Q2 2026
Carolina Coast Short-Term Rental Market Report
Booking Lead Times Shortening, ADR Holding, June Still Filling
Table des matières
27 %
The Quarter in 3 Signals
Understanding what the Carolina Coast is doing right now is the difference between reacting to summer and getting ahead of it. The signals below reflect real shifts in how and when guests are booking for Q2 2026 across the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, and Hilton Head Island.
Booking Lead Times Are Shorter Than Last Year
Median booking lead times on the Carolina Coast are running shorter in 2026 than they were at the same point in 2025. In the Outer Banks, May lead times dropped from 75 days in 2024 to 68 days in 2025, and June lead times fell from 119 to 86 days. Guests are committing later. Operators set up for short-lead demand will capture the most revenue when summer demand arrives.
ADR Is Holding Across All Three Markets
ADR held firm through Q2 2025 across the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, and Hilton Head, and forward pricing signals for 2026 are consistent. Outer Banks ADR ran $376 in May and $513 in June. Hilton Head commanded $474 in May and $584 in June. Pricing power has not eroded. The revenue opportunity is there for operators who hold rate.
June Is Still Building
Forward occupancy for June 2026 is currently 43–64% in the Outer Banks and 34–50% in Myrtle Beach. Both markets have historically filled in the final 30 days before arrival. Current on-the-books numbers do not tell you much about where June ends up. Operators discounting now to move inventory are getting ahead of demand that has not shown up yet.
Market Pulse
Q 2026 vs Q2 2025 — Key Metrics
~62%
Pacing +17% YoY
Adj. Paid Occupancy
$463
Pacing +17% YoY
ADR
$290
Pacing +12% YoY
RevPAN
57 Days
Pacing -26% YoY
Avg. Booking Window
4.7 Nights
Stable YoY
Avg. Length of Stay
+2%
Pacing YoY
ADR Growth
Partner metrics are blended and weighted by listing count across the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, and Hilton Head Island. Pacing figures compare Q2 2026 on-the-books data against where Q2 2025 stood at the same point in the booking cycle. All occupancy figures are adjusted occupancy (occupied days divided by available nights, excluding blocked periods). Final Q2 results will be determined by late-stage demand arriving in May and June.
What This Means
Carolina Coast guests are booking closer to arrival than they were last year. In the Outer Banks, May lead times dropped from 75 days in 2024 to 68 days in 2025. June fell from 119 days to 86. The window for building advance occupancy is shorter than it used to be, so operators expecting the same early-season booking curve from prior years will see softer numbers in April and May. June fills late here. It always has.
What To Watch
June adjusted occupancy in the Outer Banks is currently running at 43 to 64% depending on the week, with the strongest numbers in the third week of June. Myrtle Beach June is sitting at 34 to 50%. Both gaps versus 2025 final actuals are expected given where we are in the booking cycle. The demand window for June has not opened yet. Watch May for the surge in short-lead summer bookings that fills both markets.
BOOKING WINDOW TREND:
Average Days from Booking to Arrival
Period
2025 Actual (days)
2026 Pacing (days)
YoY Change
April
46 days
46 days
Flat
May
75 days
68 days
-9% YoY
June
119 days
86 days
-28% YoY — short-lead window still to come
Q2 Avg.
~80 days
~67 days
-16% YoY
Strategic Implication
Shorter booking lead times make rate discipline more important, not less. When guests are booking 30 to 45 days out, operators who have already cut prices to build early occupancy have locked in lower revenue with no way to recover it. Properties that hold rate and stay open for short-lead demand tend to outperform on both occupancy and ADR when summer demand arrives. Pricing that responds automatically to the closing booking window performs better in this environment than pricing set and left.
Market Snapshot: Q2 2026
Year-over-year change based on on-the-books pacing. Final results will shift with late-stage pickup.
Region
Paid Occ. YoY
ADR YoY
RevPAN YoY
ADR YoY
Florida Panhandle
-20%
+4
-16%
+35%
Alabama Gulf Coast
-20%
Flat
-17%
+29%
Gulf Coast Blended
-20%
+2%
-16%
+32%
Supply Context
Region
Total Airbnb Listings
2–3 BR Share
Q2 Supply (Listing-Nights)
Florida Panhandle
~125,000
~56%
3.66M
Alabama Gulf Coast
~37,000
~68%
1.02M
Gulf Coast Blended
~162,000
~59%
4.68M
Outperforming
Hilton Head Island is the premium tier of the Carolina Coast, with Q2 2025 OTA ADR at $474 in May and $584 in June. Adjusted occupancy held above 70% through the quarter. Duck and the waterfront Corolla and Kitty Hawk clusters in the Outer Banks are the strongest forward occupancy performers heading into peak season, with mid-June tracking at 56 to 64% on-the-books. Properties in these clusters with good pricing should hold rate and prepare for further compression as June fills.
Watch Closely
Myrtle Beach June is the most incomplete of the three markets, with early-June occupancy currently in the 34 to 46% range on-the-books. Lead times in Myrtle Beach are also shorter than the Outer Banks, which means demand tends to consolidate in the final 30 days before arrival. RevPAN in Myrtle Beach ran $124 in May and $310 in June in 2025. Operators who hold pricing through May will be positioned to capture that June revenue when short-lead demand arrives.
90-Day Commercial Implications
What the Gulf Coast data means for property managers operating in Q2 2026.
Do not discount into June.
With booking lead times at 46 days, down 30% from last year, June's demand hasn't arrived yet. Soft on-the-books occupancy in June right now is a timing artifact, not a demand signal. Operators who cut rates in May to fill June are pricing against demand that hasn't shown up yet and won't benefit when it does.
Maximize Memorial Day and Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam pricing windows.
Memorial Day weekend is already tracking at 64–73% occupancy across Gulf Coast markets, with impact factors up to 0.75x in key clusters. The Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam (May 27–31) adds a secondary demand spike in PCB and adjacent areas. Apply price floors and tighten minimum stay rules across both windows now.
Enable time-based pricing for the 0–30 day window.
With booking lead times decreasing, automated rate increases as arrival approaches are the most effective tool for capturing late-stage demand at strong rates. Properties without this enabled are discounting by default as the window shortens.
Relax minimum stays on shoulder dates in June.
June is still filling, and short-lead travelers booking last-minute will not commit to long minimum stays. Reducing minimum stay requirements on non-peak June dates, while maintaining floors on weekend clusters, will capture incremental nights that would otherwise go empty.
Prioritize Airbnb channel readiness ahead of peak season.
With over 162K active listings across the Gulf Coast, Airbnb performance is a direct revenue lever. Listing quality, instant book eligibility, and review velocity matter more when booking windows are short and guests are making fast decisions. Get your listings fully optimized before Memorial Day.
Is Your Gulf Coast Pricing Set Up for Summer?
The Q2 opportunity on the Gulf Coast is concentrated in the final weeks of May and all of June. With booking windows at 46 days and Memorial Day already filling fast, operators with dynamic pricing, short-lead availability, and OTA-ready listings will capture the most revenue. Those without are already behind.
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About This Report
The Beyond Q2 2026 Carolina Coast STR Market Report synthesizes on-the-books pacing data, prior-year performance benchmarks, and booking behavior signals across the U.S. short-term rental market. Market averages represent aggregated data across Beyond's customer base and publicly available STR market data. Regional projections are pacing-based and subject to change as late-stage demand develops through Q2 Data in this report reflects on-the-books pacing as of May 3, 2026.
About Beyond
Beyond has been pricing short-term rental listings since 2013, longer than most of the platforms your properties are listed on. Real-time market data feeds directly into your pricing, and rates update automatically across your entire portfolio. No manual changes. No stale rates. Operators on Beyond see up to 40% higher annual revenue, and the system keeps running whether you are logged in or not.