What if your short-term rental could provide more than just a comfortable stay –what if it could offer peace, dignity, and compassion at the end of someone’s life?

We recently spoke with Marci Donaldson, a long time hospice nurse and the heart behind End of Life Advocacy and Care. Marci has worked in hospice care since 2000, serving as a nurse, case manager, and administrator. She’s known for making connections and finding much-needed services.

Her latest mission? Connecting individuals traveling to Oregon for end-of-life care and facilitating a unique opportunity for Portland hosts to make a meaningful difference.

Hosting with Heart

Thanks to Oregon’s progressive aid-in-dying laws, some people choose to spend their final days here. But many face a challenge: finding a place to stay to make their transition. That's where you -- Portland’s thoughtful, community-minded, compassionate hosts -- can come in.

Some guests are from out of state and can pay market rate. Others from Oregon may have more limited means. Stays could range from just one day to a couple of weeks depending upon circumstances. What they all need is a peaceful place and a host who is open to the experience.

Supporting the Space—and Yourself

Marci is quick to point out that hosting for end-of-life care isn’t about turning your home into a hospice center. It's about offering a supportive, respectful environment. Hosts are never alone. Marci and her team provide guidance and resources to prepare your space and to protect your peace of mind. That includes helping manage visitor expectations, sound levels, post-occupancy cleaning needs, and time for the space to "energetically clear" after such an experience. It’s important to set boundaries with kindness and intention.

Want to Understand More?

To see how this kind of care looks in practice, check out this story from NPR’s Here & Now about Vermont residents who are opening their homes to people seeking medical aid in dying.

This model—called The Wayfinders Network—offers logistical, spiritual, emotional, and caregiving support to people coming from out of state. It's very similar to what Marci is building right here in Oregon.

If you’re curious—Marci is hosting an information session with Host2Host on July 17th to answer questions and share more details. Register here.

Contributed by Community Committee Chair and co-host of the Sage & Sand Guest House, Joel Selling

The Laurelhurst English Cottage that Seth Miller hosts has been a source of more than just revenue; it’s brought him into contact with people from all over the globe. He initially bought it with a long-term friend since they both were very social. They thought an STR would increase their social engagement as well as help cover house costs. The skills Seth used to add features to his STR, in part, comes from a lot of travel, giving him a strong sense of what people want and need in their stay.

One of our Origin Story questions was about some big or surprising challenge when first becoming a host. Seth didn’t know how to get Airbnb to “map” his house, which made it harder for guests to know where he was located! Of course, he has long since solved that issue.

And, when asked about one of the best decisions he has made as a host, he was quick to say "a college dorm-room sized fridge," so the guest room allows for people to store cold drinks – and also, lets Seth occasionally provide guest surprises.

In his “day job”, Seth is Executive Director of Oregon Parks Forever, a statewide nonprofit organization raising funds to enhance & preserve special places and experiences in Oregon’s Parks.

Seth recounted that one of his most memorable guests was a young man who was gay but not yet “out”, and having difficulty with deciding how and when to let the world know. Seth’s willingness to listen to him, and offer Seth’s own experience and suggestions, provided the young man a much clearer sense of what his options were, and a strong dose of encouragement.

For the next Host Origin Story, July 9th, I look forward to hearing how other hosts have had surprisingly positive, sometimes life-changing, interactions with their guests. Register now and join us to hear their story!

At our recent Host2Host webinar, three expert guests joined us to share how their platforms can help short-term rental hosts streamline operations, boost revenue, and explore new models of hospitality. Each speaker offered tools and ideas tailored to the needs of today’s independent hosts.

Paige Curasi – Breezeway

Paige kicked off the event with an introduction to Breezeway, a property operations platform designed specifically for short-term rentals. She walked us through tools that help hosts manage their listings more efficiently -- from scheduling and tracking cleaning and maintenance tasks to automating guest messaging and offering 24/7 guest support.

Attendees especially appreciated Breezeway’s ability to help solo hosts feel more organized and responsive without adding more to their workload.

Karishma Lunawat – PriceLabs

Karishma followed with insights from PriceLabs, a dynamic pricing tool that helps hosts adjust rates based on market demand and seasonality. She explained how hosts can customize their pricing strategies while using automation to stay competitive. Her demo of recent updates and real-world use cases sparked plenty of interest, particularly around the balance of flexibility and control PriceLabs provides.

Alexandra Humbel Origet – People Like Us

Alexandra wrapped up the event with a heartfelt presentation about People Like Us, a global home exchange network. Unlike booking platforms focused on income, this community allows hosts to swap homes for travel -- offering a rich, budget-friendly way to explore the world. Her stories of real members forming lifelong friendships through exchanges reminded us that hospitality always has been about making real connections.

Lively Q&A and Host Takeaways

Attendees asked thoughtful questions about setup, support, costs, and integration with existing tools. Many were excited to explore these platforms further -- whether to professionalize their hosting experience with Breezeway and PriceLabs, or to rethink their travel goals with People Like Us.

If you'd like to check out the full presentation, or clips of each presenter, follow along on our Youtube channel and don't forget to like and subscribe!

It’s been a real pleasure getting to know so many of you better in my role as Executive Assistant over the last three years. But recently, it’s become clear to me that for our organization to continue thriving, we need to renew our energy around community - creating fresh opportunities to share knowledge, support one another, and grow together with a strong focus on the Portland metro area.

As my life continues to grow roots in Portugal, it’s time for me to pass the baton to someone who can be more present - someone who can reignite the spark that brought us all into hosting in the first place and to help lead Host2Host into its next chapter.

If you're interested in learning more about the opportunity and to apply now for the role, please check out our job description. To apply, please send your cover letter and resume before June 9th.

If you’re not yet a member, now is the perfect time to join our community and show your support for the great events in the works. Join us!

Airbnb’s latest update, the 2025 Summer Release, brings a big shift that many short-term rental hosts need to be aware of. While the headlines boast new conveniences for guests, there are hidden implications for hosts -especially around control, compensation, and liability.

Airbnb Services at Your Listing -By Default
Airbnb has launched a new feature called Airbnb Services, which allows guests to book add-ons like private chefs, massage therapists, personal trainers, and other in-person services -delivered directly to the Airbnb they’re staying in.

By default, every host and listing is automatically enrolled in this program. If a guest books a massage or a meal experience, the service provider could show up at your property—without any prior notice to you.

What This Means for Hosts

• No Control - Hosts are not alerted when a guest books a third-party service and do not have the option to approve or deny access to the property. This opens your doors to outside vendors you don’t know.
• No Compensation - Even though these services use your property as the setting, you earn nothing from the booking. Airbnb collects the fee and the vendor gets paid. 
• Liability & Insurance Concerns - Anytime someone new steps onto your property, liability risk increases. If something goes wrong during a third-party service -a trip-and-fall, a fire, or property damage- you may be on the hook, unless your insurance policy explicitly covers outside service providers.

Why You Might Opt Out
This update may work well for hosts with full-time managers on-site or those operating full-service hospitality properties -but for the rest of us, the risks might outweigh the benefits.

Here’s why some hosts are choosing to opt out:

• To maintain control over who enters your property
• ️ To protect against liability and insurance gaps
• To preserve the guest experience and avoid surprises

How to Opt Out
As of now, there is no setting in your dashboard to turn off Airbnb Services. So, to opt out:

•  Contact Airbnb Support directly via the Help Center or through your hosting app.
• ❌ Clearly request to opt out of Airbnb Services for all your listings.
• ✔️ Ask for confirmation that your properties are no longer included.

Stay Informed, Stay in Control
These new features may be marketed as value-adds for guests, but the potential burden falls on the host. As a community of responsible short-term rental operators, it’s crucial we stay informed and speak up when changes affect our business.

If you’ve opted out—or are considering it—share your thoughts with fellow hosts at one of our upcoming host chats. We’re stronger together when we advocate for fairness and control over our spaces.

Need Help?
 Have questions or want help contacting Airbnb? Email us! We're here to help.

Technology is changing all the time. Trends - software - AI - solutions. That’s why being a member of Host2Host helps. We bring technological and social innovations to you. Our June meetup features representatives from Breezeway, Pricelabs and People Like Us to talk about how you can leverage their tools to improve your hosting lifestyle. Don’t miss this chance to learn, grow and uplevel your hosting life!

This May, we went back to our roots with an in-person gathering at McMenamins Kennedy School in NE Portland. Host and founding member, Debi Hertert created a safe and welcoming environment for hosts to share their personal feelings, experiences, hopes and frustrations. 

We also heard from Travel Portland’s Director of International Tourism Administration, Heather Anderson and Director of Public Relations, Jackie Hagan, about the impact of policy changes to international and domestic tourism. They reassured attendees that our region is being impacted less than other parts of the US by Canadian travel reduction and expressed optimism in a busy summer. It was a great time to get together, to learn and to build community. I hope you can make our next in-person event later this summer!