Recommended books for Airbnb and short-term rental hosts
23 well-regarded books for Airbnb and vacation rental hosts, grouped by topic.
Getting started, investing, operations, hospitality, glamping and direct booking.
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Getting started
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Get Paid For Your Pad: How to Maximize Profit From Your Airbnb Listing
Jasper Ribbers, Huzefa Kapadia, 2014.
A classic first read for hosts, in print since 2014, covering the basics of hosting and listing.
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Airbnb For Dummies (2nd edition)
Symon He, James Svetec, 2023.
A plain-language reference for new hosts that covers setup, listing, pricing and guest management.
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Optimize YOUR Bnb: The Definitive Guide to Ranking #1 in Airbnb Search by a Prior Employee
Daniel Vroman Rusteen, 2018.
Written by a former Airbnb employee and focused on Airbnb search ranking and listing optimization.
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The Vacation Rental Bible: Proven Tips to Find, Manage & Market Vacation Rental Properties for Maximum Profit
David Mencel, 2020.
Recommended in the BiggerPockets forum as a starter book for finding, managing and marketing vacation rentals.
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Million Dollar Host
Julie George, 2018.
Recommended in the BiggerPockets forum as a starter book on building an Airbnb portfolio.
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The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions . . . and Created Plenty of Controversy
Leigh Gallagher, 2017.
A journalist's history of the platform, recommended as context on how Airbnb works.
Investing & analysis
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Short-Term Rental, Long-Term Wealth: Your Guide to Analyzing, Buying, and Managing Vacation Properties
Avery Carl, 2021.
The most-cited starting point for STR investors: market selection, deal analysis, acquisition and self-management.
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Smarter Short-Term Rentals: Build a Dynamic Real Estate Business and Out-Host the Competition
Avery Carl, 2025.
Avery Carl's advanced follow-up: data-driven market selection, finding off-market deals, design, and scaling.
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Profitable Properties: Airbnb Insider Secrets to Find, Optimize, Price, & Book Direct any Short-Term Rental Investment for Year-Round Occupancy
Daniel Vroman Rusteen, 2023.
Covers market research, optimization, pricing and direct booking. Hosts in r/airbnb_hosts say even experienced hosts learn from it.
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Host Coach: A Blueprint for Creating Financial Freedom Through Airbnb Rental Investing
Culin Tate, Danielle Tate, 2022.
Named by investors on Real Estate Bees' panel as a guide to building financial freedom through Airbnb investing.
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30-Day Stay: A Real Estate Investor's Guide to Mastering the Medium-Term Rental
Zeona McIntyre, Sarah Weaver, 2022.
The BiggerPockets guide to month-long furnished stays, an alternative where short-term rental rules are tight.
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Long-Distance Real Estate Investing: How to Buy, Rehab, and Manage Out-of-State Rental Properties
David M. Greene, 2017.
BiggerPockets' guide to building a local team and managing rentals from out of state.
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The Book on Rental Property Investing: How to Create Wealth With Intelligent Buy and Hold Real Estate Investing
Brandon Turner, 2015.
A widely read BiggerPockets foundation on analyzing rental deals and financing them.
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Every Airbnb Host's Tax Guide
Stephen Fishman, 2025.
The Nolo tax guide for hosts, covering deductions and depreciation. Recommended by a Real Estate Bees panel and hosts on r/airbnb_hosts.
Operations & automation
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Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine
Mike Michalowicz, 2017.
A cash-management system recommended in the BiggerPockets forum for hosts turning STRs into a real business.
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The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
Michael E. Gerber, 1995.
The classic on systemizing a small business so it runs without the owner doing everything.
Guest experience & hospitality
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Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Will Guidara, 2022.
The former Eleven Madison Park co-owner on going beyond what guests expect.
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Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
Danny Meyer, 2006.
Restaurateur Danny Meyer's philosophy of hospitality as a business advantage.
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Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service
Disney Institute, 2001.
How Disney designs consistent guest experiences, from service standards to setting.
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The Airbnb Way: 5 Leadership Lessons for Igniting Growth through Loyalty, Community, and Belonging
Joseph A. Michelli, 2019.
A business author's study of Airbnb's hospitality and belonging culture, with lessons for hosts.
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The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate and Live Well
Deborah Needleman, 2011.
A well-reviewed decorating guide, useful for making a rental feel lived-in and photogenic.
Cabins & unique stays
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The Glamping Investor: A BiggerPockets Guide
Garrett Brown, 2025.
A glamping operator's blueprint for finding land, running outdoor stays and drawing premium guests.
Marketing & pricing
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The Book Direct Blueprint
Mark Simpson, 2022.
How to build a brand and take direct bookings to rely less on OTA fees. Recommended by Lodgify and the BiggerPockets forum.