Host Planet Roadshow London: AI, direct bookings, and the launch of the ISTRM

The third leg of the Host Planet Roadshow sold out in London – and the day delivered exactly what the UK short-term rental industry has been asking for: real conversations about AI, an honest debate on direct bookings, a clear-eyed look at the incoming registration scheme, and the unveiling of a brand-new society for STR professionals.

Below is the full recap: who said what, what it means, and what to watch for as the Roadshow heads to Nottingham, Bath, Chester, and Edinburgh through the end of 2026.

A sold-out room and a packed agenda at Host Planet Roadshow London

The London Roadshow sold out – proof that hosts and property managers are hungry for in-person, signal-rich content. The agenda mixed industry-defining keynotes with practical five-minute focus slots, a property management panel, a Women in Short Term Rentals Community session, and one thing the STR events space has never seen before: a breathwork session straight after lunch.

Opening session: the registration scheme is coming, and that's a good thing

The day opened with Andy Fenner – outgoing Chief Executive of the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) – alongside Carl Thomson from Airbnb and Mitch Price from Short Term Rentals Asia. Their joint message was unambiguous: the soon-to-be-announced UK registration scheme for short-term lets is a positive development for the industry.

The headline reason is data. A national register will give policymakers, platforms, and operators a single source of truth on how many active STRs exist, where they are, and how they behave. For an industry that has dealt with regulation and policy changes created without clear data, that's a major step-change.

The session also signalled what hosts should be doing now: getting registration-ready, sorting out compliance documentation, and treating the new regime as a market-differentiator rather than a tax on doing business.

The AI afternoon: Vaughton vs Simpson on direct bookings

The afternoon included the debate the industry came to see – Richard Vaughton against Mark Simpson on direct booking websites.

There was no winner. And that was the most interesting result.

Both agreed on something the industry has been quietly waking up to: the cost of building a direct booking website has fallen dramatically. What used to be a six-figure ops project is now achievable in minutes with modern tooling and AI. That changes the strategic question for every host and property manager. The debate stopped focusing on whether AI had changed the game and became "what does direct bookings even mean now that AI can build, optimise, and personalise the funnel for you?"

From there the conversation pivoted into the bigger story of the day: how AI is reshaping the entire STR tech stack, and what hosts and property managers need to do next to stay ahead.

Graham Donoghue: AI across every area of the business

Graham Donoghue gave one of the most-talked-about sessions of the day, walking through how Forge Holiday Group is embedding AI across every layer of its operation – from guest comms and pricing to ops, marketing, and back-office workflows. The honest takeaway: AI inside an STR business isn't a single product or a single hire. It's a posture. Forge's progress comes from treating AI as a capability layered into every function rather than a project sitting in one corner of the org chart.

For independent hosts and small property managers, the practical lesson was that you don't need a Forge-sized budget to start. You need a Forge-style mindset.

Siddhi Mittal: building an AI upselling agent in 30 minutes

Siddhi Mittal, from private chef booking platform yhangry, brought one of the highest-energy sessions of the day – a live build of an AI upselling agent in just 30 minutes. The point wasn't the polish of any single tool. It was the speed. The barrier to entry on AI-driven upsell, guest communication, and ops automation has collapsed. Hosts who treat that as a side-project for "next quarter" are about to find their margins squeezed by hosts who treat it as this week's job.

The ISTRM: a new society for STR professionals

Host Planet Founder, James Varley, took to the stage with Zak Ali to unveil the International Society of Short Term Rental Management (ISTRM) – a new body which aims to up-skill STR professionals across the world.

The ISTRM launches with a revenue management division as its first speciality, anchored by a 16-step certification programme designed for working hosts, property managers, and revenue managers who want a recognised standard to sit behind their work.

PriceLabs and Beyond were announced as the founding Enterprise-level members – a clear signal that the leading revenue management platforms see the value in a shared certification standard for both their employees and the people using their tools.

Membership will soon be open to individuals and businesses across the STR industry, and further specialities will follow the Revenue Management division.

"The ISTRM exists because STR is now a serious industry that deserves a serious profession behind it. We have brilliant operators, brilliant tools, and brilliant tech – what we haven't had until now is a recognised body that backs the people doing the work. Starting with a 16-step revenue management certification, with PriceLabs and Beyond as Enterprise members, sets the bar exactly where it should be." – James Varley, Founder, Host Planet

Property management panel: direct bookings, OTAs, and the cleaning question

The property management panel – featuring Jamie Miles from Anglesey Holiday Lettings, James Cornwell from Curated Property, and Freddie Blunt from Red Kite – turned into one of the most candid sessions of the day.

On direct bookings vs OTAs, the panel was split on how aggressively to chase direct stays. Jamie wants to remove the OTAs completely from his business, while James agreed with his sentiment but praised platforms like Airbnb for democratising the industry. James said he remained happy to benefit from the OTAs' marketing spend and felt comfortable taking high-value bookings from Airbnb for luxury properties.

On cleaning, the conversation got real. Cleaning quality, cleaner retention, and the economics of operating a cleaning function in-house versus outsourcing remain the operational pressure points that don't get enough airtime at industry events. They got plenty here as Freddie explained why he pays cleaners £25 per hour.

Humphrey Bowles, Patryk Swietek, and the PriceLabs UK market overview

One of the most talked-about sessions of the day was delivered by Humphrey Bowles from Truvi. He asked: platform pimp vs platform partner – which one are you? Humphrey spoke about the importance of not relying on a single OTA to run a short-term rental business.

Patryk Swietek delivered a sharp session on scaling his business in the US, while Punit Vadgama from PriceLabs shared a numbers-led overview of UK market performance – booking pace, ADR trends, and where pricing strategy is heading for the back half of 2026.

Women in Short Term Rentals Community panel

Lisa Roads, Daniela Derin, and Becky Ward led the Women in Short Term Rentals Community panel, with the trio discussing how to focus on hospitality in an AI-dominated industry.

Five-minute focus slots: the lightning round

The Roadshow's five-minute focus slots gave platform partners a tightly-formatted window to share one specific, useful insight each. Speakers included:

• Anant Singh from PriceLabs

• Corry de Candole from Hostaway

• Ian Thompson from Beyond

• Chris Baxter from SuperControl

• Robin Clifford from Guesty

• Simon Seroussi from SuiteOp

• Cristina Vascil from Turno

• Frank Bosi from Hostfully

• Natasha Hirschmann from Convert Your Stay

Something new: post-lunch breathwork with Emma Cole

After lunch, Emma Cole from Daily Breath led a guided breathwork session – believed to be a first for the STR events space. After an action-packed week in London (and the volume of caffeine consumed before noon), it landed exactly as intended: the room reset, focus came back, and the afternoon's AI sessions got the energy they deserved.

Where the Host Planet Roadshow goes next

The Host Planet Roadshow is heading north – and west, and south – through the second half of 2026:

• Nottingham – 14 September 2026 (agenda to be announced soon)

• Bath – 7 October 2026

• Chester – 10 November 2026

• Edinburgh – 3 December 2026

If the London Roadshow set the bar, the autumn dates are going to be worth blocking out now.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Host Planet Roadshow? The Host Planet Roadshow is a series of in-person events for UK short-term rental hosts, property managers, and industry professionals, hosted by Host Planet. The agenda blends keynote sessions, debates, panels and short-form focus slots from leading platform partners.

What is the ISTRM? The International Society of Short Term Rental Management (ISTRM) is a new professional society for the STR industry, launched at the London Roadshow by Host Planet Founder James Varley and Zak Ali. It opens with a revenue management division and a 16-step certification programme, with PriceLabs and Beyond as founding Enterprise-level members. Membership is open to individuals and businesses across the STR industry.

Did Richard Vaughton or Mark Simpson win the direct bookings debate? Neither – and that was the point. Both agreed that the cost of building a direct booking website has fallen sharply, mostly because of AI tooling. The debate then pivoted into how AI is reshaping the wider STR stack and what hosts should do next.

Is the UK short-term let registration scheme good or bad for hosts? The opening session at the Host Planet Roadshow – featuring Andy Fenner (outgoing Chief Executive of the STAA) and Carl Thomson from Airbnb – made the case that the scheme is a positive development. The headline reason is data: a national register gives policymakers, platforms, and operators a single source of truth, which moves the conversation forward instead of in circles.

Where is the next Host Planet Roadshow? Nottingham in September 2026, followed by Bath in October, Chester in November, and Edinburgh in December.

The bottom line

The London Roadshow showed where the UK STR industry is in 2026: serious about AI, honest about direct bookings, ready for registration, and finally building the professional infrastructure to back its operators with the launch of the ISTRM.

If you missed London, don't miss the next four. And if you want a recognised certification behind your revenue management work, the ISTRM is now open.