2026 STR survey results
What 3,342 travelers told us about booking short term rentals
We surveyed 3,342 loyalty-minded travelers and here is what they told us about how they want to book short term rentals (STRs) and what it means for independent operators.
Travelers want to book direct, they just need a reason to trust it.
We surveyed 3,342 loyalty-minded travelers and here is what they told us about how they want to book short term rentals (STRs) and what it means for independent operators.
86%
of participants are interested in booking STRs direct
47%
of participants would search The Guestbook for STRs
About our surveyed audience.
Every respondent is a member of The Guestbook's traveler community — people already booking hotels through us and earning cash back. We asked them about their vacation rental habits in the past 12 months.
Two-thirds had booked an STR. One in seven had stayed 15+ nights in a vacation rental. These aren't tourists thinking about renting, they're active guests with strong opinions about how the category should work.
65%
Booked an STR in the past year
14.7%
Stayed 15+ STR nights in the past year
28.6%
Stayed 5-14 STR nights in the past year
21.5%
Stayed 1-4 STR nights in the past year
Our members want to book STRs direct.
When we asked travelers whether they'd ever booked a vacation rental directly with a host — not through Airbnb or VRBO — the answer was striking. Only 14% said they'd never consider it. The other 86% had either already done it (and largely had good experiences) or were open to trying.
This is the single most encouraging top-line number in the study. The market for direct booking isn't a future hypothesis, it's a present preference waiting on a trustworthy way to act on it.
Q: Would you ever book a vacation rental directly with the host?
The biggest barrier to direct bookings is trust.
If 86% are open to direct booking, why don't more travelers do it today? We asked. The answer is consistent across multiple questions in the survey: the barrier is trust, not price. Operators who can signal legitimacy are the ones who consistently win.
When we asked what concerns travelers about booking direct, five different forms of trust came up before any pricing or value question. The #1 concern, appearing in nearly two-thirds of responses, was simply "how do I know this property is legitimate?"
62%
Worry if the property is legitimate
50%
Worry about payment security
42%
Worry about unclear cancellation policies
40%
Worry about resolving disputes easily
33%
Worry about damage protection
15%
Have no trust concerns
Travelers aren't pushing back on direct booking because they don't see the value. They're pushing back because they can't tell which sites and properties to trust. That's a fixable problem that The Guestbook is built to solve.
"
With so much fraud out there these days, I would need to make sure it is a legitimate vacation rental in order to book direct. My biggest fear is paying for the stay and making travel plans only to get there and find out it was a fraud."
— Traveler · 5–14 STR nights last year
Making direct booking for STRs feel safe.
We asked the same question from the positive side: What would make you feel comfortable booking direct on a vacation rental's own website? The top three answers were all trust signals. Cash back came fifth.
62%
Worry if the property is legitimate
50%
Worry about payment security
42%
Worry about unclear cancellation policies
40%
Worry about resolving disputes easily
33%
Worry about damage protection
This is the most important finding in the report for operators. Trust signals are what make it feel safe to try. A better deal is what makes direct booking feel worth the effort. You need both, but the order matters.
5%
Say they already book STRs direct and feel safe
8%
Say they would never book an STR direct
Listing with The Guestbook gives your property four of the top five trust signals out of the box and more.
Trust signals
Booking direct
using The Guestbook
using The Guestbook
Booking direct
on an independent site
on an independent site
Vetted-properties standard
Cash Rewards incentive
Access to 4+ million active members
Placement along side 900+ independent hotels
You bring the property — we bring the trust framework that lets travelers say yes to direct.
Offering cash rewards gets travelers to switch behavior.
Trust gets travelers to the door. Cash rewards gets them through it. When we asked whether earning cash back would change where they would book their next vacation rental, more than half said yes.
Just as important: this audience already understands how cash back drives loyalty. A third of respondents said cash rewards are a primary driver of where they book hotels today. They're already trained on the behavior, direct STR booking is just the next surface for it.
Q: Would a cash reward incentive change where you would book your next action rental?
Will travelers actually use The Guestbook to book STRs direct?
We closed the survey by asking the most direct question we could: If The Guestbook offered vacation rentals alongside hotels with the same cash rewards model, would you use it to book your next STR stay?
Across the full audience, 47% said Definitely or Probably. Among travelers who actually rent STRs (1+ nights in the past year), that number jumps to 56–59%. Among travelers who already book direct and had a good experience, it's 59.5%.
The people most likely to book your property — active, repeat STR guests with direct-booking experience — convert on intent at almost 60%.
What our members had to say.
634 travelers (about 1 in 5 respondents) wrote us additional comments. The themes were remarkably consistent.
"
I would want the property to be verified through The Guestbook. I would hope that you could offer a level of guarantee to your customers.”
— Traveler · 5–14 STR nights last year
"
The main reason I wouldn't book directly is because I want a third party to add legitimacy but if The Guestbook is that third party, it would probably be great."
— Traveler · 5–14 STR nights last year
"
I want to make sure there are protections for renters. I've had issues when renting through Airbnb and VRBO where owners were able to cancel on me last minute and Airbnb and VRBO did minimal to help."
— Traveler · 5–14 STR nights last year
"
I have quit using Airbnb & VRBO is because of the ridiculous cleaning expectations, while charging a cleaning fee."
— Traveler · 5–14 STR nights last year
Tap into the audience you have been looking for.
If you operate independent vacation rentals or villas, this is the audience you've been told doesn't exist: high-intent travelers who want to book your property direct, who value loyalty rewards, and who only need a trustworthy place to do it.
Active in vacation rentals
Two-thirds booked one in the past year, and one in seven booked 15+ nights.
Open to direct booking
86% are willing to book outside the OTAs if the trust signals are right.
Not loyal to Airbnb or VRBO
Only 2.7% say nothing would move them off those platforms.
Already trained on cash rewards as a booking driver
52% say it would shift where they book their next STR.
Ready to use The Guestbook
56–59% of the active STR-renter segment said Definitely or Probably to using The Guestbook for their next stay.
If you operate independent vacation rentals or villas, this is the audience you've been told doesn't exist: high-intent travelers who want to book your property direct, who value loyalty rewards, and who only need a trustworthy place to do it.
That's the bet we're making, and it's the bet we're inviting you to make with us.
About the data
Survey fielded by The Guestbook from April 1 to May 5, 2026, to travelers in our loyalty community. 3,342 completed responses analyzed. Respondents were not compensated or incentivized. Question text and full distributions available on request.
This is a survey of The Guestbook's traveler community, not a probability sample of the broader vacation rental market. Findings describe the audience that operators get access to by listing with The Guestbook — they are not generalizable to all STR guests. We think that's the relevant audience for an operator considering a direct-booking partner, but we want you to know exactly what you're reading.