Report: Vacation rentals may overtake hotels in coming years

MILTON — With the growth in popularity of websites such as AirBnb or Vacation Rental By Owner, research shows vacation rentals should overtake the hotel industry by 2020, according to TurnKey Vacation Rentals’ 2018 Consumer Travel Survey.

“Based on our recent data study, condos are the most common lodging at 48.4 percent of our visitors to Santa Rosa County; 6.9 percent for house rentals while only 10.7 percent stayed in hotels [in] 2017,” Nicole Dees, tourist information specialist with the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office, said. “But note, vacation rentals are our largest accommodation segment in Santa Rosa County. Speaking with our visitors directly here at the Navarre Beach Visitor Center, our guests enjoy the comforts a vacation rental can provide, for example a fully equipped kitchen, laundry room, private bedrooms.

“Vacation rentals like condos, house rentals and townhouses offer unique vacation experiences for each visitor, based on their needs. Many of our returning tourists stay in the same condo unit or homes each year, building on a unique family tradition.”

TurnKey surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. travelers from January to February 2018. The survey included questions concerning frequency of travel in the last year, recent travel destinations and factors influencing choice, such as reviews and features when selecting a hotel or vacation rental.

According to the survey demographics, the typical vacation rental traveler books a room 2-3 months in advance, travels 4-6 hours to their destination, travels mostly to the beach and goes on vacation with their partner.

The survey found that when selecting housing accommodations, most travelers agreed that guest reviews and location are the primary deciding factors while choosing a rental. Twenty-four percent of survey respondents ranked guest reviews as the most important factor in choosing a vacation rental, while 48 percent ranked it in their top three. Nineteen percent ranked location as the most important factor, while 41 percent ranked it in their top three.

Pet-friendliness was ranked the least important factor in choosing a vacation rental, although 12 percent of respondents said they traveled with their pets. Those who did prefer pet-friendly accommodations ranked it as very important.

The majority of survey respondents said they traveled during the summer months of June, July and August, and their destinations were primarily beaches or major cities. Older demographics tend to favor traveling during warmer months, whereas millennials (ages 18-35) are more likely to travel throughout the year, according to the data. Seasonality does not affect a traveler’s preference toward vacation rentals and hotels.

According to the report, the leading reason travelers choose a vacation rental over hotel is because rentals generally offer greater personal and shared spaces. The survey found that 60 percent of respondents see “more room” as a reason to choose a vacation rental.

Vacation rental travelers also value the opportunity to experience something unique and different. Approximately 42 percent of people said they chose a rental for a unique experience, one that many hotels cannot offer.

Cleanliness is the most prominent deciding factor for a traveler’s vacation rental experience, according to the survey data. More than 40 percent of respondents ranked cleanliness as the most important feature when staying in a vacation rental.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Report: Vacation rentals may overtake hotels in coming years