Akron, Ohio Short-Term Rental Calendar: Peaks and the Slow Months

Jacob Mishalanie
6 days ago
11 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Empty Stan Hywet Hall exterior gardens, no people

Akron's calendar has a clear shape once you look past the monthly noise: August is the peak, February is the hole, and January is where occupancy actually bottoms out. AirROI's current Akron extract, August 2025 through July 2026, pins typical listings at about $13,337 a year across 309 active rentals. The average night runs $132, occupancy sits at 39.0 percent, and revenue per available night is $53. Year over year is down 6.1 percent while active supply is up 39.8 percent, more competition chasing a softer number, which is exactly why pricing by month instead of by instinct matters more this year than last.

August Is the Month to Protect

August carries the year on this market sample, and it's the one month where a generic discount costs the most. Lead time across Akron listings runs about 28 days, so August rate decisions are really being made in July, treat that window as your setup period, not your panic period. Hosts who want the fuller picture on who's actually booking that lead window can cross-reference who books anAkron stay. The takeaway for August specifically: hold rate through the month rather than trimming it early to chase early bookings that were coming anyway.

Concretely, that means checking calendar pace in early July rather than waiting until August 1 to see where things stand. If bookings are pacing normally against that 28-day window, there's no reason to move rate down, the softness in the year-over-year number is coming from elsewhere in the calendar, not from August demand itself. A host who discounts August because the overall year is down 6.1 percent is solving the wrong problem in the wrong month.

The 309-listing supply count matters here too: with active listings up 39.8 percent year over year, August is exactly the month where new, undifferentiated inventory tries to compete on price. Holding rate through August is easier when a listing has something specific to point to, downtown Akron access or a Stan Hywet Hall-adjacent location reads differently to a guest than a bare price comparison, and it's the strongest month to lean on that kind of positioning rather than a discount.

February Is the Revenue Hole, Price It as Its Own Month

February is the slowest month for revenue on this market sample, and the fix isn't to treat it like a smaller version of August, it's to price it as its own distinct stretch of the calendar. Jessica Rattray, the largest professionally managed operator tracked in this extract, holds 5 listings; professional management overall covers only 6.8 percent of active rentals here, meaning most of the pricing decisions in February are being made by independent hosts without a revenue team behind them. That's a real opportunity: hosts who actively reprice February, rather than letting it run on autopilot, are working against a market where most competitors aren't. For hosts weighing whether outside help is worth it for months like this,DIY vs. hiring help in Akronwalks through the tradeoff.

Repricing February in practice starts with separating rate from occupancy strategy for that month specifically: rather than carrying the same nightly floor used in August, a host can test a lower floor with a minimum-stay incentive, since February demand tends to come from fewer, longer bookings rather than a high volume of short ones. The 93.2 percent of the market that isn't professionally managed is, by definition, less likely to be running that kind of test, which is exactly why it works, a host who does the work in February is competing against listings still priced as if it were a summer month.

It's also worth connecting February's revenue softness to the 6.1 percent year-over-year decline and 39.8 percent supply growth cited above: a chunk of that overall decline is likely concentrated in low-occupancy months like February rather than spread evenly across the calendar, since new supply tends to compress rate hardest where demand is already thin. That makes February the month where a host's own pricing discipline has the most leverage relative to the market average, not the least.

January Occupancy Is the Real Low Point, and It's a Different Problem Than February Revenue

Occupancy is weakest in January, which is a separate problem from February's revenue softness, one is a booking-volume issue, the other is a rate issue, and they call for different fixes. Entire-home listings make up 72.5 percent of the 309 active rentals in this extract, so most hosts competing for January nights are offering a whole house, not a room, worth knowing before you decide whether a January discount or a January minimum-stay change is the better lever. Guests who do book in January skew toward the same near-in demand pattern seen across the year: mostly from Akron itself, then Columbus, a pattern that shows up across the fuller data set inAkron tourism data for hosts.

Because January is an occupancy problem rather than a rate problem, cutting the nightly rate is often the wrong first move, a listing that's already sitting empty doesn't necessarily fill because it's $15 cheaper, especially against 309 competing entire-home listings that can all make the same move. A shorter minimum stay, or a targeted push toward the Akron-then-Columbus guest base that already books this market, tends to move more nights than a rate cut alone.

The 30-night-minimum segment is worth ruling out here too: 23.9 percent of the market, about 74 listings, isn't competing for short January stays at all, those units function closer to mid-term rentals. That means the real competitive set for a January short-stay booking is smaller than the full 309-listing count suggests, which is useful context when a host is trying to gauge how much January softness is actually about their own listing versus the broader calendar.

A Named Weekend Doesn't Fill a Whole Month

It's tempting to treat a single strong event weekend as proof the whole surrounding month is strong, but that's not how this extract reads. May and October carry real strength on their own, independent of any one weekend, which is why they sit alongside August as the three peak months rather than trailing off as shoulder afterthoughts. For hosts underwriting a purchase, that three-peak shape is worth building into a proforma rather than assuming a single event date drives the number, seebuying an Akron rentalfor how to build that into a purchase analysis.

The practical test is simple: pull the nights immediately before and after any strong weekend in May or October and check whether occupancy holds up away from the peak date. If it does, the month itself is carrying demand and pricing can stay firm across the full stretch. If occupancy drops off sharply outside the event window, that's a sign the strength is really concentrated in a few nights, and a host should price those nights aggressively while treating the rest of the month more like a shoulder period.

This distinction also explains why August, May, and October behave differently from each other despite all three being labeled peak months on this market sample, August's strength is broad and calendar-wide, while May and October's strength is more likely tied to specific stretches around Cuyahoga Valley visitor traffic and named local events. A host pricing all three the same way, month-wide, is leaving money on the table in whichever of the two shoulder peaks actually concentrates its demand.

A 28-Day Lead Time Tells You About Booking Behavior, Not About Occupancy

The 28-day average lead time is a useful signal for how far out to expect bookings to firm up, but it's not a stand-in for occupancy and shouldn't be read as one. Reading it that way, assuming a strong booking pace this week means the month is filling, is a common misread. It's a planning window: know roughly a month out how a given stretch is shaping up, and adjust rate accordingly rather than waiting until the week-of. Hosts sizing up whether a purchase pencils against that kind of booking rhythm can dig into the underwriting details infinancing an Akron rental.

A practical use of the 28-day figure: set a calendar reminder to check pace exactly four weeks out from any target date, rather than checking randomly or only when anxious about a slow stretch. If a date 28 days out looks thin compared to typical pace for that month, there's still time to adjust rate or run a short promotion before the booking window closes, waiting until a week out removes most of that flexibility.

It's also worth not confusing lead time with the 6.8-night typical stay length. Lead time describes how far in advance a guest books; stay length describes how long they stay once they do. A market can have a short lead time and a long typical stay, or the reverse, and Akron's 28-day lead time paired with a 6.8-night stay suggests guests are planning trips a few weeks out rather than booking last-minute or planning a full season in advance, useful context for how far ahead to expect a calendar to actually fill in.

Cuyahoga Valley Draws Visitors Year-Round, Not Just in Peak Months

The National Park Service counted 2,860,059 visitors to Cuyahoga Valley National Park in 2023, and that volume of visitor demand doesn't collapse the moment August ends, it's part of what keeps May and October competitive rather than treating them as afterthoughts to summer. Listings that lean into downtown Akron, Stan Hywet Hall, or the valley itself as photographed selling points give shoulder-month guests a reason to book outside the obvious peak. The fuller rundown of what's actually drawing visitors here, park and otherwise, is in thecomplete visitor's guide to Akron.

That means listing photos and descriptions built entirely around summer imagery, green trees, outdoor patios, warm-weather framing, are working against a host in May and October, when the valley still draws visitors but the scene looks different. A second, seasonally appropriate photo set, even just a few images shot in spring or fall along the towpath or around Stan Hywet Hall's grounds, gives shoulder-month guests a more accurate picture of what they'd actually be booking.

There's also a connection worth drawing between the park's year-round draw and the market's overall occupancy rate of 39.0 percent: a national park pulling nearly 2.9 million annual visitors is a lot of potential demand relative to a market averaging under 40 percent occupancy, which suggests the gap isn't a lack of visitors coming to the area, it's that not all of that visitor traffic is being captured as overnight short-term-rental demand. Listings that position themselves specifically toward valley visitors, rather than a generic Akron stay, are better placed to close that gap.

Build the Calendar Around What This Extract Actually Shows

The version of the Akron calendar worth pricing against is the one this extract shows: August strongest, May and October also strong, February the revenue floor, January the occupancy floor. Getting the legal side right matters just as much as getting the calendar right, Akron requires an annual short-term rental registration certificate under Title 11 the matching section above before you can operate or advertise, with a non-refundable $250 application fee, renewal by January 31, and proof of at least $1,000,000 in general liability insurance; the unit also has to be registered separately under Section 150.30. Questions on any of that go to the Housing Division at 330-375-2366 (rental registration, ext. 2694) or zoning at 330-375-2350. The full rules rundown, including the 3 percent short-term rental excise tax under Chapter 104 the matching section above, lives inAkron STR rules.

Putting the calendar and the registration timeline together matters for a specific reason: the annual registration renews by January 31, which falls right in the middle of the occupancy floor this extract identifies. A host who lets registration lapse during the slowest occupancy month risks compounding a quiet January with a listing that can't legally take bookings at all, worth building the renewal date into a calendar reminder well before it's due rather than treating it as a February surprise.

Taken together, the five-point shape of this year, three peaks, one revenue floor, one occupancy floor, gives a host or buyer a month-by-month framework instead of a single blended annual number. That framework is more useful for pricing decisions than the $13,337 typical annual figure on its own, because it shows where that figure actually comes from and where the real opportunity to move it sits.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I discount an Akron listing, and when should I hold rate?

Hold rate through August, it's the strongest month on this market sample and doesn't need a discount to fill. February is a different story: it's the slowest revenue month, so price it as its own month rather than as a smaller August. January is the weakest for occupancy specifically, which may call for a booking-volume lever like a shorter minimum stay rather than a straight rate cut.

What are Akron's three peak months?

August, May, and October, with August the strongest of the three. That's a three-peak shape rather than a single-summer-spike shape, which matters for how a host or buyer should think about the shoulder seasons, May and October aren't afterthoughts, they're meaningfully strong months in their own right on this market sample. Leave neighboring town figures on their own labeled lines when you quote them.

Do I need a short-term rental registration to operate in Akron in 2026?

Yes. Title 11 the matching section above requires an annual short-term rental registration certificate before you operate or advertise, with a non-refundable $250 application fee. Registrations run one calendar year and must be renewed by January 31. You'll also need proof of at least $1,000,000 in general liability insurance and a separate rental-unit registration under Section 150.30. Call the Housing Division at 330-375-2366 to confirm current status.

Does a 30-night minimum-stay listing count the same as a short-term occupancy listing?

No, and conflating the two skews any read of the market. About 74 listings, 23.9 percent of the 309 active rentals in this extract, carry a 30-night minimum, which functions more like a mid-term rental than a short-term stay. The 39.0 percent occupancy figure and the 6.8-night typical stay describe the broader short-term market, not that 30-night segment.

How common is professional management in Akron compared to independent hosting?

Professional management covers just 6.8 percent of the 309 active rentals in this extract. Jessica Rattray is the largest operator tracked, holding 5 listings. That means the large majority of Akron's short-term rental inventory is still run by independent hosts making their own pricing and calendar decisions, which is part of why shoulder-month pricing tends to be inconsistent across the market.

Who typically books an Akron short-term rental?

Guests most often come from Akron itself, then Columbus, with a typical stay of 6.8 nights and an average booking lead time of about 28 days. That near-in guest pattern is worth factoring into how listings are photographed and described, downtown Akron, Stan Hywet Hall, and the Cuyahoga Valley towpath each appeal to a slightly different trip.

Does Cuyahoga Valley National Park visitor traffic actually move Akron bookings?

The park drew 2,860,059 visitors in 2023, per NPS, and that volume of regional visitor demand is part of what keeps May and October competitive rather than letting them drop off after summer. It's a demand signal, not an occupancy number on its own, it doesn't replace the ADR, occupancy, or RevPAR figures from the AirROI extract, but it helps explain why the shoulder months hold up.

How does Akron's typical annual revenue compare to Cleveland's?

Typical Akron listings in this extract earn about $13,337 a year across 309 active rentals, with an average night of $132. Cleveland, a separate and already-covered market, runs about $17,631 a year across 1,918 listings. The two are different markets with different scale and shouldn't be blended into one number, a buyer or host comparing them should keep each city's figures on its own line.

What should go into a buyer's underwriting packet for an Akron short-term rental?

Cite the $13,337 typical annual revenue on 309 active listings, note supply growth of 39.8 percent against a year-over-year revenue decline of 6.1 percent, and confirm current registration requirements under the matching section above directly with the Housing Division before closing. Those three data points together, revenue, supply trend, and legal status, give a buyer a realistic read rather than an optimistic one.

Is there a local short-term rental excise tax in Akron, and how much is it?

Yes. Chapter 104 the matching section above levies a 3 percent short-term rental excise tax on gross revenues under Ordinance 302-2022. Confirm the tax's current 2026 status directly with the Housing Division before budgeting against it, since municipal ordinances can be amended. If the rental operates as a business, also confirm Ohio's commercial activity tax treatment with the Department of Taxation.

Where do I go to confirm Akron's current short-term rental rules before I list?

Start with the Akron Housing Division at 330-375-2366 (rental registration, ext. 2694) or the zoning office at 330-375-2350 (zoning@akronohio.gov). The registration portal is at rentalregistry.akronohio.gov. That's the authoritative source for current fees, deadlines, and insurance requirements, not a third-party data scrape. Keep the answer on what this driveway and house rules can keep overnight.

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