Why ‘bleisure’ travel gives short-term rentals like Airbnb a boost over hotels

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Some call it “ bleisure travel,” “laptop lugging,” “workations” or simply “blended travel.” The gist is the same: Remote and hybrid employees extend work trips to include leisure activities or work during their leisure trips. Quarterly demand growth for short-term rentals has outpaced that for hotels since the first quarter of 2022, when travel began to fully rebound from the pandemic, according to a 2023 report from AirDNA and STR/CoStar, hospitality industry analytic services. “And when people are looking to stay longer, there’s a higher propensity for them to book a short-term rental.” Many short-term rentals offer discounts for extended stays, which is attractive for bleisure travelers. “We’re seeing all that demand growth in larger homes.” Travelers combining work and play are looking for larger accommodations out of major cities that they can rent for longer.