April 10, 2025 - The Daily Host Friday Newsletter #13

There's a $500 bonus hiding somewhere in this email...

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Plus a new free Airbnb automation tool, a 16% yield STR deal for builders, and a $10k backyard upgrade that doubled revenue.

Let's dive in.

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By The Numbers‍

Data...and what you should do about it.

‍$330

That is the average daily rate for Sedona, Arizona, with 3.3% year-over-year growth.

Sedona is a $1 billion tourism market with 3.2 million annual visitors. And t's got 1,700 active listings. Oversaturated? We think oversaturation is a bit of a myth.

Sedona is saturated with average, unimpressive stays. Hosts who give guests what they want—wellness features and incredible outdoor experiences—can build serious wealth here. And that's why it's our Market of the Month pick for April.

👉 Read our full Sedona Market Guide to learn why Sedona should be on your radar, guest booking patterns, market gaps to exploit, and our coach-approved playbook.

Not a fan of the desert climate? Use AirDNA to vet and find your own profitable markets. Get 10% off with our link and use our Market Research Guide to get started.

Host Headlines‍

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

Hospitable Just Dropped a FREE PMS. (We Double-Checked)

Announcing this on April Fools' Day may not have been the best idea, but this is 100% legit. Not a 7-day trial. Not a free plan designed to frustrate you into upgrading. An actually free, functional property management system to help you automate your Airbnb.

Hospitable launched Hospitable Essentials, a free plan that lets hosts distribute listings across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com without paying a monthly subscription. No commission or hidden fees. Forever.

What you get for zero dollars:

• Multi-channel distribution (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com)
• Unified inbox for all guest messages
• Automated messaging (check-in, checkout, review requests)
• Guest portal with check-in forms, rental agreements, and upsells

Hospitable CEO Pierre-Camille Hamana put it this way:

"You shouldn't have to commit before you even get your first booking. Start with the essentials. Run your business. Let automation handle the busywork. Scale into more when it actually drives revenue."

Paid features like direct booking websites and smart device integrations are still behind a paywall. But for new hosts, this is a game-changer.

👉 Read more about Hospitable's free plan here

Out of the Loop? Here Are All the STR Regulations Changes You Missed in Q1 2026

STR regulations changed constantly in the first three months of 2026. If you blinked (and haven't been reading this newsletter), you probably missed something important.

We just published our Q1 regulation roundup covering the biggest changes.

Here are the highlights:

• Maui's $900 million fight between hotels, hosts, and housing continues
• Arizona's decade long STR free for all comes to an end
• Washington D.C.'s new bill opens STRs to renters and second-home owners
• NYC, Amsterdam, and Barcelona are (finally) rethinking bans
• Ireland surprised everyone with a rollback of restrictions
• Multiple US cities tightened enforcement and permit requirements

There's a lot more in our full article. We also included a pre-purchase checklist to help you spot high-risk markets before you sign on the dotted line.

👉 Read the full Q1 regulation wrap-up here.

An OTA with 0% Commission and Direct Booking Links? It's Not A Fantasy.

Lake.com, a niche OTA focused on waterfront and nature stays, just gave hosts the freedom to opt out of commissions and choose a flat annual fee instead.

• Premium costs $499 per year. Includes one featured listing, verified profile badge, and direct booking links.
  
• Portfolio costs $3,999 per year. Includes up to 10 featured listings, verified badges, direct booking links, plus a guaranteed Spotlight article and marketing amplification.
  

If you typically pay 10% commission, the $499 fee pays for itself once you generate about $5,000 in annual bookings through your featured listing.

Lake.com is still small (100,000 monthly users, 40,000 properties), but it launched in 2021 and grew 654% year over year in 2025. It's secret weapon? The company reports 47% visibility in AI-generated vacation rental results in the US.

Is it an Airbnb killer? No, and it doesn't have to be. For waterfront cabin and lakehouse owners, this could be a serious diversification tool.

👉 Read more about Lake.com and their new subscription memberships here
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Deal of the Week‍

Danby, NY | 10–25 Acre Off‑Grid Development Play in the Finger Lakes

212 Hill Rd, Danby, NY, is a blank slate. 10 acres backing to Danby State Forest, a small premium log cabin, and off‑grid systems. The real value is the land, not the existing rental income.


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The Property

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  •  List Price: $250,000 (10 acres) or $500,000 (25 acres total)

  •  Existing Unit: 400 sq ft Finland Honka cabin

  •  Location: 15 minutes to Ithaca (Cornell, Ithaca College, Finger Lakes tourism)

  •  Utilities: Off‑grid (well, septic, no electric)

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The Strategy

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This is a development play. Build a micro‑resort or glamping cluster. Off‑grid works here, but only with strong design and premium amenities. Expect 6 to 12 months or more to permit, build, and stabilize.

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Revenue Reality

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  •  Base scenario: $20,000 – $25,000 per unit

  •  Strong execution: $30,000 – $35,000 per unit

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Investment Scenarios

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Scenario 1 (3–4 units on 10 acres)

  •  Build 2–3 additional units at $35,000 – $60,000 each

  •  Total investment ~$320,000 – $370,000

  •  Revenue $88,000 – $120,000
  •  Yield ~11–16% (upside ~20–22%)

Scenario 2 (8–10 units on 25 acres)

  •  Total investment ~$750,000 – $900,000

  •  Revenue $200,000 – $280,000+

  •  Base cash‑on‑cash ~8–15% (upside ~20–35%)

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Why Our Coaches Love This Deal

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  •  Land backing to protected forest – Real value, not speculation

  •  Proven demand drivers – Cornell, Ithaca College, Finger Lakes tourism

  •  Scalable – 25-acre option offers real upside for developers

The 25-acre option is high risk but scalable. This is a zoning plus execution bet, not a passive deal.

👉 View the full listing on Zillow

Peek the Playbook‍

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

$10k to $200k Backyard Upgrades. Do They Actually Pay Off?

Would you spend $200,000 on your Airbnb's backyard? For this week's playbook, we looked at five properties with backyard upgrade budgets from $10,000 to $200,000 to see if they actually paid off. (Hint: They absolutely did.)

$10k Backyard Upgrade (Houston)

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Transformed a gravel driveway into a mini entertainment area with hot tub, fire pit, string lights, and a small mural. Expected $40k revenue. It grossed $84k in year one, double the market average.

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$50k Backyard Upgrade (Clearwater)

This house had a pool and a massive, ugly concrete pad. Most buyers would have walked away. Funkit Interiors turned that grey slab into the most colorful, eye‑catching sports court you have ever seen. Then they added mini‑golf, a fire pit lounge, and a poolside movie theater.

In three weeks live, it booked $105k in future reservations.

$100k Backyard Upgrade (Austin)

The Funkit team revamped the pool area and added a hot tub, sauna, cold plunge, a bold mural, a poolside movie screen, and a half basketball court. Then the owner asked for something unforgettable: a pirate ship play area. Funkit built it.

The property is projecting $300k annual revenue with $100k net profit.

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$200k Backyard Upgrade (Bradenton, FL)

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A 4,600 square foot luxury estate sleeping 26 guests. No pool. That alone ate $80k–$100k of the budget. With what was left, Funkit built a batting cage, turf soccer field, life‑size chess, fire pit lounge, mini‑golf, a playground, and a toddler trike racetrack with trikes provided.

First month live? $202k in pre‑bookings. Guests are already asking about 2027.

You do not have to start at $200k. The $10k property proved that even a modest backyard upgrade can double your revenue.

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👉 Read the full backyard upgrade comparison for more details and pictures from each upgrade, plus backyard design tips from Funkit Interior's Blue Delgado.

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Ready to upgrade your own backyard?

👉 Book a call with Funkit Interiors using our link and get $500 OFF your next bold design project. (Don't wait, the $500 offer goes away soon.)

Airbnbs we ♥️ ‍

Our favorite listings that stop the scroll + raise the bar!

Dahlonega Darling: Royal Luxury & Extreme Fun Merge

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Host Camper Shweta's Dahlonega Darling is packed with Instagrammable moments guests will not be able to resist sharing. Aside from the luxurious and royal interior designs, it has all the right amenities inside and out: a geodesic dome for stargazing, cedar wood barrel sauna, pool, karaoke area, game room, glam up zone, and more. And every room is an aesthetic treat.

Check it out here and give it a ♥️→

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Got a Few More Minutes? Dive Deeper.

Why I'm Spending $200,000 on a Luxury Geodome‍

Rob gives a luxury dome tour and covers construction costs, risks, concerns, expected ROI, and what it takes to build one for your own glampsite or business.

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▶️ WATCH THE VIDEO

10 Ways to Make Money with Raw Land WITHOUT Building Anything

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Did you know you can monetize land and get serious tax deductions without actually building anything? Kai shares 10 ways to save on taxes and monetize raw land with zero construction.

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▶️ WATCH THE VIDEO

And with that, we're out. We hope this helps you build something great or scale up to something greater.

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Happy Friday,

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The Host Camp Team

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