Airbnb, which facilitates short-term home rentals, says it is seeing a spike in the number of reservations in rural areas. About 3.3 million people stayed in Airbnb - listed accommodation in rural areas of the US in the past year , a year on year increase of 138 % , according to a company report . The report found rural hosts earned between 10 % and 20 % of their income from short - term renting , and also revealed Airbnb listings vastly outnumbered corporate hotel chains in rural areas . Chris Lehane , head of global policy for Airbnb , said : " I ’m not saying we ’re the solution for all the challenges rural communities are facing but I think we are a part of a broader formula to create economic opportunities . "
About 3.3 million people stayed in Airbnb - listed accommodation in rural areas of the US in the past year , a year on year increase of 138 % , according to a company report . The report found rural hosts earned between 10 % and 20 % of their income from short - term renting , and also revealed Airbnb listings vastly outnumbered corporate hotel chains in rural areas . Chris Lehane , head of global policy for Airbnb , said : " I ’m not saying we ’re the solution for all the challenges rural communities are facing but I think we are a part of a broader formula to create economic opportunities . "