Current BnB Occupancy and Rates Across North America?

[An Old Tavernkeeper]

Curious as to how others are doing. Our average rate is down very slightly but our occupancy has sky-rocketed.

In April and May room rates were bare bones but ran over 90% occupancy with elderly people from New York and NJ trying to escape the pandemic doing stays of 2 to 6 weeks. So final numbers were well less than 50% of a usual spring.

June rates came back to 80% of normal and occupancy stayed above 80% so sales were just to the low side of a normal June.

Then July came... we just set a new record for the 20 years we have been here for the month of July. Usually the heat and rain drive people away from the Virginia vineyards and towards the beaches. August is starting with this tropical storm but still looks to be a record setting August on tap.

Do you all see the same thing? People want to travel, people need to go to work functions and it seems there is a huge shift away from the chain hotels and back to personal service and hospitality.

My gut feel is there is a boom coming for smaller, cleaner, more personal properties!

 

[Arks]

I'm getting a few reservations from people a couple of hours away, just looking to spend a couple of days away from home, since most people aren't flying to major destinations this year.

I have very little availability, but that's mainly because I'm blocking off days before and after each reservation, so my calendar has more blocked days than occupied days!

I started with blocking 3 days on either side of each reservation. Then CDC & WHO said surface transmission was less of a problem than originally thought, so I cut back to a 2-day block. Next month, if things continue OK, I'll cut back to a 1-day block, probably for the rest of the year. I won't go back to same day flips until we have a safe and effective vaccine.

 

[Morticia]

You’re killing me! We were closed from March - May. Open only to locals in June. So, we’re now, in August, running at about 5-10% occupancy. So, yeah, we’re off by 90%. June occupancy was 0%.

 

[gillumhouse]

With occupancy rates of 80% or more, I would suggest raising rates by a minimum of $5 to $10 per night.

 

[April]

Since middle of March had 1 stay in May and have a booking for next week. Hopefully will not cancel. Beside that, have a couple of booking for September but since they are guests from Europe-waiting for cancellation. To summarize -we made $700 in 4.5 months.

 

[gillumhouse]

I have been fortunate enough to have enough bookings each month since April to pay the bills. I do not get cancellations because it is rare to have a rez far in advance. I DO have one in October for an anniversary and in November for my B & Bs For Vets offering (still have one room available for that) - as I said, rare.

 

[An Old Tavernkeeper]

I have been raising the rates $10 or so per room night each week. For stats nerds:

ADR	2019	2020
April	161.94	61.24
May	186.52	79.02
Jun	171.76	125.56
Jul	141.55	155.55
Aug	137.93	163.27

I figured it was better to lower rates to keep the business functioning. But now people are so starved for social situations we are packed. The trend is last second bookings but also getting longer stays. People want to check in and not bar hop from hotel to hotel

 

[An Old Tavernkeeper]

I had $14k in cancellations for the second half of March through reopening in full on May 8th. But Kathleen is right, the one advantage of all of these last minute bookings now is no cancellations. The disadvantage is it is so hard to plan anything.

 

[gillumhouse]

I had $14k in cancellations for the second half of March through reopening in full on May 8th. But Kathleen is right, the one advantage of all of these last minute bookings now is no cancellations. The disadvantage is it is so hard to plan anything.

Planning is not hard. I plan & then I block. I am City Clerk in my City (VERY SMALL stipend) and used my house as a polling place so the City did not have to pay for a polling place. I blocked my online reservations for three nights but ended up with a booking the next day - funeral that called doe a room. No recoup day. Tomorrow I get to sleep until I wake up!!

 

[Generic]

No one is travelling here to the cities. Only the country, small towns. In some parts of the country, the restaurants are just outside and takeaway. I think some are open inside now, but you need to register for contact tracing.

 

[JimBoone]

Curious as to how others are doing.

My gut feel is there is a boom coming for smaller, cleaner, more personal properties!

We were closed mid-March into early June, now limited to 50% and blocking several days usually between guests, so yes it limits, but we do seem to have guests, both regulars and new folks. Miss the income, but have been able to work on some projects.

 

[TarahDunlop]

Curious as to how others are doing. Our average rate is down very slightly but our occupancy has sky-rocketed.

In April and May room rates were bare bones but ran over 90% occupancy with elderly people from New York and NJ trying to escape the pandemic doing stays of 2 to 6 weeks. So final numbers were well less than 50% of a usual spring.

June rates came back to 80% of normal and occupancy stayed above 80% so sales were just to the low side of a normal June.

Then July came... we just set a new record for the 20 years we have been here for the month of July. Usually the heat and rain drive people away from the Virginia vineyards and towards the beaches. August is starting with this tropical storm but still looks to be a record setting August on tap.

Do you all see the same thing? People want to travel, people need to go to work functions and it seems there is a huge shift away from the chain hotels and back to personal service and hospitality.

My gut feel is there is a boom coming for smaller, cleaner, more personal properties!

I have seen experienced the same here and I think your assessment of the traveler is correct.

 

[GoodScout]

Our July this year matched last year, but last year was down 30% from normal so not sure I should be crowing about that.
Our advance bookings for August, September and October are running about 20% of last year. We're finding most of our guests are booking very, very last-minute -- day before or day of arrival.

 

[An Old Tavernkeeper]

We're finding most of our guests are booking very, very last-minute -- day before or day of arrival.

That seems to be similar to our current booking pattern, I will be forlorn on Monday and fully booked for the weekend by Wednesday. I am now full for this weekend except one room and a week ago I had zero bookings. Currently full with hurricane evacuees, so again high occupancy but lower dollars.

 

[McQuade72]

Our Inn is on the coast near Acadia National Park in Maine. June was very quiet with strict restrictions off by 60%. July w lighter but still restrictions was off by 35%. August same restrictions is coming in very busy...Should be 75% of last year. Considering only 6 states allowed in wo a negative Covid test or 14 day quarantine.

 

[Anon Inn]

As booking dates near for 'the regulars', they mostly cancel, but at this time of year, people are booking 1 to 2 days from stay. Some ask for same day, once in a blue I accept, but never those who phone, text or email late.

 

[Anon Inn]

No one is travelling here to the cities. Only the country, small towns.

The small, out of the way aspect is what draws most here right now. Those who track case counts in our state feel safer coming to an area with a very low count. Our population is rural and distanced. Only one small town. People have, for the most part, playing by the rules and being respectful while shopping. Because I do have guests, I only socialize outside, and at a distance from others.

 

[user 26]

For last minute reservations, are you someplace not requiring a negative covid test?

I had to turn down an invite to go away for the weekend because I can’t get a test and results in time.

 

[GoodScout]

For last minute reservations, are you someplace not requiring a negative covid test?

I had to turn down an invite to go away for the weekend because I can’t get a test and results in time.

We can take last-minute reservations as long as they certify that they've been self-quarantining for the 14 days prior to showing up there.

 

[Morticia]

We can take last-minute reservations as long as they certify that they've been self-quarantining for the 14 days prior to showing up there.

Do you think people understand what that means? I don’t. This is what I’ve heard:
Oh we never going anywhere, everyone comes to our house.
Oh we only go to the grocery store, we don’t go ‘out.’
I only go to work, otherwise I stay home.

We’ve had guests tell us they’ll quarantine here but they are shocked when I ask what they’re going to eat. They think they’ll just run out for pizza and beer and eat it in their room. And, they’ll just take a quick look at such and such store, ‘but we’ll wear a mask!’