OCEAN CITY, Md. - Hotels and rentals in Ocean City are experiencing shorter stays by visitors.
Ocean City officials say the average number of days has dropped from seven to four days for rental property bookings. As for hotels, Councilman John Gehrig says the average length of a booking is declining from three days to two.
“Three to two is a 33 percent drop, so we have to work harder to fill those rooms, which then has higher costs,” he says. “We need to have ideas on how we're going to fill those gaps that are left with that void.”
Gehrig adds that studies show 58% of children play sports, with one in five participating in travel sports. He says youth sports is something the town is taking into consideration.
Local Herutata Rahotep says he notices people tend to visit for about two or three days at a time. “It's just a quick getaway,” he says. “Not really doing too much shopping. Just here for the beach, it seems like, and just to walk the boardwalk.”
Will Wangel, the CEO of Sea Rocket Water Adventures, says he sees the trend in other vacation spots as well. “We've noticed that not only in Ocean City, but some of our other markets, including Fort Lauderdale,” he says. “We're seeing a lot of shorter stays. Just as an example, Mondays used to be a slower day, but now it's been a busier day because people are doing kind of an extended weekend versus a week-long vacation.”
Councilman Gehrig says he wants to target guests from farther away for next summer. He says the hope is that when people come from farther, it may lead to a longer stay.
