Lisbon Imposes Bans and New Limits, Mabrian Launches Rental Monitoring Tool, and Airbnb Reboots Experiences

Lisbon Bans New Holiday Homes in Key Neighborhoods, Halts Licenses Where Rentals Exceed 5% of Housing

• Lisbon is taking a hard stance on short-term rentals, banning new AL (Local Accommodation) holiday homes in 19 neighborhoods and 8 parishes, with a complete freeze on new licenses in the historic downtown area. 
• This decision follows growing concerns over housing shortages, with authorities now setting strict limits based on the ratio of short-term rentals to (STR) family homes.
• If an area has more than 5% of its housing stock as AL properties, no new licenses will be issued.
• The ban is absolute in Bairro Alto, Alfama, and Baixa, where AL saturation exceeds 20%, with Santa Maria Maior being the most extreme at 68.8%.
• The Lisbon City Council has opened a public consultation on these new restrictions until April 15, 2025.
• Lisbon officials are monitoring Belém, Campo de Ourique, and Parque das Nações for potential restrictions, with Olivais and Santa Clara also on their radar.

Snigdha’s Views

• Portugal is preparing for its third general election in three years following the collapse of the most recent government, so it’s safe to say these decisions are also being made against a backdrop of political instability. 
• With each new administration taking a different stance on housing and tourism policies, STR regulations in Lisbon have been in constant flux. 
• In 2024, Portugal revoked some national-level restrictions, allowing cities to enforce their own rules based on local housing and tourism needs.
• For property managers, this political uncertainty makes long-term planning difficult. 
• The public consultation period is a critical window for property managers to advocate for fairer regulations, as lobbying efforts by The Associação do Alojamento Local em Portugal have led to some reconsideration in the past.
• If your rental business falls under a newly restricted area, you can consider less-regulated regions, but be aware that restrictions could expand.
• Switching to mid-term rentals for business travelers or students could help offset revenue losses, while existing licensed STRs may become more valuable under the new regulations.

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Mabrian Launches Rental Monitoring Tool to Help Governments Track and Regulate Short-Term Rentals

• Mabrian, a global travel intelligence platform, has launched a new short-term rental (STR) monitoring tool aimed at helping governments manage and regulate STR activity. 
• Integrated into Mabrian’s data intelligence platform, this tool enables Destination Marketing Organizations and urban planners to track Airbnb, Booking.com, and other STR listings, analyzing location, capacity, categories, pricing, and availability in real-time.
• It compares these listings against official government records to detect unregistered or illegal STRs.
• Authorities can track which hosts manage multiple properties, identify commercial operators vs. individual hosts, and classify non-compliant properties based on various criteria (e.g., no license, misreported occupancy, low listing quality).
• The tool provides an interactive dashboard where officials can filter and analyze STR data, pinpointing areas with the highest density of unregulated rentals.
• Governments can use this data to issue fines, enforce zoning laws, and track changes in the STR market over time.

About Mabrian:

Mabrian is a global travel intelligence platform that provides data-driven insights for the tourism industry. It specializes in analyzing real-time travel trends, market demand, and visitor behavior to help destinations, travel companies, and urban planning authorities make informed decisions.

Snigdha’s Views

• In Ibiza, this tool is already being used by the Illegal Short-Term Rentals Taskforce. Spain is one of the most heavily regulated STR markets, and if this tool proves effective, other European cities could follow. 
• As more destinations adopt these technologies, property managers and hosts worldwide should anticipate increased regulatory oversight. 
• Proactively adapting to this environment by ensuring compliance, enhancing operational transparency, and focusing on quality can position STR operators favorably in a more regulated market.
• A similar tool already exists—Rentalscape by Deckard Technologies, which is widely used in the U.S. Rentalscape also allows governments to track STRs, enforce regulations, and monitor market trends.
• Mabrian’s tool offers a fairer approach to STR regulation, using real-time data instead of assumptions, enabling governments to make informed, balanced decisions rather than imposing broad restrictions.
• However, the quality and accuracy of the data will be crucial—if flawed, it could lead to unfair enforcement or misinformed regulations.

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Airbnb to Relaunch Experiences with Better Marketing, Smooth Integration, AI, and a More Competitive Strategy

• During Airbnb’s Q2 earnings call in August 2024, Brian Chesky confirmed that a major relaunch of Experiences (tours and activities marketplace) is coming in 2025.
• After pausing new Experience submissions in early 2023, In September 2024, the company quietly reopened applications, allowing hosts to submit new Experiences as part of its upcoming relaunch.
• The company also teased upcoming changes in a sponsored post in the Arival newsletter, revealing that the new version of Experiences will focus on making it easier for hosts to join, offering a more competitive commission structure to attract operators, and introducing co-hosting and team management features for greater flexibility. 
• They also mentioned more licensed professionals and mainstream attractions in Experiences 2.0.
• Chesky has acknowledged that the first iteration of Experiences struggled due to poor integration within Airbnb’s ecosystem, along with a lack of marketing and affordability that limited its impact. 

Snigdha’s Views

• We predicted this relaunch as part of Airbnb’s anticipated Summer Release 2024, and now, it’s officially taking shape. While full details arrive in May, Airbnb’s strategy and recent hints suggest what to expect.
• Unlike before, Experiences will now be fully integrated into the Airbnb booking flow, meaning guests will be prompted with relevant activities while reserving their stays. 
• Airbnb might also use AI to match travelers with recommended Experiences based on their preferences, making the offering more intuitive and appealing.
• A stronger marketing push is expected, as Airbnb admits it underpromoted Experiences before. This time, increased investment in visibility and bookings could benefit hosts entering the program.
• More details from the Arival newsletter hint that Airbnb is introducing team management and co-hosting features for experiences as well, allowing operators to manage multiple guides and scale their offerings.
• Airbnb may introduce bundled stay-and-experience packages, creating a strong upsell opportunity for operators while shifting from host-led activities to licensed professionals, streamlining listings for high-quality, structured offerings—moving closer to Booking.com’s Connected Trips.
• Property managers can leverage Airbnb’s push for Experiences 2.0 as a new revenue stream, making their properties more appealing as more travelers prioritize experience-driven, meaningful stays in 2025.