The Rise of Mid-Term Stays: Redefining Travel Trends
Traveling trends evolve rapidly, shaping not only where people choose to stay but also how long they stay there. What travelers value today may look entirely different in just a few years. One of the most noteworthy developments? Spending several weeks, or even months, in one location.
This extended travel experience looks a lot different than the ‘typical’ approach of switching rentals or locations every few days. Known as the mid-term stay, it strikes a balance that appeals to both travelers and hosts. For property operators, it offers the ideal middle ground: fewer vacancies and turnover hassles, paired with reduced compliance challenges compared to long-term leases of six months or more.
Interested in making the most of this trend? It helps to understand the mid-term traveler’s mindset. Read on to learn why travelers are willing to stick around and what they expect from their mid-term rentals.
What Are Mid-Term Stays and How Are They Defined?
The definition of a ‘typical’ length of stay varies widely, influenced by factors like location and property type. For some hosts and guests, short weekend trips are the norm, while others prefer extended arrangements.
So, what counts as a mid-term stay? There is no simple answer, but insights from Expedia Group’s Travel Trend Report reveal that short-term rentals average 5.5 days. Similarly, the Mastercard Economics Institute also reports an average of 5.5 days for leisure trips.
Regional differences are notable, however. For properties in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), Expedia data shows that stays stretch closer to 7.5 days on average.
Compliance concerns can also be influential. In some municipalities, stricter regulations kick in when bookings extend beyond one month. Long-term tenancy, however, typically involves at least six months. This leaves some gray areas where mid-term rentals bridge the gap between short and long-term stays.
In this guide, we define short-term stays as those under 30 days, while long-term leases span six months or more. A mid-term apartment rental lands squarely in the middle, lasting between one and six months.
Macro Factors Driving the Popularity of Mid-Term Stays
The purpose of travel often plays the most significant role in determining the length of a stay, with workplace demands being particularly influential. While many vacationers dream of spending weeks abroad, limited paid time off frequently results in shorter trips spanning only a few days.
As workplaces evolve, exciting trends and technologies may give travelers greater flexibility than they’ve had in years past. These professional considerations accompany a few noteworthy trends, including the rise of the ‘slow travel’ movement.
Digital Nomads
The remote work revolution has given rise to a new type of traveler: the digital nomad. With greater freedom and flexibility, these individuals blend remote work with leisure, creating a unique travel style. They often dedicate a portion of their day to work before venturing out to explore local sights in the evenings. With limited hours per day for sightseeing, however, they may prefer to spend more time in each location.
Paid Time Off
Some professionals enjoy generous paid time off (PTO) arrangements. Open and unlimited leave policies are becoming more popular, with the 2024 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Employee Benefits Survey revealing that seven percent of employers now offer such policies. Notably, one in five U.S. residents desires these options. By promoting flexibility, these arrangements, especially when paired with remote or hybrid work models, make longer stays, including mid-term rentals, increasingly viable for travelers.
Traveling Positions
While leisure drives many bookings, rentals are essential for professionals on the move. Traveling employees often book mid-term rentals lasting several weeks or months, durations that feel too long for a hotel stay but too short to justify signing a long-term lease.
Travel nurses, engineers, and power crews frequently use these for work projects. Businesses may even opt for larger properties to house multiple employees, ensuring everyone has the space and amenities needed to stay productive and relaxed.
Slow Travel
Not all rental decisions are prompted by workplace concerns. Travel trends may also spark longer stays, especially as more vacationers embrace the concept of slow travel.
This represents a more laid-back approach, in which travelers aim to fully immerse themselves in each location. It’s wildly popular, with insights from travel goods brand Carl Friedrik indicating that an overwhelming 94 percent of Americans wish to experience slow travel one day. Their goal? To feel less rushed, minimize stress, and gain a deeper understanding of local culture and lifestyle.
Slow travel typically involves spending at least a week in one location, although many travelers opt for even longer stays. Some prefer to settle in for a month or more, finding comfort in the flexibility and sense of connection that mid-term rentals provide.
Micro Factors Encouraging Travelers to Book Longer Rentals
Workplace trends and slow travel may be influential, but unique traveler preferences or location-specific concerns can also lead to longer rentals. For many travelers, this ultimately comes down to affordability. Mid-term stays often involve significant discounts, which can greatly diminish the overall cost of travel. Additional savings are possible when avoiding travel expenses such as extra train or plane tickets.
Other behavior shifts must also be considered. As guests adopt an ethos of slow travel, their expectations change considerably. They may, for example, find more joy in relaxing within serene rentals than in rushing from one attraction to the next.
Interestingly, tasks like cooking or running errands, often dreaded at home, can become part of the charm during a longer stay. These rituals allow guests to immerse themselves in the rhythms of their temporary home, creating a deeper connection to the destination.
How Hosts and Operators Can Adapt to the Rise of Mid-Term Stays
The rising popularity of mid-term stays can drive exciting opportunities for today’s hosts and operators. These longer stays could limit vacancies while also reducing the time and labor required to clean properties between stays. Adaptations can be expected, however, including strategic adjustments that help hosts appeal to discerning visitors.
Optimize Marketing
Listings that seem compelling to short-term vacationers may be less impressive from the remote worker or slow traveler’s perspective. Marketing efforts must be carefully tailored to reflect the mid-term guest’s unique preferences and pain points.
Start by emphasizing discounts for extended stays, but don’t stop there. Highlight practical amenities like full kitchens, laundry facilities, or dedicated home offices that support remote work. Accompany these features with clear, high-quality images to make your listing stand out to mid-term travelers looking for both comfort and functionality.
Choose the Right Platform
Platform selection may also prove influential. While mid-term rental Airbnbs and VRBO remain excellent options and can certainly accommodate mid-term guests, hosts may also explore specialized mid-term rental websites or platforms that promote longer stays. Furnished Finder, for example, aims to accommodate corporate travelers, while Blueground focuses on fully furnished apartments for monthly stays.
Consult Platform Guides
Many mid-term rental platforms offer comprehensive resources for hosts seeking to accommodate longer-term guests. Airbnb, for example, offers a detailed how-to guide referencing everything from tenant rights to possible evictions. Similarly, Furnished Finder highlights best practices and even offers a Mid-Term Rental 101 guide.
Challenges and Considerations of Hosting Mid-Term Stays
While mid-term stays promise many advantages, they also present a few unique challenges. Some can be addressed with minor adjustments, while others may require significant property updates and ongoing maintenance.
Discerning Guests
Catering to mid-term travelers often means meeting higher expectations. These guests typically seek the true comforts of home, including fully stocked kitchens, dedicated home offices, cleaning supplies, and even amenities for children. Adequate storage space is also a priority, as longer stays often require room to settle in comfortably. Successfully accommodating these demands can enhance guest satisfaction and help hosts stand out in the growing mid-term rental market.
Wear and Tear
With guests engaging in the day-to-day activities of longer stays, wear and tear becomes an inevitable consideration for hosts. While it can be tempting to forgo cleaning services during longer stays, this can cause problems. Not all guests clean regularly, and, as a result, dirt, debris, and odors can accumulate.
Other concerns, such as pests, may be difficult to spot when cleaning services remain sporadic. Regular cleaning and maintenance ensure that mid-term properties remain in pristine condition, improving guest satisfaction.
Struggling to keep up with complex maintenance requirements? Look to Turno for support. Offering trusted cleaning services and easy-to-use scheduling tools, Turno helps you put your mid-term vacation rentals on autopilot.
Cost Considerations
Revenue management plays a crucial role in maximizing the profitability of mid-term rentals. A detailed cost-benefit analysis should reveal the best approach to achieve a maximum return on investment.
Short-term rentals, while labor-intensive, allow for dynamic pricing and higher nightly rates, which can help offset occasional vacancies. In contrast, mid-term stays provide steady income and reduce turnover costs but may require more competitive pricing. By carefully tracking operating expenses, hosts can strike a balance, offering pricing schemes that appeal to mid-term travelers while ensuring a strong return on investment.
Regulatory Compliance
Zoning and rental regulations become increasingly complex as lengths of stay increase. Many municipalities establish a threshold of just 30 days for when stricter regulations take effect. Landlord-tenant laws may also come into play, granting guests additional rights. Failure to comply could result in harsh penalties.
Depending on the type of rental, homeowners’ association (HOA) rules may deliver additional complications. Some HOAs, for example, strictly prohibit longer stays, even when these appear permissible based on local zoning laws.
Squatters Rights
If squatters remain physically present for a certain period of time, and the owner does not take action to evict these individuals, they may gain ‘adverse possession’ or squatter’s rights. This typically requires years of continuous possession but still represents a real risk when clear documentation is lacking. Adverse possession also becomes more likely when hosts neglect to conduct regular inspections or otherwise fall behind on maintenance.
The Future Outlook of Mid-Term Stays
As the job market evolves and interest in slow, sustainable travel continues to grow, mid-term stays are poised to remain in high demand.
Moving forward, advanced technologies are likely to play an even greater role in the mid-term rental market. From improved property management tools to enhanced platforms for promoting listings, these innovations will help hosts streamline operations, attract the right guests, and manage bookings with greater ease and efficiency.
Action Steps for Hosts
Ready to make the most of mid-term opportunities? Follow these simple steps to optimize your property for mid-term stays:
- Explore pricing schemes: Establish weekly or monthly rates. For mid-term rentals, aim for discounts of at least 10 percent to ensure that discounts appear in search results.
- Examine current amenities or furnishings: Upgrade to sturdier items that withstand long-term wear and tear. Add practical features that reflect the comforts and conveniences of home.
- Clarify lease terms: Avoid misunderstandings with detailed scheduling insights, plus cancellation terms, check-out procedures, and guest responsibilities. Clarify that subletting is not allowed.
- Arrange for scheduled cleanings: Maintain your property in pristine condition with scheduled cleanings. Use Turno to streamline the process, leveraging its simplified scheduling and management tools to delegate cleaning tasks efficiently.
Transform Your Rentals to Thrive with Mid-Term Stays
Mid-term rentals offer a powerful opportunity to enhance guest satisfaction while boosting profitability. The right tools and resources can make all the difference. Use the Turno platform to streamline operational management and elevate mid-term rental experiences.
