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Everyone who is part of the short-term rental market is bracing for a holiday surge. December is always a powerful moment to optimize your operations and start the next year in the best possible way.
For instance, according to Key Data, December RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) in U.S. vacation rentals is projected to rise 7% year over year, while ADR (average daily rate) is pacing 6% higher.
Short-term rental performance records during Christmas for the past 3 years (AirDNA reports)
- Strong December 2022 demand in the US — nights stayed went up +19.8% while in 2024 the STR demand rose +6.8% and RevPAR +3.7%.
- Europe RevPAR averaged €90 in 2023, +9.8% YoY (Spain was among stronger ADR performers).
- RevPAR growth slowed to +5.9% YoY in Europe in 2024 (vs +8.4% in 2023) but demand stayed record-high and Spain showed solid ADR/RevPAR gain over the year.
- RevPAR/ADR improvements in Mexico for 2024 (Mexico City RevPAR +6% YoY; Cabo San Lucas annual revenue +3% YoY)
The numbers show this is not time for doubts; it is time for growth.
Upgrading your property management system (PMS) now can meaningfully boost your occupancy, help apply minimum-stay requirements, or adjust rates for peak nights, so you can capture this seasonal upside more efficiently, maximize revenue, and position your business in the right place for expansion in 2026.
Thanks to its forecasting and historical data features, a modern PMS predicts high-demand windows and help you decide which room types to release, when to close out discounted rates, when to sell premium bookings, etc.
It also lets you reward returning guests or encourage direct bookings via special packages (Christmas stay, holiday dinner add-ons, early-bird booking), which reduces dependence on costly OTAs.
How can a new PMS simplify your daily operations and team workflow?
A modern property management system isn’t just a booking tool, as some may think. It’s the command center for your operations. With a unified PMS + channel manager, you can sync reservations across the OTAs you work with to avoid double-bookings or having to do manual reconciliations.
During the busy Christmas season, your PMS can automatically trigger holiday-peak workflows like cleaning checklists, maintenance tasks, and festive welcome messages the moment a reservation is confirmed. Meanwhile, your team can manage guest inquiries and handle any holiday-rush incidents from one unified inbox, no more switching between apps during your busiest week of the year.
This means you gain the time and energy to focus on creating a warm, memorable Christmas experience for your guests while your team follows efficient, repeatable workflows that require minimal human intervention.
How can upgrading your property management system prepare you for 2026?
Looking ahead, the vacation rental market is expected to continue expanding while regulations tighten, and more competition enters the game.
What will be your real differentiator? Operational excellence, and for that will need the right PMS that supports you long-term in at least 3 aspects:
- Scalability: Whether you manage 5 units or 500, your system must grow with you without slowing operations, creating bottlenecks, or forcing an expensive migration later. Make sure the system you choose expands with your portfolio instead of breaking under pressure.
- Data-driven growth: Strong analytics displayed clearly, helps you track occupancy, ADR, channel performance, and more, and then apply these insights to your business strategy.
- Seamless integrations: Your PMS should be able to connect to smart locks, accounting software, and cleaning apps so you’ll enjoy a truly automated ecosystem.
Think that making this change in December is too late? Quite the opposite! You’ll gain a head start: clean onboarding, staff trained, and systems tested just in time to ride the 2026 wave.
Which core functions of a property management system make the biggest difference?
You will see the biggest difference with features that directly address your main pain points. Although in our experience, when evaluating a property management system, these ones are truly game-changers:
- Channel Manager — Real-time synchronization across all the OTAs you work with, reducing overbookings close to zero, saving you from last-minute cancellations, and most importantly protecting your reputation as a host on all the platforms where your listings are.
- Integrations — Connectivity with other tools that enhance the customer experience and elevate your property (smart locks, payment portals, accounting, etc.)
- User Permissions & Roles — Let different team members access exactly what they need (owners, cleaners, managers) to Reduce mistakes caused by unnecessary access and protect sensitive information (owner data, rates, financials).
- Flexibility: Instead of forcing you to change your processes, a flexible PMS fits into the way you already work. It can adapt to different operational structures (solo manager, multi-team, hybrid), custom task workflows, and reporting needs. A flexible PMS can also integrate compliance requirements (like SEF Hospedajes for Portugal, Verifactu for Spain, and so on), to guarantee that your business stays compliant without interrupting daily operations.
These functions of a property management system don’t just improve efficiency; they unlock higher performance and smarter decision-making.
What are the main benefits of moving to a unified property management system?
If you’re a numbers person, then this is for you. According to data gathered by AirDNA, Transparent Intelligence PMS, and Key Data, shifting to a truly unified pms channel manager, instead of patching together lots of tools, brings:
+18% Increase in Revenue
Driven by better pricing sync, OTA parity, and automated rate adjustments.
+23% Higher Direct Bookings
Due to better calendar sync + fewer errors on website availability.
92% Reduction in Manual Workload
Team time spent on repetitive tasks went from 15 hours/week → 1.2 hours/week.
Zero Double-Bookings
Down from 2–3 per month across OTAs.
Response Time Improved by 71%
From 38 minutes → 11 minutes thanks to automated and templated messages.
ADR Lift of 12%
Because the PMS rate management prevents underpricing on high-demand dates.
Beyond the numbers, your staff will spend less time managing tools and more time on tasks that add value to the guest experience.
As your portfolio grows—whether individual units or entire buildings—a well-designed PMS makes that expansion manageable and painless.
Why is December the perfect time to migrate to a new property management system?
There are several strategic reasons why December is the ideal window for a PMS switch. Despite being one of the busiest months of the year for property managers, December is actually the perfect moment to step back, review the past year, and decide what tools you need to start the next one stronger.
First of all, with ADR and RevPAR typically peaking around the holidays, a better system can help you capture more revenue immediately. And while guest demand is high, day-to-day operations often stabilize toward the end of the month, giving you just enough breathing room to implement meaningful changes without major disruption.
As you reset budgets at year-end, it is easier to allocate funds for onboarding and training. By upgrading now, you enter the new year fully prepared with better systems, streamlined workflows, and the tools you need to scale efficiently from day one.
What should you prepare before switching your PMS platform?
A good idea is to evaluate your current pain points to know exactly what manual tasks cost the most time. Next, make a list of the PMS features that respond to those pain points, think channel manager, automation, reporting, etc.
Following that audit your data, clean up your listings, guest records, and pricing rules before migrating so you can start afresh.
Afterward, assign roles to each team member, train them, and test the workflows. Planning your team training guarantees a successful transition.
Most importantly, make sure your PMS provider supports you during the phased rollout and monitors the transition.
What new trends in property management system technology will shape 2026?
PMS technology keeps getting better and bringing amazing results to property managers who keep up with it.
Since uncertainty is one of the enemies of a business, predictive analytics and big data will play a key role in the vacation rental market in forecasting occupancy and demand windows.
Also, more guests are demanding spaces and experiences that show commitment to sustainable practices, which means both hosts and investors will demand ESG-style metrics from PMS platforms, such as carbon usage, energy use, guest behavior, etc.
Last, another type of sustainability is rising on the horizon: sustainable investments, one that not only seeks short-term profitability, but also long-term stability, efficiency, and social relevance.
That is why we’re seeing a shift from individual properties to entire buildings. There is a clear evolution toward this type of business model where investors manage larger portfolios.
If this is your case or it is something you’re aiming for, then you will surely need an automation hub capable of transforming complex operations into efficient long-term workflows.
Why Hostify stands out as the all-in-one PMS solution for 2026 and beyond
Hostify isn’t just another property management system, it’s built for hosts who think big and plan ahead. The easiest, fully integrated PMS + channel manager guarantees that listings, rates, and availability are synced seamlessly across OTA channels.
With Hostify, you get automation for guest messaging, operational workflows, and tasks so you and your team invest more time on strategy.
Hostify’s PMS reporting backbone gives you deep insights into occupancy, revenue, and channel performance, all centralized in one dashboard and displayed in a clear understandable way.
Hostify is a flexible software designed to adapt to the specific needs of every property manager, no matter the country or market. Whether you manage urban apartments, coastal vacation rentals, or multi-unit buildings, Hostify adjusts to your local workflows instead of forcing you into rigid processes.
This adaptability extends to its ecosystem. Hostify also supports smart integrations like smart locks, payment processing, financial management, and local regulations, ensuring your operations stay compliant, automated, and efficient. Because the platform evolves with your business and adjusts to each market’s requirements, you won’t need to switch PMS again.
Hostify is built not just for today’s needs; it is future ready. The system is scalable, allowing multi-unit management, owner portal features, and team role control, which is ideal for growing portfolios.
So, if you’re looking to leverage December’s strong strategy, set your business up for 2026, and simplify your operations in the long run, migrating to Hostify’s PMS is a strategic move.
Want to test it first? Book a free demo with our team and take the first step toward a brighter future!
