More than 700 new listings in San Antonio were added to Airbnb in 2017, resulting in the highest growth rate in Texas, as technology improves and more people choose short-term rental properties rather than hotels.
The Alamo City, which added 701 new listings in 2017, ended the year with 1,656 total units available for rent on Airbnb. When comparing the monthly average number of listings from 2016 and 2017, San Antonio led Texas with the highest percentage increase of new listings at 82.7 percent year over year.
San Antonio was outdone only by Austin in the number of new Airbnb units added with 1,602 listings, though Austin had the state’s lowest percent change year over year with only a 29.3 percent increase.
According to AirDNA, a site that collects local Airbnb data, most of the new listings were for entire homes or apartment rentals, rather than rooms. Entire place listings nearly doubled in 2017 from 614 units to 1,164 units. The number of listings for private rooms increased from 312 to 476 units in December. The only form of San Antonio short-term rentals that declined in 2017 were shared rooms, which dropped from 29 listings in January to 16 listings in December.
While the average daily rate for Airbnb listings usually follows seasonal trends, the Alamo City ended the year with the state’s second most affordable short-term rental market compared to Austin, Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth. San Antonio’s daily rate averaged $147 per day in 2017, peaking in July at $159.50 per day and bottoming out in January at $133.47.
San Antonio was beaten in affordability only by Fort Worth, whose average daily rental rate ended the year at $146 per day. While San Antonio was one of the more affordable Airbnb markets in Texas, it was also the least profitable on the basis of revenue per average rental, with just $79 per rental per day. Leading the way was Austin, with an average revenue of $130 per day.
While not everyone uses short-term rental apps, such as Airbnb or HomeAway, its impact on communities across the country are undeniable. The San Antonio City Council will soon vote on whether to change certain rules that govern short-term rentals in the city.