Clear skies. Low 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Clear skies. Low 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

In the past year, I have spent a week in Washington, D.C.; four days in New York City; and a week in Monterey-San Francisco. This fall, the family is traveling to Italy for a week. For all this travel, we will have spent just one night in a traditional hotel.

For years, my wife — the savvy traveler of the two of us — has done an expert job of finding exceptional places to stay around the world without booking a single hotel. A rental she booked in Paris several years ago for her dad and brother had a view of the Eiffel Tower. Our “home” in Washington last year had a private backyard and patio we used for a cocktail party with Catherine’s friends and former co-workers.

Through airbnb.com or similar travel sites, we have managed to land exceptional “native” accommodations that have always been convenient, safe, comfortable and affordable.

The sharing economy may not provide bed turn-down service and dry cleaning, but what it offers in return can’t be offered by any hotel chain: equipped kitchens, comfortable living rooms, multiple bedrooms, convenient location, free parking, pleasant outdoor spaces and the experience of “living like a native.”

Short-term rental accommodations are changing the nature of what it means to travel somewhere for more than a day or two. For the quick-in, quick-out trip, a hotel for someone who needs little more than a bed and shower for a night still fits the bill and the wallet. But if you’re staying somewhere longer? And you’re with the family? And you want to see what it’s like to truly “live” where you’re visiting? A short-term rental can’t be beat.

But what happens to that viewpoint when you’re the native? When it’s you living next door to that rental? When there’s a new car at the curb or in the driveway a couple of times a month? When the “neighbors” are up late and loud on the back deck?

The answer, I’m afraid, is fraught with conflicting emotion and logic, and I’m not writing this to offer a pat solution to it all. There is none.

We live in a destination community. For better or worse, people desire our location and lifestyle like we covet going to New York City or Paris or Rome. Golf no matter the season? Quaint downtowns and cool nightlife? First-class restaurants and shopping? Yes, please.

And yet, have you tried booking one of the traditional hotels or resorts lately? Good luck. Increasingly, there is little to no room left at the inn. Our tourism industry is red hot these days, and that ringing you hear is the cash registers of any place with sheets and room service.

Short-term rentals offer a way to meet demand that traditional lodging can’t fill. But they also meet a demand from travelers who, increasingly, don’t want “traditional.” Perhaps they’re thinking of moving here and want to live like a native. Maybe it’s a family or a large group who need multiple rooms but one kitchen and maybe a back deck or pool. Maybe it’s a party that just wants to spread out in their own place without the trappings of a hotel.

Surely you see the business opportunity. Who can blame someone for wanting to buy a home in Pinehurst or Southern Pines and use it as a short-term rental? Major hotel chains are getting into the same game, going into select markets and buying “signature” homes and then marketing them as “concierge” or “personalized” accommodations.

The nature of travel and lodging has changed. Our parents patronized Howard Johnson’s, where an ice bucket and color TV were the height of amenities. We once focused on building Hilton Honors points. Now, it’s a crap shoot to even get daily room cleaning. Stay in a hotel for more than a couple of days at a time?

Communities have tried, without great success, to restrict short-term rentals in order to placate full-time homeowners who also happen to be taxpayers and, more importantly, voters.

But the stopper is out of that bottle.

Communities like Pinehurst may try, but in the end the best outcome one might hope for is to ensure the safety and sanitation of such accommodations. As a traveler, I’ve got no problem with places that have smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and heavy fees if I trash the place or don’t follow the rules, like parking on the lawn or partying till dawn.

A loud party next door is a loud party next door, regardless of who’s living in the house. In the end, you’ve got two options: Call the cops or go next door with your party mug.

Contact editor John Nagy at (910) 693-2507 or john@thepilot.com. 

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