To our valued partners,

With only two months to go to close the year, the Gather team has been hyper-focused on filling calendars for your properties for the remainder of the year and into 2026. We’re happy to see most properties pacing ahead of last year for the festive season (average occupancy at 48% vs last year at 44%, RevPan up 21% over last year and ADR up 10% Year over Year) and are planning promotional campaigns (including Black Friday and Cyber Monday) to drive bookings to the softer areas.

I’m also excited to share our refreshed Gather branding, a subtle evolution of our look and voice, which brings greater clarity and sophistication to how we show up across every platform, from print to digital. You’ll begin to see our new logo, updated color palette, and tagline across our website, emails, and social channels. 

This month, I was proud to see Gather recognized among the top 50 vacation rental management companies nationwide by size, with an outstanding 4.8/5 average guest rating across 18,000 reviews. We are grateful for the trust each of you has placed in us, as we continue to strive for growth while maintaining our high standards of service and care.

Please read on for other updates from our teams, including regarding the new Airbnb host fee effective this week and related improvements to your upcoming owner statements. 

Warmly,

Andreea

CEO, Gather Vacations

A Fresh Look For The Gather Brand

Today marks an exciting milestone for Gather: the launch of our refreshed branding! Beginning today, you’ll start to see the new Gather identity, including our refined logo, updated color palette, and tagline “Local Story. Luxury Stays.” across our website, emails, and social channels. Our updated look aligns with the high standards of care and presentation that owners and guests alike associate with Gather, while ensuring we remain competitive in the evolving luxury vacation rental space.

As the rollout continues through year-end, we’ll begin introducing refreshed collateral and new digital campaigns to showcase this modernized identity in action. Looking ahead, 2026 will see the debut of our new, completely redesigned website, along with press outreach and a broader social media presence.

Timing Is Everything: A Look Into Lead Times

This month, we’re taking a closer look at how lead time, or booking window, varies by booking channel, providing insight into how each platform contributes to both near term and long term occupancy. 

Our booking channels include our direct websites (“Direct”), Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Travel Agents, and more. Below we break down how far in advance guests are booking across each channel, which helps us align channel strategies and understand guest booking behavior.

Hawai’i:

The trend varies by island but consistently shows Vrbo leading in longer lead times, ranging from 144–146 days on the Big Island and Kauai. Airbnb maintains the shortest booking window across all islands, often under 75 days. Notably, Oahu shows particularly strong advance planning across all channels, led by Other Channels at 170 days and Direct guests at 156 days.

Overall, this data highlights a consistent pattern: Vrbo and Standard Guests tend to book farther in advance, while Airbnb continues to attract shorter-lead, last-minute guests.

* The “Other” category includes Amex, Marriott Homes & Villas, Booking.com (thru NextPax), Travel Agents, and Whimstay.

Mainland:

In California, Booking.com guests are planning farthest in advance with an average lead time of 304 days, while Direct bookings and Vrbo travelers are similar at just over 100 days. Airbnb shows the shortest booking window at 57 days, signaling a more spontaneous booking pattern. In Washington, Direct bookings once again lead with 160 days, compared to much shorter windows on Vrbo (78 days) and Airbnb (76 days).

Ultimately, all booking types play a vital role in driving performance, with long lead platforms helping to secure future revenue and short lead channels filling near term gaps, and together ensuring calendars remain optimized and occupancy is maximized.

Gather Attends the 40th Annual VRMA Conference

Gather’s leadership team recently attended the 40th Annual Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) International Conference, the largest event for vacation rental professionals worldwide. The conference brings together industry leaders to share innovations, explore partnerships, and discuss the trends shaping the future of hospitality.

We left heartened and proud, Gather continues to grow as a recognized leader not only in Hawai‘i, but across the U.S.. Ranked #48 among the top vacation rental management companies nationwide (Comparent Study) and holding an outstanding 4.8/5 average rating across 18,000 guest reviews, Gather stands out for maintaining exceptional quality while growing. 

At the conference, industry themes echoed what we have been focusing on for guests and owners:

• Experiences: The future of travel lies in creating memorable, service-driven stays, something Gather already delivers through its integrated concierge offerings.
• Advocacy: Hawai‘i remains a model for legislative engagement, with Gather continuing as a leading voice in the industry.
• Culture: Strong company culture drives great hospitality, and our people-first values remain a core advantage.
• AI & Innovation: New tools are reshaping the industry, and our integrated tech platform is a great foundation to benefit from these technological advancements.

We’re committed to keeping our technology, distribution channels, and industry partnerships at the forefront of today’s traveller expectations. This conference offered a valuable opportunity to benchmark that progress, and we left the conference confident and inspired.

Airbnb Fee Structure Update & What This Means for You

As shared in our August newsletter, Airbnb has officially moved to a single 15.5% host fee structure. This change applies to all new bookings made on or after October 27, 2025.

Starting on your November Activity Owner Statement, Airbnb reservations will include a new line item called Channel Commission Recovery, which will appear separately instead of being included in gross rent. This change makes it easier to see exactly how channel fees flow through your statement and how they’re offset by the recovery credit.

You can read more about this on our Knowledge Base article. And if you have any questions, please reach out to vrreview@gathervacations.com.

Humanoid Robots: The Future of Hospitality?

To end on a lighter note, we couldn’t resist sharing this headline: 1X has officially launched NEO, a humanoid robot ten years in the making. With one property management company claiming they’re planning to place a NEO in each of their homes, we’re curious: are you spooked or intrigued? Let us know where you stand here!

Resource Center

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