Who Books Scranton: August Weeks, Steamtown, New York

Thomas Garner
12 hours ago
7 min read

Empty Everhart Museum exterior Scranton, no people

August is the busiest month. New York is origin, then Pittsburgh. Do not sell a blended Wilkes-Barre stay. AirROI's current Scranton extract, August 2025 through July 2026, pins typical listings at about $14,656 a year on 85 active rentals. The average night was $155. Occupancy was 37.9 percent. Revenue per available night was $54. Year over year is minus 11.4 percent. Active supply moved plus 34.9 percent. Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager. Email rselemba@scrantonpa.gov. 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property. Official city page: apply by September 15. Beginning in 2024, license renewal applications must be submitted March 15 annually. New rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees: $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units; $150 flat for 4 to 9; $250 flat for 10 to 19; $350 flat for 20 to 49; $450 flat for 50 or more. Immediate-family-occupied units are exempt from fees but still require a license. Inspections run on a three-year cycle. The first re-inspection is free. Portal slate.tolemi.com. e-check has no fee. Card is 3 percent. Renting an unlicensed unit is a violation as of September 16, 2023. Foreclosed, vacant, lis pendens, and deed-in-lieu properties must register. Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax is 6 percent. Lackawanna County hotel tax is 7 percent. Confirm remaining Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collection. Confirm 2026. AirROI's low-regulation scrape is not the license file.

August Is the Busiest Month

August is the busiest month. June and May are still strong. July is slow. Occupancy is weakest in July. Buying a Scranton Rental is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

Most Guests Arrive from New York, Then Pittsburgh

Most guests arrive from New York, then Pittsburgh. Stay is 5.6 nights. Lead is 35 days. Scranton Tourism Data is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

Downtown Guests Want City Hall

The downtown guest wants City Hall and a real city night. Design-forward copy, not a valley bunk. Complete Visitor's Guide to Scranton on the Lack is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Call the desk that actually covers the Scranton parcel before you advertise. A listing scrape is not the permit file. Confirm remaining 2026 fees and tax on the live city page. Do not paste a neighbor hall onto this deed.

Steamtown Guests Want a Different Walk

The Steamtown guest wants a different walk. Photos should match the house. What It Costs to Start a Legal Scranton STR Stay is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

West Side Guests Want a Different Block

The West Side guest wants a different block. Financing a Scranton Rental Without a Wilkes-Bar is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

The Wilkes-Barre Guest Books a Separate City

The Wilkes-Barre guest books a separate city. Wilkes-Barre listings earned about $11,303 last year from 45 active rentals on the current AirROI extract. Keep that stay on its own line. Wilkes-Barre is another hall. Scranton vs Wilkes-Barre Desks is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

Photos Should Match the House That Exists

Do not blend four occasions on one tile. Serve the guest who typed the stay. Scranton vs Wilkes-Barre is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

Who This Market Fits

Who this market fits is the guest you can actually host. Keep Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg on their own lines. Scranton Getaways is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

Hosts who underwrite Lackawanna River stays should keep $14,656 on 85 city listings, call 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, and leave Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg on their own lines. We market. We do not take the lock. Read that line as Scranton evidence, not as a metro dashboard. A neighbor year stays on its own line. If a packet still averages two towns, the underwrite is already wrong. Send the address before anyone files a blended caption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the typical Scranton guest?

Most guests arrive from New York, then Pittsburgh, with a typical stay of 5.6 nights booked about 35 days ahead. Downtown, Steamtown, and West Side each pull a different kind of trip, so photos and copy should match the house and neighborhood a guest actually books rather than a generic city blurb. Wilkes-Barre guests are booking an entirely separate city and shouldn't be folded into the same listing pitch.

When is Scranton's strongest month?

August is the busiest revenue month, with June and May also running strong. July is the slowest month on the current AirROI extract. An earlier brief for this market named January as the slow month instead -- both figures are worth keeping on file, but price the calendar against the currently confirmed hole rather than an older assumption.

Do I need a Scranton rental license in 2026?

Yes. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property in Scranton. Applications are due by September 15, and beginning in 2024 renewals must be submitted by March 15 annually; new rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees run from $45 per unit (1-3 units) up to $450 flat for 50 or more units. Contact Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager, at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555 or rselemba@scrantonpa.gov, 340 N. Washington Avenue, to confirm current terms.

Is a 30-night minimum the same as occupancy?

No. 19 listings, or 22.4 percent of the 85 active Scranton rentals, set a 30-night minimum stay -- that's a platform filter, not a measure of how full the calendar runs. Typical stay length on this extract is still 5.6 nights, and a rental license requirement is a separate ordinance matter entirely from occupancy performance.

Should I hire a manager in Scranton and on the satellites?

Professionally managed listings hold just 5.9 percent share in Scranton, with independent hosts writing most of this market. Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg reward their own separate marketing copy rather than a shared pitch, and a host paying city-scale management fees against the wrong town's caption is buying the wrong product for the address.

How should Downtown, Steamtown, and West Side listings be marketed differently?

These are three different guest occasions inside the same city. The downtown guest wants City Hall and a real city night; the Steamtown guest wants a different walk built around that district's attractions; the West Side guest is looking at a different block entirely. Blending all three into one generic tile loses the booking -- match photos and copy to the actual neighborhood the house sits in.

Can I file Wilkes-Barre's numbers as the Scranton year?

No. Scranton's average night was $155 across 85 listings, while Wilkes-Barre listings earned about $11,303 across 45 active rentals on the same AirROI extract. Keep the $14,656 Scranton typical-year figure on its own line -- Scranton's full-year snapshot (August 2025 through July 2026) shows occupancy at 37.9 percent, revenue per available night at $54, year over year at minus 11.4 percent, and active supply up 34.9 percent.

When is the Scranton rental license renewal due?

Renewal applications are due March 15 annually, per the city's official page (a rule that took effect beginning in 2024); new applicants apply by September 15. Confirm current deadlines with Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555 or rselemba@scrantonpa.gov before filing, since municipal deadlines can shift year to year.

What should a buyer packet for a Scranton STR carry?

Cite the $14,656 typical revenue figure across 85 city listings, note that active supply moved plus 34.9 percent while revenue moved minus 11.4 percent year over year, and include the Rental Licensing contact at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Keep Wilkes-Barre's separate revenue figures off the Scranton line so the packet isn't averaging two different towns.

Where do I confirm Scranton's current rental rules?

Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, email Robin Selemba at rselemba@scrantonpa.gov, or visit 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 and the city's official licensing page are the source of truth on fees and deadlines -- an AirROI regulation scrape reflects listing behavior, not the city's actual license file.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

If one tile tries to hold downtown and Wilkes-Barre, send it. We will split the stays.

Serve the guest who typed Scranton, not a blended valley caption. Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.