Q2 2026
US Short Term Rental Market Report
Booking Curve Compression & ADR Growth holding
Table des matières
27 %
The Quarter in 3 Signals
Understanding what your market is doing, right now, is the difference between reacting to the season and getting ahead of it. The signals below reflect real shifts in how and when guests are booking in Q2 2026. Property managers with access to real-time data can adjust pricing, availability, and strategy to meet those shifts as they happen. Those without it are making decisions in the dark.
Booking Lead Times Are Decreasing
The Q2 booking curve is still filling. The majority of bookings for May and June are still coming in and will continue over the prime booking window into the next few weeks. On-the-books occupancy looks soft now because the bulk of demand is still ahead. Property managers who hold rates and keep availability open will capture it.
ADR Growth Holds, Protecting Revenue
Forward ADR for Q2 arrival dates is pacing +3 to +4% YoY. Despite softer on-the-books occupancy early in the quarter, pricing power has not eroded.
Late-Stage Demand Is Where Revenue Is Won
Properties set up to capture last-minute bookings are outperforming those relying on early-bird volume. The booking lead time is structural, not seasonal.
Market Pulse
Forward-looking as of Q2 2026 pacing. Metrics reflect on-the-books performance versus the same point in 2025.
Q2 2026 vs Q2 2025 — Key Metrics
~41%
Pacing -11% YoY
Paid Occupancy
$312
Pacing +22% YoY
ADR
$159
Pacing +8% YoY
RevPAN
5.3 Nights
Pacing 6% YoY
Avg. Length of Stay
54 Days
Pacing -4% YoY
Avg. Booking Window
It’s important to note here that the pacing figures reflect on-the-books data captured at the start of Q2. Final occupancy and RevPAN will be determined by late-stage pickup in May-June.
What This Means
Right now, occupancy looks soft. The booking curve for May and June hasn't finished building, which means the reservations that fill those months simply haven't happened yet. Those of you watching your on-the-books numbers, especially in drive-to markets, who are feeling the urge to discount: that demand is coming. Cutting rates now means giving away revenue that was always going to arrive later.
What To Watch
The real Q2 story gets written later in May and June as bookings close the gap. Properties with healthy pricing and open availability in the 0 to 21 day window are set up to capture that demand. Properties that already discounted to build early volume are not.
BOOKING WINDOW TREND:
Average Days from Booking to Arrival
Period
2025 Avg. (days)
2026 Pacing (days)
YoY Change
April
55
62
+13%
May
61
62
+3%
June
72
69
-4.2%
Q2 Avg.
63
64
+2%
Strategic Implication
Every Q2 we see the same anxiety hit around April. Occupancy isn't where property managers and hosts expected it to be at this point in the quarter, and the temptation to drop rates is real. Most of the time, it isn't a demand problem. The booking curve just hasn't finalized or how shortened compared to previous years. May and June tend to fill later than expected, and the properties that held their pricing through the uncertainty almost always end up ahead of the ones that chased early occupancy with low rates. That said, this isn't a reason to ignore availability. Keeping your calendar open for demand matters just as much as holding rates. Dynamic pricing handles both sides of that automatically, but only if it's calibrated correctly going into the peak window.
Regional Snapshot: Q2 2026
As we look at year-over-year change in key metrics based on on-the-books pacing, we won’t see full performance numbers until much later in the quarter because of late-stage pickup.
Region
Paid Occ. YoY
ADR YoY
RevPAN YoY
Mid-Atlantic States
-11%
+12%
+5%
New England
-2%
+26%
+33%
Western U.S.
0%
+7%
+7%
Southeast U.S.
+2%
+3%
+5%
Rocky Mountain States
-2%
+5%
+3%
Midwest U.S.
+5%
0%
+5%
Hawaiian Islands
-4%
+6%
+2%
All of these projections are based on available pacing data. The regions that have compressed booking windows should plan to see the most significant late-stage movement.
Outperforming
Mid-Atlantic and New England lead on ADR growth heading into Q2, with strong rate gains of +12% and +26% respectively. New England RevPAN is up +33% YoY on the strength of ADR. Occupancy is softer across both regions, consistent with the broader booking lead time trend.
Watch Closely
Southwest U.S. shows the largest occupancy gap on the books (-22%), but ADR is up +31% and April actuals came in ahead of last year. May and June are still filling and the Southwest booking curve is among the most incomplete. Rocky Mountains and Hawaiian Islands show modest occupancy softness with strong ADR gains. The data in all three markets is directional, not final. Avoid discounting before late-stage demand has had a chance to arrive.
90-Day Commercial Implications
What the data means for property managers Q2 2026.
Hold rate through May and June.
April is done. If you held rate and kept availability open, you are in good shape heading into the final push. If you discounted early to drive volume for owners, try to hold on now because May and June are still yours to win. Soft on-the-books numbers right now do not signal weak demand. They signal demand that has not booked yet. Property managers who stay patient and hold rate through May will be better positioned than those who give ground in the final weeks before summer.
Enable and calibrate time-based pricing.
With booking windows compressing, the most effective way to capture demand at strong rates is automated time-based pricing that elevates rates as arrival approaches. Properties without this enabled are effectively discounting by default.
Relax minimum stays on shoulder dates.
Longer minimum length of stay requirements are compounding the lead time fluctuation problem. On shoulder and mid-week dates, relaxing minimum stays and enabling gap-fill rules will capture incremental nights that would otherwise remain empty.
Defend peak-season rates aggressively.
Memorial Day weekend is two weeks out. July 4th and the broader summer peaks follow close behind. This is where Q2 and Q3 revenue is made or lost, and the window to set price floors and tighten availability rules is closing. If you have not locked in your peak-night strategy, do it this week. Do not let early-summer momentum erode through last-minute discounts on your highest-demand nights.
Prioritize channel readiness.
With Airbnb growing to 54% of reservations in the US, and the platform disproportionately capturing demand, listing quality, instant booking eligibility, and review velocity matter more than ever. Channel mix optimization is a key revenue management lever for this year’s success.
Is your pricing set up to win Q2?
The Q2 opportunity is in the final weeks of May and June. Property managers with dynamic pricing, flexible availability, and OTA-ready listings will capture the most revenue. Those without are already behind.
Request a demo and see exactly where your portfolio stands.
About This Report
The Beyond Q2 2026 U.S. 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
Trusted by thousands of short-term rental property managers to price millions of listings, Beyond’s AI-driven dynamic pricing, market intelligence, and automated revenue management levers is built around one goal: help every portfolio outperform the market by more than 20%. Beyond’s revenue management system gives every operator, from the individual host to the enterprise property manager, the intelligence and control to run a more empowered, more profitable STR business.