CHICAGO, IL, 1 October 2026 — PriceLabs has released its second annual Global Host Report, a survey of more than 1,200 short-term rental hosts across 72 countries, revealing a rapid shift in how hosts are using AI to run their businesses.
A year ago, PriceLabs found hosts split on AI: 43% called it overwhelming, and only 14% said they were embracing it. Today, 58% of hosts actively use AI tools to run their listings, a fourfold increase in just 12 months. Hosts are using AI to draft guest messages, write listing descriptions, and analyze market data, while the share who find AI and technology overwhelming has fallen from 43% to 26%.
AI adoption is also highest among hosts looking to grow. Almost half (45%) of AI users plan to add properties over the next 12 months, compared with 32% of hosts overall.
Regulation is the one worry moving the wrong way
While hosts appear to be getting a better handle on many of the day-to-day challenges of running a short-term rental, concern about regulation is moving in the opposite direction.
Worries about poor reviews, finding cleaners, and not earning enough all fell by between five and 15 percentage points year on year. Regulation was the only measured concern to increase, with 53% of hosts now worried that short-term rental rules will hurt their revenue, up from 48% in 2025.
| Worry | Percentage in 2025 | Percentage in 2026 |
| Poor reviews | 71% | 56% |
| Finding cleaners | 49% | 38% |
| Not earning enough | 55% | 50% |
| Regulations | 48% | 53% |
Hosts still rely on the platforms they don’t fully trust
A near-universal 97% of hosts list on Airbnb, which holds the highest satisfaction score of any platform for a second year running, at 4.1 out of 5. At the same time, nearly three-quarters (73%) of hosts believe booking platforms prioritize guests over hosts.
That tension is feeding interest in channels hosts control themselves. A direct booking website remains hosts’ top investment priority, named by 33%, ahead of smart home technology (23%) and market data (21%). 89% also plan to invest the same or more in their own booking site next year.
Pride holds steady, but optimism cools
69% of hosts describe themselves as proud of what they’ve built, unchanged from 2025, and 86% choose at least one positive word (proud, inspired or excited) to describe hosting. Expectations for the year ahead are more cautious: 41% expect this year to be better than last, down from 51% a year ago, while the share expecting a worse year rose from 12% to 19%.
Latin America’s hosts face the sharpest divide
The report also reveals a stark regional difference in hosts’ ability to fill their calendars. 70% of hosts in Latin America struggle to fill empty nights between bookings, compared with 43% in North America and 30% in Europe. Despite that challenge, Latin American hosts have the strongest expansion plans of any region surveyed. 60% plan to add properties over the next 12 months, compared with 37% in Europe and 34% in North America.
Richie Khandelwal, Co-Founder of PriceLabs, said: “A year ago hosts told us AI was overwhelming. Now more than half use it to run their properties, especially the most ambitious hosts. Admin and guest communication still take up most of a host’s week, but now they have far more help getting through it.
“As we head toward 2027, the list of tasks that AI can take off a host’s plate will only get longer, and the hosts experimenting and comfortable with it now will be ahead.”
Read the full Global Host Report 2026 here.
About PriceLabs
PriceLabs is a revenue management platform designed for all short- and mid-term accommodation, from vacation rentals to hotels, campgrounds, aparthotels and serviced apartments. Since 2014, PriceLabs has helped property managers optimize their pricing strategies using AI-driven automation, market data insights, and flexible customization. PriceLabs currently prices over 700,000 listings globally. Learn more at pricelabs.co.
