Shahar Goldboim
May 21, 2025
The short-term rental industry has been designed to work like a well-oiled machine, with everything from channel managers to dynamic pricing, guest messaging and cleaning scheduling coordinated by a delicate software ecosystem.
However, Airbnb’s new rules around off-platform communication and fees may feel like someone has jammed a wrench into the gears.
As of May 2025, the OTA is enforcing new rules that prohibit requiring guests to follow a link or share contact details to access any part of their stay — including booking, check-in, guidebooks, or extra add-ons. In short: if your operations rely on any off-platform tools that ask guests to take an extra step, you’ll need to rethink.
While the intention is to improve transparency and guest protection, it’s going to create serious ripple effects for operators.
The key takeaway? Airbnb is tightening control of the guest journey. And if any part of your operations or guest experience happens outside the Airbnb platform, you might need to make changes — fast.
Let’s unpack what this means, how it could impact your day-to-day, and what smart property managers are doing next.
What the new rules actually say
The new Airbnb Off-Platform Policy prohibits the following:
- Requiring guests to download a third-party app to access check-in details, digital guidebooks, or smart home features.
- Requesting guests’ email addresses, phone numbers, or other contact details for operational or marketing purposes.
- Redirecting guests to off-platform tools that collect data, upsell services, or facilitate parts of the stay.
- Charging any mandatory fees (cleaning, pet, resort) outside Airbnb’s official channels, unless Airbnb specifically allows it — the only big exception is destination taxes that Airbnb doesn’t collect itself or local laws require the manager to collect.
The rules suggest that the main exception is when guests request moving off-platform themselves, but it remains to be seen how much encouragement can be given.
If your tech stack asks guests to take an extra step — register, log in, opt in — you're now potentially out of bounds.
Why this matters
On paper, the rules aim to protect guests from surprise fees and phishing attempts. But in practice, they land hardest on the people running professional operations at scale.
Let’s say your business relies on:
- Smart locks managed via a third-party app.
- Automated guidebooks that require guests to enter an email.
- A PMS that communicates via email and SMS.
- Post-stay emails to encourage direct bookings and loyalty.
These are now grey areas — or, in some cases, flat-out restricted.
You’re not trying to sneak in hidden fees. You’re trying to deliver a great guest experience, reduce support tickets, and keep things running smoothly with a lean team.
But now, operators are being asked to stay inside the Airbnb sandbox – one that can feel limiting when your business spans multiple properties, cutting-edge tech, and a large team.
The hidden impact may be worse
While it may just seem that it’ll be a minor inconvenience – something that will only impact those bookings that come via Airbnb – the longer-term effects of this shift could be more complicated.
- More manual work: If your current check-in and communication flows break the rules, someone on your team may need to fill in the gaps manually.
- Clunky guest experience: Can guests still find the Wi-Fi password? Adjust the thermostat? Get directions to the property? If you can’t share those easily without asking for data, your service risks getting complicated — and resulting in bad reviews.
- Direct bookings take a hit: Capturing email addresses at scale is off the table. That’s a direct hit to your ability to build a repeat booking funnel or grow your direct booking channel.
So… What now?
Complaining won’t get us anywhere. It’s time to pivot.
Here are five smart steps you can take right now:
1. Audit your guest journey
List every tool or touchpoint that asks guests to leave Airbnb, register, or input personal data. That includes smart home apps, guidebooks, PMS platforms, and email automation tools. Is there a simple workaround?
2. Pressure your vendors (nicely)
Many leading software platforms are already updating their tools to meet Airbnb’s new requirements. If they haven’t already contacted you, reach out and ask: Can this workflow be made Airbnb-compliant?
3. Shift communication into Airbnb messaging
For any stay-related info, Airbnb’s native chat is now your safest channel. Does any software you currently use make it easy to integrate with Airbnb’s messaging service — or is there another provider that might work better?
4. Double down on experience
If you can’t own the guest relationship digitally, own it experientially. Deliver an exceptional, memorable stay, with your brand all over the property — so guests come back and seek you out directly next time.
5. Strengthen your off-Airbnb strategy
This is a reminder that Airbnb is not your business. It's a distribution channel. Investing in your direct booking site, SEO, niche channels, and email list (via legal opt-ins from your website) isn’t just smart — it’s survival.
Rethinking branded experiences
Airbnb is taking steps to more closely manage the guest journey – fair enough, it’s their platform, after all. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up control of your business.
You’re still the one delivering the stay, solving the problems, and ultimately defining the guests’ memories of their trip. They won’t remember booking on Airbnb, but they will remember enjoying their breakfast on your balcony, or playing with their kids in your pool. Your relationship with the guests is still what matters most. You just need to find smarter, policy-compliant ways to nurture it.
This new policy is a bit of a curveball, yes. But it’s also a call to sharpen your systems, clarify your value, and get creative. And if there’s one thing STR pros are good at, it’s making things work under pressure.
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