| A record-breaking number of Americans are expected to fly this weekend. Many of them will be traveling to stay with friends or family, but some, like me, will be heading to short-term rentals. I’ll be staying in an Airbnb in upstate New York with friends.
Demand for short-term rentals on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo surged coming out of the pandemic and has continued to increase into this year. One analytics site forecast a 10% increase in nights booked on these platforms for the year.
But with many more listings available, the increased supply has more than offset the pickup in demand. That’s left hosts having to hustle, dropping prices and worrying about whether last-minute guests will come through.
The slowdown is particularly pronounced for hosts with properties in the “meh middle” of listings.
While luxe rentals with hot tubs and firepits book months in advance and cheap and cheerful locations attract budget-conscious travelers, the properties in between are getting squeezed. |