Andrew Jonson
Posted on 27th January 2022
Top US vacation rental markets hit by Hurricane Ian (maps), Steve Milo reports from Florida, Airbnb not to refund guests.
5 mins read
Article Takeaway
For local inhabitants and businesses, the disaster is also economic. Florida is a big travel market. With great beaches and world-famous attractions such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, the state attracts many families who book a vacation rental for their stay. Cities like Orlando and Kissimmee usually rank high in market size for vacation rental revenues.
A revived and deadly Hurricane Ian is barreling its way north toward South Carolina’s coast today, a day after landing on the Gulf Coast and carving a path of destruction across central Florida. It is not only a disaster for local inhabitants but also a potentially big hit to the U.S. vacation rental industry: 22% of all U.S. vacation rentals are located in Florida, was telling us VTrip’s Steve Milo a couple of months ago. You will see that Steve has found the time to share how he’s dealing with the dire situation on the ground. The U.S. southeastern region captures a majority of all vacation rentals in the country.
As of writing, Hurricane Ian is now hitting the Carolinas, where big travel markets such as Hilton Head are located, as we will see through maps. Property managers on the ground have to try and fix impossible situations. Should guests be refunded or not? Often, it comes down to whether they followed the advice of a travel professional and took an insurance policy. This is a big test for Airbnb, as its much-publicized new AirCover guarantees do not cover guests from hurricanes. Yet, Airbnb’s new travel insurance does not mention hurricanes or weather events. Can Airbnb guests understand the difference?
Hurricane Ian struck Florida on Wednesday, leaving about 2.6 million homes and businesses without power. Now, the hurricane is threatening Charleston and the Carolinas. First, I’d like to give some thoughts to all the local inhabitants who have to prepare for, go through, and face the aftermath of the biggest hurricane ever recorded in the U.S. Many lives have probably been lost.
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