The rise of remote work and digital nomadism has led to an unprecedented surge in extended stays across U.S. short-term rentals. New data reveals that bookings of 28 nights or more, often made by so-called “slomads” (slow-traveling digital nomads), have nearly doubled in frequency since before the pandemic, pushing the average trip length up roughly 10%.
The booking-weighted mean stay climbed from about 3.7 nights pre-2020 to around 4.1–4.4 nights in recent years. This confirms a fundamental shift in traveler behavior as more people take advantage of “work-from-anywhere” flexibility, trading quick getaways for weeks- or months-long stays in one place.
Why it matters: Long-term work-and-travel habits are reshaping rental behavior. These “slomads” are thickening the tail of stay lengths in the market, which is vital for how rental platforms and hosts set pricing, manage inventory, and inform policy decisions.
A single-night shift in average stay length can alter occupancy patterns and revenue strategies, so this trend’s durability carries major implications for the short-term rental (STR) industry at large.
By the Numbers: Longer Stays on the Rise
- Average stay length: Before the pandemic, the typical U.S. short-term rental stay averaged 3.7 nights. Now it has settled around 4.1–4.4 nights per booking, about a 10% increase in length. The median trip length also shifted permanently from 2 nights to 3 nights , indicating guests are commonly adding an extra night to trips.
- Month-plus bookings: Reservations lasting 28+ nights (about a month or more) have grown significantly. They represented only ~1.4% of bookings pre-2020 but nearly 2.7% at the pandemic’s peak, and have stabilized at roughly 2.0% of bookings in the post-2021 period. In other words, the prevalence of these “long stay” bookings almost doubled during the COVID era. Notably, the typical duration of such long stays has remained around 55–60 nights (about 2 months) on average – so the higher overall average is driven by more people booking month-plus trips, rather than those stays getting even longer.
- Share of Airbnb nights: Extended stays are now a substantial portion of overall lodging activity. In 2022, 28+ night stays accounted for 21% of all nights booked on Airbnb. Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky noted that long-term rentals (stays of ~1–3 months) have grown to 17–18% of the company’s business, up from about 13–14% pre-pandemic. This underscores that nearly a fifth of Airbnb’s usage is coming from these new-age “living as a local” travelers.
Remote Work Drives the “Slomad” Lifestyle
Several forces are powering this slomad rental trend in 2025. Foremost is the remote work revolution. With millions of people now able to work from anywhere, a growing segment of travelers are choosing to “live” in destinations for longer periods rather than just visit.
Airbnb’s data shows guests are increasingly using the platform to reside in different towns and cities for weeks, months, or even entire seasons at a time.
These are often knowledge workers taking advantage of flexible job policies, but the movement spans industries and ages. In fact, studies find that remote-working nomads are diverse: many are over 35 and traveling with partners or family, not just solo tech millennials.
The pandemic’s travel disruptions initially forced longer stays (due to lockdowns and quarantine rules), but they also normalized the idea that one could work-from-vacation indefinitely. This gave birth to the “slomad” – a traveler who moves more slowly from place to place, blending work and leisure (the “bleisure” trend) and seeking deeper local experiences.
During 2020’s restriction phase, the share of month-plus stays on Airbnb nearly doubled (peaking at 2.9% of bookings) as some workers rode out lockdowns in rentals away from home. Even after offices reopened, this cohort of slow nomads has persisted.
Post-2021, long-term stay frequency remains elevated 50% above pre-COVID levels , indicating a permanent behavioral shift. As one industry report put it, remote-work nomads have “durably thickened” the long-stay end of the travel market.
Importantly, destinations and rental platforms have responded in kind. Airbnb’s 2022 strategy explicitly focused on the “Live Anywhere” initiative, redesigning the service to accommodate longer stays and even partnering with destinations to welcome remote workers.
Over 90% of Airbnb hosts now accept reservations longer than 28 days , a necessary step to facilitate this demand. The platform introduced features like “dedicated workspace” filters, monthly pricing discounts, and long-stay cancellation policies to entice this segment.
Other competitors (Vrbo, Booking.com) also ramped up marketing to remote professionals. Meanwhile, cities and countries launched digital nomad visas and programs to attract these longer-term visitors, viewing them as a boon to the local economy during off-peak seasons.
All these efforts further fuel the slomad movement, creating a virtuous cycle: more infrastructure and welcome mats for remote workers lead to even more travelers making long-stay bookings.
Pricing, Inventory, and Policy
The ripple effects of this long-stay rental boom are significant. Pricing strategies in the short-term rental market are adapting to a new reality of heavy-tailed trip lengths.
Traditional revenue management assumed most stays were a few nights long, but the influx of multi-week bookings means hosts must consider monthly rates and steep length-of-stay discounts. Many hosts now offer 15%+ off for month-long stays by default, and pricing tools are evolving to handle these heavy-tailed distributions where a small share of bookings accounts for a large share of nights.
Revenue managers are increasingly using models like negative-binomial and hurdle rate pricing to optimize for this shift. In practical terms, a property might earn more stable income from one 60-night booking versus a dozen separate weekend bookings – but it requires confidence in setting the right long-term rate and vetting a suitable guest.
Inventory management is also impacted. Property owners are strategizing how to balance short vs. long bookings. Some are carving out specific units for mid-term stays (one to three months), ensuring they have the amenities remote workers need (reliable Wi-Fi, work desks, full kitchens) to capture that market.
By welcoming extended stays, hosts can boost occupancy in off-season months and reduce turnover costs (less frequent cleanings and check-ins). However, committing to longer reservations means fewer calendar slots for traditional tourists, so hosts must gauge what mix maximizes their revenue.
Large operators are even rethinking portfolio allocation: for example, marketing certain homes as “extended stay specials” while keeping others for classic short trips.
The overall supply of STRs might also evolve – if more travelers want month-long rentals, the industry could see a blurring of lines between vacation rentals and traditional long-term leasing (with furnished units and flexible terms to cater to nomads).
On the policy front, this trend raises new questions for destinations and regulators. In many U.S. cities, short-term rentals (under 30 days) are heavily regulated or taxed, but stays beyond 30 days often fall under different rules (sometimes treated as residential leases).
The surge in 28+ night bookings means more guests are in a gray area between tourist and resident. Cities might need to update zoning laws, taxation, and housing policies to account for a growing “in-between” class of dwellers. For instance, some locales waive hotel taxes on stays over 1 month – potentially reducing tax revenue if a larger share of visits become long-term.
On the flip side, local governments and DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) are eyeing these remote workers as longer-staying visitors who contribute to the economy while not fitting the usual tourist mold. Airbnb itself sees long-term stays as a huge growth opportunity, partly as a response to short-term rental crackdowns in traditional tourist hot spots.
If cities like New York or Barcelona restrict short 3-day rentals, platforms can pivot to promoting 30+ day stays which often face less scrutiny. Destination policy may thus increasingly encourage this segment (for example, offering remote worker incentives or visas), but also needs to ensure it doesn’t exacerbate housing shortages by displacing local tenants.
In summary, the slomad phenomenon confirms that long-term work-travel is not a passing fad but a structural shift in travel behavior. U.S. rental data underscores that people are embracing the freedom to stay longer and work anywhere, forcing the industry to evolve.
Going into 2025, this trend shows no signs of slowing. Hosts, platforms, and policymakers alike will need to continue adjusting pricing models, occupancy strategies, and regulations to accommodate a world where “short-term” rentals might last for months.
The companies that successfully cater to these extended stays – and the cities that welcome them – stand to benefit from the new travel landscape shaped by the slomads.