets, the process that no longer needs human input, how to give your standard operating procedures a framework, and how to structure your team at 50+ rentals.

Plus: the process Jason rolled out at scale then had to pull back, the operational KPI to track (review ratio) and how to get the most reviews possible, the hardest thing for him to let go of, and what to set up and avoid if you're starting today.

📘 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

1:44 The transition to systems from heroics
3:21 Turnovers tipped Jason over the edge
4:21 The system that had the biggest impact
4:57 A framework for the guest interactions which go sideways
6:54 Why owners leave and why they stay
8:09 The importance of rejecting the wrong properties
9:18 How to keep standards consistent across many markets
10:53 A process which doesn't need human input anymore
13:35 Standard operating procedures – give it a framework
15:11 Get 25% off Hospitable for the first three months
16:08 How Hospitable has helped Jason grow his business
17:38 A process Jason implemented at scale that he had to pull back
19:26 How to structure your team at 50+ rentals
23:25 The operational KPI to track: review ratio
25:43 The way to get the most reviews possible
27:52 The hardest thing for Jason to let go: solving problems
29:27 What to set up and what to avoid if starting today

Jason Baxter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbaxter1/

Marketics: https://marketics.io/

#AirbnbHost #ShortTermRental #PropertyManagement #Hospitable #HostPlanet

Own a holiday let? You could be sitting on thousands of pounds in unclaimed tax relief, and the clock is ticking.

In this episode of the Host Planet Podcast, James Varley is joined by Matt Jeffery from Zeal Tax to explain capital allowances: what they are, what qualifies, and why a large share of holiday let owners have never claimed them.

Matt walks through how Zeal Tax put together a claim for one of James's own holiday lets, whether it matters when you bought your property, how a claim might affect capital gains tax if you sell, how long the process takes, and what it costs. Plus the questions Matt gets asked most, including "surely my accountant has already claimed this?"

The deadline to claim is 31 January 2027, so don't leave it too late.

SPECIAL OFFER: Mention Host Planet to get 10% off with Zeal Tax.

⏱️ Timestamps

1:40 Get 20% off Lodgify with the code HOSTPLANET20
2:22 What capital allowances are and why you need to pay attention
3:32 What qualifies for capital allowances
5:30 How this can reduce your tax bill for years
6:34 "Surely my accountant has claimed this?"
8:25 How Zeal Tax claimed capital allowances for one of James's holiday lets
14:27 Does it matter when you bought the property?
15:32 How might this affect capital gains tax if you sell?
17:10 The deadline to claim is 31 January 2027
20:31 How long it takes to put a claim together
22:05 What it costs to claim capital allowances
23:53 The questions Matt gets asked most
27:01 Why so many holiday let owners haven't claimed
28:42 Deadline reminders
29:49 Get in touch with Matt and Zeal Tax

🔗 Connect & Resources

📧 Email Zeal Tax: hello@gozeal.co.uk
📞 Call Zeal Tax: 01633 287898
🎁 Mention Host Planet to get 10% off

🎟️ Meet the Zeal Tax team at the Host Planet Roadshow: https://www.hostplanet.club/host-planet-roadshow

🏠 Get 20% off Lodgify with the code HOSTPLANET20: https://www.lodgify.com/hostplanet/?utm_source=landing-page&utm_medium=creator-collab&utm_campaign=host-planet

The Host Planet Podcast is powered by Lodgify.

This episode is for general information only and isn't tax advice. Speak to a qualified adviser about your own situation.

#HolidayLets #CapitalAllowances #PropertyTax