SAN FRANCISCO, 11 DECEMBER 2025 – New research from property management software Hospitable reveals the scale of operational strain facing the short-term rental (STR) sector, with over a third (34.3%) of hosts and property managers reporting lost bookings or negative reviews this year because of staffing issues.
The findings, which are drawn from an upcoming report by Hospitable1, show that labor reliability remains a persistent challenge for STR operators. More than 14% of hosts and managers said staff shortages and unreliable contractors were among the biggest external pressures affecting their business in 2025.
Cleaning remains a major pain point. Just under 40% say it is difficult to find dependable local cleaning staff, a problem that directly impacts turnover times, guest satisfaction, and overall occupancy.
The pressure is even more pronounced among property managers overseeing larger portfolios where day-to-day performance depends on multiple external vendors. In this group, 35.5% say that recruiting or retaining reliable staff is one of their biggest ongoing challenges. Looking ahead to 2026, 27.3% list reducing operational costs and easing staffing pressures among their top goals.
These challenges point to an industry-wide need for more reliable and consistent property care. In September, Hospitable introduced its Cleaner Marketplace, providing access to more than 150,000 vetted cleaners directly in the platform, as a step towards helping operators source dependable staff and bring greater consistency to property care.
Pierre-Camille Hamana, CEO and Founder of Hospitable, said: “Staffing reliability continues to have a direct impact on bookings, guest experience, and the day-to-day reality of running a short-term rental business. If you can’t depend on the people who support your operations, it becomes difficult to run a stable business. This research shows how persistent that challenge still is for hosts and managers, and how much of their time is spent dealing with issues that should be predictable and consistent.”
Launched in 2016 as a time-saving PMS, Hospitable has evolved into a short-term rental super app that goes beyond traditional property management, automating guest messaging with AI, optimizing nightly rates, managing rental agreements and security deposits, coordinating teams, and powering direct booking websites with built-in payments and property protection.
For more information, visit www.hospitable.com.
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Notes to editors:
1The data referenced in this release is from Hospitable’s upcoming 2026 STR Industry report. The survey was conducted in November and includes responses from 554 short-term rental hosts and property managers operating across various regions and property types.
Press Contact
Amy Deverson, PR Account Director
About Hospitable
Hospitable is the short-term rental industry’s premier super app, empowering hosts and property managers to streamline operations, grow their businesses, and reclaim valuable time. Initially launched in 2016 as a time-saving PMS, Hospitable has evolved into a powerful toolkit that goes beyond traditional property management. The platform enables hosts at every scale to automate guest messaging with AI, optimize nightly rates, simplify rental agreements and deposits, coordinate teams, and confidently launch direct booking websites with built-in payments and property protection. Hospitable supports tens of thousands of hosts worldwide, having automated nearly 25 million messages and processed $4.6 billion in reservation income in 2024. For more information, visit www.hospitable.com.
