There are now over 8,000 Illinois residents who share their homes as Airbnb hosts, with Winnebago hosts typically earning about $5,000 annually in supplemental income.

Airbnb, the world’s leading community driven hospitality company, announced yesterday that its Winnebago County host community earned a combined $676,000 in supplemental income while welcoming approximately 5,500 guest arrivals to the county in 2018.

Ben Breit, Airbnb Midwest Public Affairs:

Statewide data indicates that Airbnb and its host community appear to be complementing -- rather than competing with -- the Illinois hotel industry. According to the most recent Midwest hospitality report from Marcus & Millichap, Illinois hotels have maintained strong occupancy and demand rates -- in parallel with short-term rental growth. This suggests that Airbnb is opening up the region to a new slice of prospective tourists by catering to travelers less able to afford hotels, those who desire to stay in neighborhoods or cities that lack hotels, and families who prefer to be together under one roof.

In addition to the new income going into the pockets of Illinois Airbnb hosts, the city of Rockford is generating from new revenue through a tax agreement that authorizes Airbnb to collect and remit the 5% Rockford Hotel/Motel tax on behalf of local hosts.

Airbnb also maintains an agreement with the Illinois Department of Revenue that allows Airbnb to collect and remit both the state hotel tax on behalf of hosts and remit the revenue directly to DOR. The company will announce its 2018 tax results by early February.

 

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