January 2023
January 2023 opened with a rule and closed with layoffs. Philadelphia's license rules for short-term rentals took effect on New Year's Day, while a rental lobbying group said the zoning board could not hear applicants in time. Vacasa, which called itself the largest vacation rental management platform in North America, said it was cutting approximately 1,300 positions, and Inspirato announced a 12% layoff the same week. Vrbo applied party-prevention scoring to all its US bookings, and AirDNA's count for 2022 showed revenue up 25.1 per cent with lower occupancy.
A look back, written in October 2026 from sources published in January 2023. Stay Gazette opened in July 2026.
Crackdown · 1 January 2023Philadelphia's License Rules for Short-Term Rentals Take Effect After Two DelaysFrom 1 January 2023 the booking platforms had to hold a valid city license number for every Philadelphia listing. Three days earlier The Philadelphia Inquirer had reported that 247 people had received a limited lodging operator license and 164 a hotel permit, and a rental lobbying group said the zoning board could not see applicants until February or later.By Marcus Dane · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
The Money · 24 January 2023Vacasa Cuts About 1,300 Jobs in Its Second Round of Layoffs in Three MonthsIn January 2023 Vacasa, which described itself as the largest vacation rental management platform in North America, said it was eliminating approximately 1,300 positions, approximately 17% of its workforce, in local operations and central teams alike. The company said the cuts were shaped to keep up service to owners and guests.By Dana Whitfield · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
Pictures on this page. 1. Photo: Row homes on Christian Street by Nolabob, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). 2. Photo: Portland, Oregon, US - August 2025 - 361 by Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).
What else was reported in January 2023
- 30 January 2023Vrbo said new party-prevention technology was being applied automatically to every Vrbo booking in the United States after a 12-month pilot in the Phoenix area: each booking got a risk score, and the host of a high-risk booking got an email and could cancel free of penalty. The pilot was estimated to have prevented over 500 unauthorized event bookings. Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine
- 31 January 2023AirDNA reported that US short-term rentals earned over $62 billion in 2022, a 25.1 per cent increase, while occupancy for the year ended at 58.7 per cent, down from 61.3 per cent in 2021, and average monthly available listings finished 22 per cent higher than in 2021. Short Term Rentalz
- 26 January 2023Inspirato, the luxury travel subscription company, said it was laying off 12 per cent of its staff with immediate effect, leaving a headcount of 800. Chief executive Brent Handler said he believed the cut would help it reach its goal of adjusted EBITDA breakeven in 2023. Short Term Rentalz
- 23 January 2023Japan's government was considering dropping the rule that staff of companies managing minpaku rentals must have worked in real estate for at least two years or hold an agent's qualification, with the ministry ordinance to be revised no earlier than the summer of 2023. Short Term Rentalz
- 3 January 2023Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was considering stricter regulation of Airbnb and other home-sharing sites, Short Term Rentalz reported, two months after the city partnered with Airbnb and UNESCO to attract remote workers. It cited AirDNA's figure of some 19,000 rental properties listed in the capital. Short Term Rentalz