Holiday Homes In Florida Affect Hotel Occupancy Figures

According to a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel, vacation homes are the wild card in Central Florida’s lodging industry — practically everyone in the travel business acknowledges their proliferation, but nobody concretely knows how many of them are out there.

The hotel industry has long suspected that the growing popularity of vacation homes has affected the occupancy levels in conventional lodging.

The homes, which look identical to year-round residents’ houses and condos, are instead used as short-term rentals, offering vacationers privacy and residential conveniences at prices that often undercut hotel rooms.

There is estimated to be around 25,000 to 30,000 vacation homes available in Central Florida - mostly in the Kissimmee and Davenport towns of Osceola and Polk County respectively.

Vacation homes are likely to suffer less than hotels because they are often more economical for families vacationing in groups and are very popular with the British, whose currency is faring unusually well against the U.S. dollar.

The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau said it wants to know more about the growing business. It is working with the Kissimmee Visitors & Convention Bureau to create a system for tracking the sector.

"I think vacation rentals are becoming increased competition for hotels, because their share continues to grow," said Orlando/Orange County CVB Research Director Daryl Cronk. "I hope this will create a more complete picture of the industry."

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