Hudson Valley Airbnb hosts earned $14 million in five big 2019 weekends

Local homeowners earned a combined $13.8 million in income while welcoming approximately 55,800 guest arrivals for the five biggest guest arrival weekends in 2019 across the region, including Columbus Day Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Labor Day Weekend, and peak fall foliage tourism weekends, according to the company.

During the five biggest weekends of 2019, Airbnb hosts in the Mid Hudson earned $13.8 million. These weekends in 2019 included:

2019 Weekend Dates	Total Guest Arrivals	Total Host Income	Upcoming 2020 Weekend Dates
May 24-26, 2019	11,800	$2.8 million	May 22-24, 2020
October 11-13, 2019	11,700	$2.5 million	October 9-11, 2020
August 30-September 1, 2019	11,300	$3 million	September 4-6, 2020
October 18-20, 2019	10,600	$2.3 million	October 16-18, 2020
August 16-18, 2019	10,400	$3.2 million	August 14-16, 2020

As usual, Ulster County led the way by a wide margin among Mid-Hudson counties.

County	Total 2019 Guest Arrivals	Total 2019 Host Income
Dutchess	57,700	$10 million
Orange	45,800	$7 million
Putnam	10,900	$2.1 million
Rockland	8,300	$1.6 million
Sullivan	34,300	$5.1 million
Ulster	184,600	$31.9 million
Westchester	36,800	$8.8 million

“The home sharing community provides significant value through expanded lodging capacity for Mid Hudson communities when hotels sell out during big events,” stated a release from Airbnb. “These include major conventions and concerts, and during summer tourism or ski season.”

The company also boasted that its business model brings money into communities, rather than siphoning it out (presumably as other tech companies are sometimes accused of doing).

“Since Airbnb was founded, hosts keep 97 percent and have earned over $65 billion sharing their homes that many use to pay the bills and pursue their passions,” stated the release.

Not everyone is thrilled with the growth of short-term rentals, which have been blamed by neighbors for increased noise and for contributing to a rise in housing costs, particularly for resident renters. The issue has been at the forefront in places like Gardiner and Woodstock.