US Airbnb PricesSummer 2024

Historical article, originally published March 22, 2024. The market statistics, advertised prices and business claims below reflect the original article at that time. They are not current rates or guarantees of rental income.

Hello, and welcome to the Snowball Rentals WeChat account, where we share news and developments in the US short-term rental market.

Airbnb has long been a go-to choice for travelers seeking authentic experiences and rewarding vacations.

Citing Demandsage statistics described as the latest at the time, the article reported 2.25 million active Airbnb listings in the United States and described it as the country with the greatest demand for Airbnb accommodation. It also described the US as the most expensive country for Airbnb stays, with an average nightly cost of more than US$216.

After browsing lakefront properties, mountain villas, cozy cabins and fairy-tale castles, we cannot help wondering: where are the most expensive Airbnb listings in the United States?

Source: bestbrokers.com.

The BestBrokers.com team searched Airbnb for the most expensive listing in each state and ranked them by their nightly asking prices for July 2024, which the article described as a peak month for US vacation rentals.

Among them, this lake-view home on Mercer Island was identified as Washington State’s most expensive Airbnb, with an advertised nightly price of US$13,200.

Source: bestbrokers.com.

Across the United States, the survey’s most expensive Airbnb was Riverbend House in Aspen, Colorado. The article quoted US$55,700 per night and a total of US$390,000 for seven nights!

Source: bestbrokers.com.

The property was reportedly an eight-bedroom luxury villa with a fitness center, an outdoor swimming pool and a private cinema.

Source: bestbrokers.com.

Next came Crown Jewel on Lake Austin in Texas. The article quoted US$53,600 per night and US$375,100 for seven nights.

Source: bestbrokers.com.

Third was Sierra Sunset Estate in Nevada, with a quoted price of US$39,600 per night and US$277,200 for seven nights.

Source: bestbrokers.com.

The experience offered by these top-tier Airbnb properties might be beyond what even a luxury hotel can offer. Their prices are just as remarkable: one night could cost enough to buy a car.

As a homeowner, you may now be asking yourself: “My home is nice too, but how much could it earn on Airbnb? Would it earn more than a long-term rental? Would it be a lot of trouble?”

This week’s booking showcase

In this March 2024 article, Snowball Rentals described using longstanding partnerships with insurance, relocation and technology companies to secure mid- and long-term stays at short-term rental prices. It also described giving owners a “5% management-fee rebate,” with the stated aim of maximizing their returns. This is a historical description; the article did not specify the rebate’s calculation base.

Winter is the off-season for Seattle’s short-term rental market, and 2023 was particularly difficult. But some recent “large bookings” have felt like a ray of sunshine, making us hopeful about Airbnb’s performance this summer—summer 2024, in the original article’s context.

The article presented a Zillow listing for a detached home in Bellevue, described as having three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The saved screenshot showed a Rent Zestimate of approximately US$3,449 per month: a historical monthly rental estimate, rather than a documented long-term lease payment.

The owner placed considerable trust in the Snowball Rentals team and engaged us to operate the property as a short-term rental. The article described a series of encouraging results during that time.

The article reported that a guest booked through Airbnb for July 1 to August 1—a 31-night reservation. The screenshot marked the reservation as Confirmed; its dates were obscured, and the reservation year has not been verified.

The article gave the booking amount as US$9,944.25 for rent and cleaning combined. The reservation screenshot showed US$0 paid and US$9,944.25 due. This is a confirmed booking amount; the available record does not establish that payment was received or that the stay was completed.

After the Airbnb downturn in 2023, we at Snowball Rentals hope to help owners make a comeback in summer 2024!

Once again, we sincerely thank our owners for their trust and support. Whatever the market brings, Snowball Rentals will stand alongside you and keep looking for ways to improve your rental returns.

We know some owners will ask the hard questions: “Was a booking this large just a stroke of luck? What if the property does not rent? A long-term rental is more stable—even if it earns less, something is better than nothing!”

Our answer is: what you do makes a difference.

Competition on Airbnb is becoming increasingly intense. The days when you could furnish a place with assorted secondhand furniture, take a few photos on your phone and earn money effortlessly on Airbnb are over. Airbnb hosting is becoming more professional.

The article argued that careful design and furnishing before listing, followed by professional short-term rental operations after listing, were “the only choice” for consistently generating high rental income. This preserves the original article’s opinion, rather than a guarantee of results.

Here, we introduce another core part of Snowball Rentals’ work: vacation-rental styling and design!

Before styling and design

These are the design photographs presented separately in the original article. They have not been independently matched to the Bellevue reservation; the source’s two groups are retained.

After styling and design

When browsing Airbnb for a place to stay, would seeing these photos tempt you into an “impulse booking”?

This week’s short videos

We publish short videos every week.

All the content you need is here.

• Airbnb hosts: please do not secretly film guests and violate their privacy.
• How wild were Airbnb price increases in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl?
• How did the styling of a Seattle vacation rental created on a US$2,000 budget turn out?

We will also share the most practical vacation-rental styling and design plans and creative ideas, helping you achieve more on a small budget and keep rental income growing.

Source: Snowball Rentals’ WeChat article, published March 22, 2024, at 12:14 PM as displayed by the source; the timezone was not stated. The source illustrations include taxes and fees; their exact figures differ from the rounded amounts in the prose. The BestBrokers figures refer to advertised asking prices for July 2024, not verified booking income. Nightly prices and seven-night totals are reproduced as reported in the article, without independently reconciling their arithmetic.

The July 1–August 1 dates come from the article’s prose; the reservation screenshot’s dates were obscured and its year is unverified. The saved Zillow screenshot did not retain a valuation date. The US$3,449 monthly estimate and the US$9,944.25 rent-and-cleaning booking cover different periods and cost definitions and do not establish collected income or net returns. The Bellevue home and reservation are described according to the article; they have not been independently matched to a Guesty listing or to the before-and-after photographs. The gallery preserves the source’s before/after groups without asserting individual photo pairings.

Original title：How Wild Are US Airbnb Prices This Summer? US$53,600 a Night Only Ranks Second!