NOLA Short-Term Rental Hosts Are Raking It In Ahead of Super Bowl

Football fans near and far are ready to party it up in the Big Easy for Super Bowl weekend.

New Orleans is hosting Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, and short-term rental hosts in the city are raking in the big bucks.

Hosts are banking an average of $1,450 per available night—over 8 times the usual, according to new data from Beyond, a leading vacation rental revenue management company, which partners with Booking.com, Airbnb, NOLA local rental Stay Redamo and other short-term rental (STR) platforms.

“It’s incredible for New Orleans, and we’re expecting to see these rates go even higher,” Beyond CEO Julie Brinkman tells Realtor.com®.

As of Jan. 30, revenue from STRs such as Airbnb and VRBO for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday weekend surrounding the Sunday game had reached $10.5 million, according to rental analytics company AirDNA (not related to Airbnb).

These two platforms are raking in between $670 and $690 a night, far above the usual under $400 per night, and 62.6% higher year over year than rentals seen on a non-Super Bowl February weekend.

Hosts using Beyond are seeing an 11% premium over the $ 1,450-a-night average, says Brinkman.

“We’re all really excited for NOLA,” she tells Realtor.com. “The people have had some rough months with the snowstorm and the terror attack. So we’re so pleased to see hosts being able to make the most of Super Bowl weekend.”

New Orleans has a limited supply of short-term rentals, less than the two previous Super Bowl host cities—Phoenix and Las Vegas—so it can demand higher prices.

Furthermore, NOLA’s perennially popular Mardi Gras is just around the corner.

“What makes New Orleans particularly interesting is how the Super Bowl is conveniently timed with the city’s traditional peak season around Mardi Gras festivities,” says AirDNA.

Fans are coming from all over the U.S. All regions are represented from the East to West coasts, according to Airbnb, with these top areas:

• Arlington, TX
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Kansas City. MO
• Jersey City, NJ
• Jersey Shore, NJ
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York
• Philadelphia, PA
• South Florida Atlantic Coast

Game time will cost you big-time

If you’re going to be in the Big Easy for the big game, get out your wallet. Actually, get out your credit card—and make sure there’s a steep limit.

Extremely high demand for Super Bowl tickets has pushed occupancy to 81% and the average daily rate to $1,773, a whopping jump from the yearly average of $313, according to Beyond.

Nearly 16,000 rentals have been sold out across those three nights, according to the outlet.

Bookings are happening later than usual, with a 35-day lead time. Smaller units are dominating, with travelers scrambling for one or two bedrooms for last-minute decisions to head to NOLA.

“We’re seeing clear evidence of accelerated bookings following the playoff games,” says AirDNA. “This contrasts sharply with Mardi Gras booking patterns, which usually plateau about 3 weeks before the event.”

If you’ve got a hankering to see the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles vie for the Vince Lombardi trophy, and maybe catch No. 1 fan Taylor Swift in the stands, there are still plenty of rentals available if you can pay for the stay.

The Airbnb rush

Airbnb says there has been a crush of NOLA searches on dates coinciding with the game compared with the weekend before—up 400%.

“Generally speaking, big events like the Super Bowl spark significant travel demand that boosts local economies—hosts earn supplemental income and nearby businesses (restaurants, shops, and attractions) benefit from visitor spending,” says Haven Thorn, media representative at Airbnb.

A search on Airbnb for a stay starting Friday night and ending Monday morning revealed a cluster of $1,000-plus-a night-rentals. This listing offering a king-sized bed and two sofa beds will run you $4,500, plus the $635 service fee.

This entire house, with a 1.4-mile walk to the dome, and four bedrooms, will cost you $22,497 for three nights, plus the $3,176 fee.

Plug in the weekend after the Big Game, however, and watch the prices plummet, with many listings offering the comparative bargain of $100-plus nights.

Last-minute bookers can still score a deal

Believe it or not, you can still land a deal.

Brinkman suggests going to property managers directly, which you can do through such sites as BookNola.com and BigEasyManagement.com.

“It’s all about going direct,” she advises. “Call these managers and see if they’re willing to strike a deal. It’s not too late!”