Lexington ranks among top Airbnb stays this fall. See what local hosts made last year
Two years into the coronavirus pandemic and with many restrictions now relaxed, people are eager to leave the masks, social distancing and virtual events behind and get back to their favorite pastimes this fall.
That mindset is showing up in Americans’ travel habits, according to a recent Airbnb report, which took a look at the trending destinations for upcoming travel this fall based on nights booked on its platform.
As a draw for University of Kentucky athletics fans and equine enthusiasts in autumn, Lexington is ninth on the short-term rental platform’s list.
Here are the top Airbnb trending destinations in the U.S. for fall travel, based on nights booked:
- Ocean City, N.J.
- Bella Vista, Ark.
- Oxford, Miss.
- Santa Ana, Calif.
- La Mesa, Calif.
- Baton Rouge, La.
- Ann Arbor, Mich.
- Lubbock, Texas
- Lexington, Ky.
- Wheat Ridge, Colo.
Along with the UK’s Homecoming celebration, set to kick off Oct. 14 and 15, the Breeders’ Cup is also returning to Lexington this year Nov. 4 and 5.
“People are very eager to travel, and they’re doing it by themselves,” Airbnb spokesperson Haven Thorn said in an interview. “We’re noticing that single-day travel is on the rise.”
Airbnb notes more travelers this fall are willing to venture out on their own and are using Labor Day weekend as an opportunity to fly solo. The website said it’s seen an increase in single-trip bookings for the holiday weekend by more than 20% compared to the same period last year.
Sept. 4 was the date with the largest number of check-ins at U.S. destinations in 2021, Airbnb said. That weekend was a lucrative opportunity for local hosts.
On that day alone, U.S. Airbnb hosts earned more than $140 million combined. Taking the weekend as a whole, last year hosts made more than $300 million altogether. The median host payout equated to nearly $750 in extra income from the weekend’s stays, Airbnb said.
In Lexington during fall 2021, hosts earned more than $4.7 million combined, with a median host payout of more than $5,600 from September through December, according to figures provided by Airbnb.
What’s more, new listings activated and booked in the first quarter of 2022 are getting booked faster compared to a year ago – with the average time to get a first booking for the majority of new listings being about a week, Airbnb said.
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