St. Joseph County has over 5,400 hotel rooms and over 870 homes open for overnight stays
Ever wonder what’s going on at your neighbor’s house with people coming and going or why there are cars with out-of-town plates in the driveway?
They might just be hosting visitors by renting their house. This happens frequently in St. Joseph County and is known as a "short-term rental."
The traditional way of staying in a hotel while traveling has given some ground to staying at someone’s home who you likely don’t even know. Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) are two examples of online booking tools that facilitate these kinds of overnight stays.
From 2017: South Bend one of nation's hottest markets for home rentals on football weekends
In St. Joseph County, we are fortunate to have more than 5,400 hotel rooms in 54 different properties. These hotels welcomed millions of guests last year who contributed more than $5.5 million in local innkeepers’ tax and stayed nearly 1 million total nights last year!
What’s maybe not known is that on any given night in the county, there are on average of 870 homes available to book. In the fall, especially on football weekends, that number balloons to more than 1,400 homes. And to think that in October of 2014 there were only 53 homes available to rent on Airbnb and VRBO — the growth is incredible!
This choice of lodging options from Marriott to Hilton and Airbnb to VRBO within our area is important and provides for economic development, regardless of choice. A homeowner, on average, charges $452 per night to rent their home. While they likely owe fees to Airbnb or VRBO, St. Joseph County also receives 8% more because of the stay, just like a hotel. It is expected that more than 100,000 overnight stays in private residences will happen this year alone, which is 34% more than last year.
These positive returns do come with some challenges. Beyond those issues a homeowner and guest may face, we lose the ability to potentially communicate and help curate a stay for visitors while here. How do we tell them about the axe throwing at Generations AdverturePlex or the ice bumper cars at Mishawaka’s Ironworks Ice Rink?
If you’re a host renting your home to visitors, did you know you could provide guests with our South Bend Mishawaka area visitor guides? They’re free. All you need to do is fill out a simple form on our website to request them. And to neighbors of rental properties, feel free to welcome guests if you see them and share your favorite spots in the area.
Jeff Jarnecke: Visit South Bend Mishawaka welcomed more than 5,200,000 visitors to St. Joe County in 2022
To be clear, we want and need our 54 hotels to be healthy, strong and full. They provide the needed experience in St. Joseph County so visitors can enjoy our six colleges and universities, parks, sports facilities, and other attractions. They also allow us to book the meetings, conventions, sports and other events that require a hotel for the attendees. Our local hoteliers have made significant contributions to both our destination appeal and local economy and our future successes are contingent upon the health of the hotels.
As options for experiences within our county continue to grow, so will the variety of lodging choices for guests. Visit South Bend Mishawaka will be responsive and innovative to bring even more people to our region to fill the hotel rooms and homes alike.
Having choices for our visitors is important, as is the opportunity to share all the things to see and do while here. So, as we evolve as a destination and welcome others to our community, let’s make sure to say hello to our neighbors whether they are here for a night, a weekend or forever.
Visit South Bend Mishawaka is here to help tell our story, highlight our incredible experiences and bring the best to The Bend. Here are just a few exciting upcoming event highlights. To see more, head to visitsouthbend.com.
• October 7: Country Fest at Mishawaka’s Ironworks Plaza• October 14: Notre Dame Football vs. USC• October 21: Dia del Mercado at La Casa de Amistad• October 28: Notre Dame Football vs. Pittsburgh• October 29: Dia de los Muertos at the Morris Performing Arts Center
Jeff Jarnecke is the executive director of Visit South Bend Mishawaka (jjarnecke@visitsouthbend.com).
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Jarnecke: VSBM will be innovative in bringing visitors to our region
