Is it an STR, Vacation Rental, Nightly Rental or... Airbnb?

[William Beck]

Do you call it Pop or Soda? Lightning Bug or Firefly? STR, Vacation Rental, Nightly Rental or Airbnb?

I attended a VRM Intel conference recently and someone pointed out that everyone in our area calls this thing 'nightly rental.' Which makes me wonder, is there a regional difference for word selection? I personally use Short Term Rental, Vacation Rental, Nightly Rental interchangeably.... But I will never say Airbnb to describe  Short-Term or Vacation Rental. When someone says, "I want to buy an Airbnb," it's like nails on a chalkboard. STOP IT

What do you use and where do you stand on this? 

[Michael Skinner]

@William Beck Definitely understand the sentiment here... Airbnb has captured a word in the mind of travelers and investors to the same extent that Kleenex is synonymous with tissues. This is purely a testament to the success of marketing and branding efforts. 

To your point, the regional difference is definitely at play. You'll notice Australia and European regions use the term "holiday homes" or "short term let" instead of vacation homes and short term rental. 

Personally, I take the approach of meeting people "where they're at" while recognizing that those using airbnb in place of vacation rental or STR is a reflection of their knowledge in this particular space. It's not a bad thing necessarily but gives me an idea of their experience so I can direct the conversation accordingly.

Because of the development in the space the last 5-7 years, many people's first exposure to vacation rentals is through Airbnb. In the end, however, I think it's a matter of semantics and with enough education around the topic, people can get a more well-rounded understanding of this very profitable investment class.

Hope this helps!