Airbnb, Vrbo and the business of short-term rentals, reported daily

Features

The long read

Reported features on the people, companies and markets of the short-term-rental business. Each one carries its photographs, its figures and its sources.

An aerial view of a single-storey white house with pale blue metal roofs, a lawn with young palms in front and the open sea with lines of breaking waves directly behind it.

Case study · MarketsA St. Croix Brokerage Runs Home Sales and Villa Management From One OfficeSterling Point Real Estate sells houses and, as SP Vacations, manages 13 rental homes from one office in Christiansted. The pairing suits a small island. The licence register, the tax form and the ferry timetable show why it is harder to carry to a second one.By Dana Whitfield · 11 October 2026 · 20 min read

An empty indoor pickleball court seen down its centre line: an orange playing surface with white lines on a grey floor, a net across the middle, black curtains along the walls and a steel-framed roof with lights.

Case study · DesignBuilding a Vacation Rental Around a Single AmenityA West Sedona rental put one pickleball court inside its own 66 by 36 foot building and took its name from the sport. The public record on noise, cost, Arizona law and a slowing game shows what that decision takes on.By Wren Calloway · 11 October 2026 · 19 min read

A living room with dark carved wooden benches with cushions, a large low wooden table with a striped vase, stone floor, white beamed ceiling, potted trees and a window open to the sea.

Case study · WorldHow a Rio Brokerage Sells and Lets the Same ApartmentsArt de Vivre lists homes for sale and lets them by the night under one agreement, and screens every guest before taking a payment. A court ruling of 7 May 2026 is pushing the rest of Brazil's short-let trade toward the same habits.By Tomás Ferreira · 11 October 2026 · 20 min read

A cream two-storey house front with five arched upper verandas and white balustrades, seen across a curved pool and blue-cushioned sun loungers on a stone deck in bright daylight.

Case study · PlatformsHow One St. Croix Villa Built Its Own Booking ChannelThe Cerulean, a twelve-guest house on St. Croix's East End, has a 135-page website of its own, pages written for AI assistants and a hand-off to its manager's checkout. What that takes in 2026, what it costs in tax and upkeep, and what nobody outside can yet measure.By Jesse Kohl · 11 October 2026 · 20 min read

Swimming pool and a square hot tub on a tan concrete deck lined with white loungers, backed by two-storey condominium buildings with patterned balcony railings, a barbecue shelter and tall palms.

Case study · Host LifeRunning Four Condos in Kīhei as Maui Rewrites Its Rental RulesMegan and Bryan have hosted in North Kīhei since 2012 and sell four condos through Airbnb's checkout. Around them, Maui County has passed a phase-out law and raised a property tax rate, the state has raised its lodging tax, and Airbnb is changing its fee.By Tammy Brooks · 11 October 2026 · 19 min read