Complete Visitor's Guide to Bay St. Louis and Old Town

Jacob Mishalanie
17 hours ago
10 min read

Lodging interior or exterior, Bay St. Louis stay 10

Most Bay St. Louis listings get marketed as a generic Gulf of Mexico stay. That pitch could describe a dozen other towns, and it wastes what actually sets City of Bay St. Louis, Hancock County, Mississippi apart. Guests who typed Bay St. Louis are looking for Old Town, the harbor, beachfront, the marina — not Vermilion, and not Crystal Beach. 340 active listings sit on this extract. Write the town you can actually walk. Keep the listing specific. A vague water caption loses the booking.

Typical listings here earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, AirROI trailing twelve months through July 2026. The average night was $279. Occupancy was 31.5 percent. Revenue per available night was $92. Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Active supply moved 0.0 percent. Do not average in Vermilion at $29,012 on 78 listings. That is a different town. Leave Crystal Beach as a different market. Do not mix those towns. Treat this as a small sample, not a blended coast.

The three strongest months are June, October, and May. June is the busiest. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans, then Baton Rouge. Typical stay is 3.8 nights, booked about 60 days ahead. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape Heirloom holds still show up in this sample. Confirm the live desk before you advertise. A regulation scrape is not a permit.

Arrive at Bay St. Louis on Purpose

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for Old Town. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Bay St. Louis STR Report 2026 and Market a Bay St. Louis Stay. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph Old Town. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Walk Old Town Before You Promise a Costume Day

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for the harbor. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Market a Bay St. Louis Stay and Bay St. Louis STR Rules. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the harbor. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Name the harbor as a Separate Stop

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for beachfront. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Bay St. Louis STR Rules and Bay St. Louis Shoulder. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph beachfront. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Confirm City Versus Crystal Beach Before You Promise Downtown

That heading is the useful way to read Bay St. Louis, not a dashboard label. Guests come for the marina. Say that in the listing. Do not bury it under a generic Gulf of Mexico caption. Do not write Vermilion copy onto a Bay St. Louis address. Do not use Crystal Beach as if it were this occupancy. Be specific about the walk. A vague caption loses the guest who typed this town. Keep the other town out of the title.

Read more in Bay St. Louis Shoulder and Bay St. Louis Remote Stays. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the marina. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Eat in a Place of 340 Cards

Read more in Bay St. Louis Remote Stays and DIY vs Hire in Bay St. Louis. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Do Not Treat This as Crystal Beach

Read more in DIY vs Hire in Bay St. Louis and Who Books a Bay St. Louis Rental. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the harbor. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Confirm Hours Before You Promise the Walk

Read more in Who Books a Bay St. Louis Rental and Buying a Bay St. Louis Rental. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph beachfront. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

How to Use This Pin Without a Costume Stay

Read more in Buying a Bay St. Louis Rental and Bay St. Louis Tourism Data. Typical listings earned about $25,594 last year from 340 active rentals, at $279 a night and 31.5 percent occupancy. June is the busiest month. January is the slowest. Most guests arrive from New Orleans. Call Planning at 228-466-5516. City short-term rental permit. Published as a $100 form. Confirm the live fee at hall. AirROI Low is a scrape

Year over year is minus 4.5 percent. Supply moved 0.0 percent. Keep Crystal Beach ($44,416 a year) on its own line. A 28.8-percent share of listings uses a 30-night minimum. That is a stay rule, not occupancy. Photograph the marina. Confirm the parcel before you advertise. Sales tax can still apply under 30 days. Call the desk. Do not underwrite another town's year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a typical Bay St. Louis STR year on this extract?

AirROI's trailing-twelve-month extract for Bay St. Louis, August 2025 through July 2026 (updated 2026-08-08), lists about $25,594 in typical revenue across 340 active listings. Average night runs $279, occupancy sits at 31.5 percent, and the year-over-year change is minus 4.5 percent. That is a small sample relative to bigger Gulf Coast markets, so treat it as directional rather than a citywide census.

Can I average Vermilion into this year?

No. Vermilion is a separate Gulf Coast market with its own extract, $29,012 from 78 listings — a different town, a different sample. Cite the Bay St. Louis figure, $25,594 from 340 listings, on its own line, and confirm any town-specific detail before you advertise a stay using another town's numbers.

Which months are strongest in Bay St. Louis?

June, October, and May are the three strongest months for Bay St. Louis STRs, with June the outright busiest and January the slowest. Occupancy for the full year lands at 31.5 percent against that $25,594 typical revenue on 340 listings. Price around the named peaks and holes rather than a flat calendar.

Where do guests come from?

New Orleans sends the most guests to Bay St. Louis, followed by Baton Rouge. Typical stays run 3.8 nights, booked about 60 days out, with a superhost share of 62.4 percent. Write listing copy for the guest who searched Bay St. Louis specifically rather than a generic Gulf Coast pitch.

Does a low-regulation label mean there is no local permit?

No — a low-regulation scrape label is not the same as a clean bill from town hall. Bay St. Louis runs its short-term rental process through Planning at 228-466-5516, covering the city permit published at a $100 form; confirm the live fee before you advertise. Vermilion and Crystal Beach run their own separate desks.

Is a 30-night minimum the same as occupancy?

No. About 28.8 percent of Bay St. Louis listings — 98 of them — set a 30-night minimum, which is a booking filter, not a measure of how full a calendar actually runs. Typical stay length here is 3.8 nights, well under that threshold, so do not read minimum-stay settings as an occupancy proxy.

What should a buyer packet carry?

A Bay St. Louis buyer packet should cite $25,594 across 340 listings, the june, october, and may peak months against a january low, New Orleans as the lead origin market, a 3.8-night typical stay with a 60-day booking lead, and the Planning line at 228-466-5516. Keep Vermilion's $29,012 and Crystal Beach's $44,416 labeled separately — never averaged in.

Is Crystal Beach the same market as Bay St. Louis?

No. Crystal Beach published $44,416 from 131 listings, a materially different Gulf Coast market from Bay St. Louis's $25,594 on 340 listings with January as its slowest month. Confirm Planning at 228-466-5516 before marketing a Bay St. Louis stay using Crystal Beach's numbers, or vice versa — keep each town's figures on its own line.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Write the city they can walk and the desk the parcel actually has.

Send the guest guide if it still names Crystal Beach as the walk. We will recut the pin. Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.