Trends that will define the vacation rentals market in 2013

The vacation rental industry has been humming along now for nearly a decade, but 2013 is poised to bring with it more changes than any year prior. From legal issues to increased competition to newly emerging traveler segments, owners will have their hands full as the new year epitomizes how this little industry is most certainly growing up.

The "hotelization" of vacation rentals
The vacation rental industry is relatively new and one of its biggest flaws - inconsistency - will start to rear its ugly head in 2013 more than ever before. Owners will need to start focusing more on the "hotelization" of their rental: in other words, streamlining their operations process to be more professional, consistent, and hotel-like. 2013 will probably see a few fiascos (like the great AirBnB robbery of 2011) that will highlight a need for more regulation and formalization in an otherwise Wild Wild West industry.