AI in Short-Term Rentals: Costs, Flops, and Hits

4/27/2026

At the Short Stay Summit in London, Steve Schwab, founder and CEO of Casago, and Graham Donoghue, group CEO of Forge Holiday Group, discussed the challenge of integrating AI into daily operations. They noted that while AI now speeds up tasks like marketing content creation and property visualization—cutting costs and time dramatically—rising compute costs could challenge profitability and force new optimization strategies. They report mixed results, including failed experiments like conversational search and internal resistance to adoption. Despite this, both leaders see AI reshaping hospitality, potentially even disrupting major booking platforms as new AI-driven search models emerge.

PhocusWire (04/23/26) Linda Fox