OTAs Spend $20B on Marketing, DC Loosens STR Rules & a $390K/Year Cabin Playbook: Your Weekly STR Update

Welcome back to the newsletter that helps you make more money and get closer to financial freedom.

As always, we've got STR news, hot profitable deals, proven strategies, and expert insights.

Let's dive in!

Read Time: 5 mins

By The Numbers
Data...and what you should do about it.

$20 Billion.

That's how much the largest OTAs—Airbnb, Booking Holdings, Expedia, and Trip.com—spent on marketing last year.

That number has been steadily growing from $16.8 billion in 2023, and it ate a big chunk of their total revenue:

▪️ Airbnb: 21%

▪️ Trip.com: 24%

▪️ Booking Holdings: 30%

▪️ Expedia: An unbelievable 50% of their total revenue

And marketing duty doesn't only fall on OTAs.

Hosts need to catch up to turn listings into real, sustainable businesses and brands.

Ready to step up your STR marketing game?

👉 Read our Direct Booking Guide to learn how to drive traffic with funnel marketing.

Host Headlines
The latest stories and takes in the world of short-term rentals

DC's New STR Bill: The Message Matters More Than the Rules.

Washington, D.C., has some of the strictest STR rules in the country.

But a new bill could crack the door open—just a crack—for renters and second-home owners to host during major events.

What's changing:

▪️ "Special events" permits would temporarily lift the 90-night cap during high-demand windows (World Cup, inaugurations, July 4th)

▪️ Renters could host with written landlord permission

▪️ Second-home owners could qualify for licenses during event periods

This isn't about STR rules.

It's about cities recognizing that STRs are crucial for events and tourism. Hotels alone can't handle surge crowds.

And locals—not just hotel owners—should benefit when the world comes to town.

Montreal and LA stand to lose millions from STR bans during big events. DC is trying a different strategy.

The bill isn't law yet, and events-only hosting permits are nothing to celebrate.

But it’s a step in the right direction, and DC could lead the way for other cities.

Read the full story here →

Montreal's STR Ban Fumbled the Grand Prix. Now It's a $19M Problem.

Last year, Montreal introduced one of the strictest seasonal STR bans in North America.

The Rules:

❌ Rentals under 32 days only permitted June 10–September 10

❌ Only primary residences qualify

❌ Hosts need provincial registration + a $300 permit

It hit hosts and local businesses hard.

But hey—at least Montreal's biggest event, the Canadian Grand Prix, was safe, right?

It always happens in June.

In 2026, the Grand Prix was moved to May.

Montreal now stands to lose over $19 million in visitor spending during the Grand Prix and an upcoming cycling championship combined.

That's lost revenue for restaurants, shops, and bars that depend on event tourism.

Is the loss worth it for something that may not help solve the housing crisis?  

Read the full story here→

The Coachella Gold Rush Is Coming. Hosts Are Cashing In… Right??

The "event-cation" is officially mainstream.

Airbnb's latest data shows 65% of top-searched travel dates now align with major events—Olympics, World Cup, Carnival, and yes, Coachella.

The Numbers:

▪️ Top properties hit $1,000+ per night during Coachella—up from $580 in 2018

▪️ Searches for Indio, Cathedral City, and La Quinta Airbnbs jumped 80%+ year-over-year

But there's a catch:

Listing supply grew 18% year-over-year. Demand grew only 3%. Yikes.

Competition is fierce. Mediocre listings won't survive.

👉 Read our Coachella hosting guide for more—it's packed with data, warnings, guest psychology, and hacks to turn festival buzz into year-round bookings.

Deal of the Week
Lake of the Ozarks, MO | 4BR Lakefront Compound w/ Private Dock

720 Oak Point Dr, Gravois Mills, MO 65037 is a 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom lakefront home on 2.16 acres with mile-wide views, sunset exposure, and a private dock featuring a slide, high dive, and swim platform.

The Property

▪️ Purchase Price: $910,000

▪️ Bed/Bath: 4BD / 3BA

▪️ Square Footage: 2,754 sq ft

▪️ Land: 2.16 acres

▪️ Extras: Private dock, 30×40 insulated shop (HVAC, bathroom, loft), large Fiberon deck, firepit area

The Strategy

Operate as a premium lakefront group retreat.

The main home handles rentals. The climate-controlled shop becomes a recreation barn—games, TV lounge, extra hangout space.

Not just another lake house, a lake compound.

The Numbers

Estimated Performance (Post-Upgrade)

▪️ ADR: ~$650 blended

▪️ Occupancy: ~57%

▪️ Estimated Gross Revenue: ~$135,000

▪️ Expense Ratio: 38% (~$51,300)

▪️ NOI: ~$83,700

▪️ Startup / CapEx (~$75,000) (design, barn conversion, outdoor furniture, photography, etc)

▪️ Total Cash Invested: ~$284,300 (20% down, closing costs, capex)

The Returns

▪️ Annual Debt Service: ~$57,000 (6.75%, 30-year)

▪️ Estimated Cash Flow: ~$26,700

▪️ Cash‑on‑Cash Return: ~9.4%

Why Our Coaches Love This Deal

✔️ Mile-wide lake views + sunset exposure = premium positioning from day one

✔️ Private dock with slide and high dive creates instant guest appeal

✔️ Recreation barn concept transforms a standard rental into a compound-style experience

✔️ Camden County is STR-friendly

At $135K gross, you're looking at 9.4% CoC and a clean 1.47 DSCR—solid numbers for a lakefront asset with serious wow factor.

View the full listing on Zillow→

Community Soundbites
Real talk (and rants) from STR hosts in the Host Camp Community

Join the discussion and get insights from other STR hosts and coaches inside our FREE STR Community.

Peek the Playbook
Real host strategies you can steal (tested in the wild)

He Quit Corporate for STRs. Now His Two Cabins Print $390K/Year.

Caleb was a VP at Deloitte. Good salary. Respectable title.

Those golden handcuffs were slowly wrecking him.

Health issues. Burnout. Meanwhile, his wife (a realtor) was doubling his income.

So he quit and turned to STRs.

Three years later? He's running two premium STRs pulling in $390K/year —with less stress, better health, and freedom to build wealth on his terms.

The Results

▪️ Campfire Lodge (4BD hexagon): $110K revenue | $548 ADR | 55% occ

▪️ Campfire Hideaway (6BD): $230K revenue | $1,050 ADR | 60% occ

▪️ Combined: ~$340K (on track for $390K)

His real goal: $200K profit with a co-host managing properties so he has freedom to spend time with family and retire his wife.

Strategies to Steal from Caleb's Playbook

✔️ He built for his life, not for bragging rights.

Sustainable scaling > fast scaling.

✔️ He hunted for what his market was missing.

Low-supply niches = pricing power.

✔️ He stacked amenities that move the needle.

When your place reads like a resort brochure, you become the obvious choice.

✔️ He underwrote for the worst case scenario.

And it saved him, twice.

✔️ He planted himself next to year-round demand.

Skiing, water parks, golf, hiking. Guests have a reason to visit every single month.

👉 Read the full playbook for his genius ChatGPT pricing hack, and more strategies for building top-performing luxury listings.

Airbnbs we ♥️
Our favorite listings that stop the scroll + raise the bar!

Loro's Lookout Luxury Lakefront Retreat, Big Bear Lake

Skiing season is not over yet. This luxury Big Bear lakefront A‑frame belongs on your winter wishlist.

Minutes from Snow Summit and Bear Mountain Resort, it's the perfect spot for skiing, sledding, or snowboarding.

But the luxurious interiors, next-level entertainment amenities, and panoramic lake and mountain views might make it too tempting to skip the slopes and stay indoors.

This home sets the standard for winter luxury.

Check it out here at give it a ♥️→

Got a Few More Minutes? Dive Deeper.

The 5 Tests I Run to Spot a Failing Airbnb

Kai breaks down 5 red flags your Airbnb is failing before the numbers even show it—occupancy issues, poor pricing strategy, risky deal structures.

These warning signs could save you thousands.

▶️ WATCH THE VIDEO

He turned JUNK boats into a $7M tiny home empire

Rob shares the story of 29-year-old Joe Lisa, who bought a dilapidated marina and turned pontoon boats from Facebook Marketplace into floating tiny homes.

Now, the SōLSTAY tiny home village is projecting over $1 million in revenue in 2026 and could be worth over $7 million.

▶️ WATCH THE VIDEO

That's it from us this week!

Have a great weekend.

Cheers,

The Host Camp Team

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