Historic Savannah Residential Guest Accommodations

The Savannah STVR community consists of over 1400 Small Business Owners, about ½ are women. And  also a network of thousands of lawn keepers, housekeepers, local venders and other  businesses and individuals who are working together to provide the necessary services, help and support for the Short Term Vacation Rental owners.

The Savannah STVR community is associated with the largest hospitality marketing network in the world that accommodates more visitors globally every night than the top 5 hotel corporations combined. AirBnb alone has a million and a half new travelers who sign on EVERY DAY.

Savannah STVR Community is responsible for:

1. Recovering, restoring, and greatly improving or inspiring renovations of at least 60% of the residential properties in the historic district.
2. Sustaining the Short Term Vacation Rental business.
3. Investing the dollars to establish the Short Term Vacation Rental business, and investing the dollars to maintain the Short Term Vacation Rental business.

Other positive considerations of the Short-term Vacation Rentals in Savannah:

• Because of the STVR Community, Savannah is now more architecturally sound.
• The STVR community operates at a much higher standard.
• STVR properties pay a tax to ‘apply’ for a business certificate, and an additional ongoing annual fee to maintain legal status.
• Properties are responsible for the regular properties tax everyone pays for residential property, PLUS also pay the City a tax of 6% on all dollars generated and 7% tax to the State.
• STVR is a self-policing business, and only good reviews by renters keep the business open. Good reviews assure other new renters that the property is what was represented to them, and what they expected.
• It takes at least 3 members of the community to assure the housekeeping, grounds and property upkeep remain at the highest quality.
• STVR’s have caused thousands of new opportunities, and jobs for other local businesses and individuals who now also rely on the success of this new industry.
• STVR is now 4% of all of Savannah’s hospitality income, as well as having developed thousands of individuals into a new form of the hospitality industry.

There are many reasons why a community needs Short Term Rentals.

The number 1 use is for Vacations, but corporate travelers are a huge part of the market. There are people who travel for medical reasons. There are people who need short term rentals for university and medical school courses. There are reasons around large sporting and entertainment events. There are people who travel to visit family at military bases. There are emergencies, like the hurricane evacuation nightmare from Florida – it was short terms owners that allowed people to stay in their home for free.  There are special events like weddings, funerals, graduations, and people getting relocated for new work that need a short term until they find their new home.  Savannah has all of these needs.

This industry is seen as the most affordable option for month-long stays, and might be 25–50% cheaper than a hotel room. Some landlords permit pets.^[1] Booking is preceded by credit checks, damage and holding deposits, and departure cleaning fees.

They are Small Businesses, often Minority Owned. In Savannah more than half are owned by women. They presently represent 4% of the Hospitality taxes paid to the City of Savannah.

The home sharing community provides significant value through expanded lodging capacity for during different season.

Along with helping hosts earn important supplemental income, the STR marketing platform also helps generate revenue for local economies around the world.

According to just an AirBnb survey of more than 35,000 responses from their host and guest community in the United States**:

• 92 percent of their hosts say they recommend restaurants and cafes to guests.
• 56 percent said they recommend cultural activities such as museums, festivals, and historical sites to guests.
• 55 percent said hosting has helped them afford their homes.
• And on average guests say 41 percent of their spending occurs in the neighborhood where they stay. 

Unlike other business models that siphon the money they generate out of communities, STR activity directly benefits the communities. Just AirBnb since founded, has keep 97 percent of dollars going right back to the homeowners, that’s over $65 billion, returned to homeowners, for their hospitality, many use these dollars to pay the bills, and allows others to finally pursue their passions.

In addition, in 2019, just AirBnb reached a landmark cumulative $2 billion in tourist-related taxes that have been collected and remitted to local governments on behalf of our global host community over the past four years.

About AirBnb
AirBnb is one of the world’s largest marketplaces for unique, authentic places to stay and things to do, offering over 7 million accommodations and 40,000 handcrafted activities, all powered by local hosts? An economic empowerment engine, AirBnb has helped millions of hospitality entrepreneurs monetize their spaces and their passions while keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities. With more than half a billion guest arrivals to date, and accessible in 62 languages across 220+ countries and regions, AirBnb promotes people-to-people connection, community and trust around the world.