Animal Crossing marathons, celebrity golf, TikTok’s entire reason for being – the dystopia we live in has given rise to an industry of escapism.
Vacation-rental companies — decimated by the demise of travel — are trying to cash in. Among their strategies: Turn the 3-night stay into a 3-month stay — or a 3-hour stay.
Bury your head in the (literal) sand
Why quarantine in the ‘burbs when you could live out your Outer Banks fantasy?
With most travel still restricted, longer stays in North Carolina’s Outer Banks and the New England coast are on the rise. These cushy corona cribs offer guests a chance to weather the storm in style (and get a tan). See you soon, John B.
Historically, the average Airbnb stay in major US cities is less than a week. But Airbnb and other companies have reported a significant increase in 1 to 6 month rentals, with some hosts fully transitioning to long-term bookings.
Housing experts believe the emphasis on extended rentals could be permanent, as remote work unshackles more employees from their offices.
The classic pantry hiding spot gets an upgrade
For those of you who are stuck at home with no long-term getaway on the horizon: The startup Globe is taking the opposite approach and renting out space by the hour.
Many Airbnb hosts transferred listings to Globe after non-essential travel was canceled, turning their spaces into temporary offices instead of overnight lodging.
Founded in June 2019, Globe prospered after lockdowns went into effect. More than 100k people are on the guest waitlist, and 20k of them joined over the last ~2 months.
But the boom times may be short lived: According to TechCrunch, San Francisco sent Globe a letter last week saying the business appeared to violate the city’s shelter-in-place order.
