Years ago, everyone said we would run our lives through our mobiles. And while we spend much of our lives on our phones, one question still stands.
Why do laptops and personal computers still exist? The answer goes beyond technology. To understand it, look at vacation rentals.
Planning a vacation trip often requires more than one opinion. You might choose a villa or a hotel. If you have kids, a pool becomes a necessity. Chances are, you also don’t want to travel for too long. You might start looking at options on your phone, but the final decision often happens on a computer.
You want a good, hard look at the pictures. As a family, you want to feel confident in your choice.
Choosing your next vacation brings a lot of details together. Most of the time, these are emotional decisions, not simple business trips.
Some might say AI should digest all the options and give the user the best result. In the end, humans still make the final choice.
The problem is that many operators today underestimate the power of personal choice. And that is exactly why distribution alone is no longer enough.
As AI compresses discovery, the companies closest to inventory, operations, and the last mile may end up controlling where value is created.
This week’s conversation highlights why implementing new technologies is vital, but why AI still cannot fully replace the emotional and collaborative nature of vacation decisions. After all, surprises show up when you are browsing around.
STR Global Unlocked Podcast | Episode 32
EPISODE WITH DR. PATRICK ANDRAE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF HOMETOGO
In today’s world, the vacation rental market is one of the most valuable segments out there. Yet many travel operators take the opportunities it offers for granted, especially now with AI’s rapid rise.
They assume emotion is something they will bypass, and that is where Dr. Patrick Andrae found a problem.
He saw that the vacation rental market was broken, fragmented, and unprofessional. Yet operators kept piling new technology on top of these flaws.
Dr. Patrick Andrae is the Co-Founder and CEO of HomeToGo, one of the world’s leading vacation rental marketplaces, aggregating millions of listings across platforms and property managers.
Since founding the company, he has expanded it into software, services, and property management, including the acquisition of Interhome, one of Europe’s largest rental operators. The combined group generated nearly $400 million in revenue last year, with more than 60% coming from its B2B segment, and over 200,000 properties connected through software and services.
Simon Lehmann sat down with him to explore how the company’s expansion followed Patrick’s discovery that the vacation rental market lagged in technological capabilities, from converting traffic to managing transactions.
Instead of leaving HomeToGo’s partners to learn on their own, the company decided to help them become more capable with technology, helping other companies grow as well.
In this conversation, we discuss:
Why owning supply is no longer seen as a margin tradeoff, and why platforms need radical changes as they move closer to operations and the last mile.
How HomeToGo’s shift from marketplace to B2B changes where value is captured, and why that redefines the role of distribution platforms.
Why having traffic does not translate into control without conversion infrastructure, because most operators underestimate crucial aspects of direct bookings.
How AI is changing travel discovery behavior, and why vacation rentals present a fundamentally harder decision layer than flights or hotels.
Why Europe’s fragmented supply remains largely unconsolidated, testing the limits of traditional marketplace-driven growth.
What changes when a company operates across marketplace, software, and services, and how that creates optionality in uncertain distribution environments.
"If you look at the European market, even the biggest 3 companies are roughly only covering 10% because it's such a fragmented and non-consolidated market where there is a large opportunity to actually do that."
Key STR Trends
INDUSTRY CHECK-IN
STR rules are about to change, and Airbnb is sending out warning signs. But is the world’s largest short-term rental operator right?
The European Union has been working hard to implement new rules for short-term rentals, aiming to help ease the housing crisis affecting several cities across the continent.
Here’s an opinion article highlighting the current challenges and how regulation could improve conditions for people.
Source: The Regulatory Review
The challenge with new regulations is that Europe is as varied as its countries. Rules and laws change from country to country, and even from municipality to municipality.
Still, the EU is determined to put the rules in place, and will do so by 20 May 2026. That is where Airbnb raised a red flag. It is not that the company opposes regulation. It has openly stated that it welcomes some form of regulation and has even invested in making its internal processes easier.
Airbnb’s concern is more about integrity, pace of adoption, and how willing local governments are to implement these new rules.
You can learn more about Airbnb’s views here.
Weekly News
WORTH A READ
Stay current on the industry. Each edition covers key insights, major headlines, and the technology shaping travel and short-term rentals.
A fun stay for $4 a night? UNO and VRBO partner up
The famous card game is partnering with Vrbo to offer fun, game-themed getaways across the US. Would you stay in one?
Will rising fuel prices change your plans?
Jet fuel has doubled in price since February, and flight cancellations are almost bound to increase. So, how do you prepare as an operator?
Is Uber becoming an STR Operator?
Uber is now adding new features that could make it the one-stop shop for travel. On the outside, it makes perfect sense, but some have doubts.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The very nature of vacation rentals is what makes them one of the more complex options within hospitality. There are many variables and many opinions.
That is why many people bet on technology to make managing them easier. But it is not about simply piling on new technology. It is about educating your partners and understanding that humans are still essential, especially at the last mile.
This newsletter and podcast are brought to you thanks to AJL Atelier.
AJL Atelier is a globally recognized consultancy, specializing in the Short-Term Rental (STR) industry, known for our unique blend of trend forecasting, consumer insight, brand strategy, and innovation.
If you liked this newsletter, share it with your friends!
If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe to our Beehiiv’s newsletter here to get the newsletter every week.