Business

Short-term rentals in eclipse path booked solid

Airbnbs and other similar short-term rental offerings are solidly booked in the lead-up to the total solar eclipse that will cross North America Monday. 

Occupancy rates spiked to 88 percent for listings located within the path of totality, according to estimates from short-term rental analytics platform AirDNA.

Hosts are preparing for when the moon blocks the sunlight Monday, a rare astronomical phenomenon occurring for the first time since 2017 that will be seen in 15 U.S. states. 

At least 2,300 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada in the path of totality have active listings, according to AirDNA estimates. 

Most of the hotels, short-term rentals and other options have been booked for weeks. 

Cities in Oklahoma, New York, Ohio, Arkansas, Indiana, Vermont and Texas have the highest occupancy rates. 

Jeffersonville, Vt., has the highest percentage of booked listings — 99.2 percent. Buffalo, N.Y., follows with 98.2 percent. 

Elsewhere, more than 95.3 percent of the 4,700-plus listings in Dallas are booked for the eve of the eclipse, as are almost 87 percent of the approximately 9,600 listings in Austin, Texas.

AirDNA gathers booking data from short-term rental properties around the world, combing through listings on Airbnb and Vrbo.