Skift Take
The trend of themes in vacation rentals is niche, but popular — is it also a viable investment in the long-term?
This year has been an eventful one for short-term rentals around the world: The boom-bust saga and seeming unending fights about new regulations.
One aspect of the business that gets overlooked is themed rentals. Airbnb’s Barbie House in Malibu, the Hobbiton in New Zealand and Booking.com’s latest Willy Wonka-inspired rooms in Los Angeles and New York City are all examples of themed accommodations. Often categorized as “unique stays” for data purposes, these are becoming a sub-category of their own.
Orlando — Themed Land of Disney, UniversalLet's start with Orlando. By some rough estimates, 79% of Orlando’s rental market consists of entire home rentals. Kissimmee, Florida, which is 30 minutes south of Orlando with over 30,000 vacation homes, is touted as the vacation home capital of the world.
It is mandatory for those operating in this busy market to differentiate themselves. And if one can hitch a ride on the backs of Disney World and Universal Studios – why not?
“Themed rentals put you at the top of the category, and you're just piggybacking off of Universal Studios’, Disney's and SeaWorld’s marketing dollars to bring people to the area and your property sits at the top and is getting rented,” said Josh Luttrell, co-founder of Home Theme Orlando, which specializes in theme-based renovations.
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