The Elephant in the Room
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Episode 404: Short Stays: Does the Model Still Work in 2025?

Before COVID, short-stay rentals looked simple: Airbnb dominated bookings, demand was strong, and cashflow felt straightforward. But in 2025, short term rental management is a different story. Rising costs, new short stay levies, and tighter short term rental laws have made the market more complex—and investors are asking: does the short-stay model still work?

In this episode, MadeComfy co-founder and co-CEO Quirin Schwaighofer explains how the short term rental property market has changed,  how Airbnb’s dominance has shifted, and what it means for investors today. We cover the impact of NSW’s 180-day cap, Byron Bay’s 60-day restrictions, and new levies in Victoria and Canberra, alongside the bigger question of how regulation is shaping the housing market and rental supply.

We also explore when mid-term furnished rentals outperform both short-term and long-term leases, the weekly data every owner should monitor (lead times, booking windows, RevPAR, seasonality), and the hidden pitfalls of property management that eat into returns—from ignoring depreciation to expecting instant profits.

If you’re weighing short-term rentals against mid-term or long-term strategies, or want to understand how regulation, technology, and tourism dynamics are reshaping the rental market, this episode gives you the clarity you need to make smarter investment decisions.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

01:15 – Meet Quirin Schwaighofer: MadeComfy's Journey

01:51 – Acquisition by Prism: A New Chapter

04:06 – Post-COVID: a tougher, smarter short-stay market

07:11 – NSW rules, caps, and what they really mean

11:15 – How other markets handle short-stay caps

14:14 – Demand shifts and investor behaviour in 2025

19:21 – Strategies for short-term rental success

25:04 – Where short-stays still shine (and struggle)

26:03 – What MadeComfy actually does for owners

27:02 – Beyond Airbnb: competing channels and share

28:26 – Common short-stay pitfalls (and fixes)

31:36 – Supply, yield, and the housing market picture

32:58 – Byron Bay: balancing tourism and housing

39:16 – What government should fix—and how

44:17 – Closing advice for owners and investors

About our Guest:

Quirin Schwaighofer is the Co-CEO & Co-Founder of MadeComfy, the Australian accommodation innovator helping real estate professionals and investors enter and scale in short-term and mid-term rentals with tech-driven operations and a trusted consumer brand. Since 2015, he’s raised $20M+ in growth capital, won multiple Shortyz awards, and led MadeComfy to recognition in AFR BOSS’s Best Places to Work and the AFR Fast 100.

In 2025, MadeComfy reached a major milestone with its acquisition by global hospitality platform OYO, marking Australia’s second-largest short-term rental industry exit after Stayz. Prior to MadeComfy, Quirin co-founded a mobile workforce platform (HiKey Resources), led large-scale projects at BHP Billiton Iron Ore, and even launched a hospitality venue while completing a Master in Industrial Engineering and an Executive MBA (AGSM @ UNSW). A German-born entrepreneur and dad of three, he blends strategic vision with hands-on ops across sales, marketing, and market expansion.

Connect with Quirin:

Website: https://www.madecomfy.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quirin-schwaighofer/

Resources:

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Chris Bates