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.
About our surveyed audience
Every respondent is a member of The Guestbook's traveler community — people already booking hotels through us and earning cash rewards. 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
Travelers want to book direct, they just need a reason to trust it.
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.
Q: Would you ever book a vacation rental directly with the host?
86%
Interested in booking STRs direct
14%
Prefer to book with Airbnb or VRBO
The vast majority of the travelers we surveyed have either already booked a rental directly with a host or are open to it, and only a small fraction rule it out entirely. The demand is real, and it's sitting right here in our community.
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.
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 reward incentives came fifth.
70%
Want a clear cancellation policy
63%
Want a secure payment processor
60%
Want verified guest reviews
43%
Want to see the listing on an OTA as well
33%
Want a cash reward incentive
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.
Offering a cash reward incentive gets travelers to switch behavior.
Trust gets travelers to the door. Cash rewards get 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 vaction rental?
29.9%
Likely
22.4%
Definitely
37.5%
Maybe
8%
Unlikely
2.3%
No
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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
The pattern is impossible to miss. Travelers aren't asking for a cheaper rate or a longer listing, they're asking for someone to vouch for the property, protect their payment, and have their back if something goes sideways.
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.
