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Marina Dock Age Magazine Features Marina Del Ray in a Compelling Study of the Benefits of Short-term Rentals for Your Marina

Apr 1, 2022 | Marina Growth

The high-upside of short-term rentals to bring in the new faces of recreational boating

“Boy, what wonderful weather this is.” That’s the first thought for many when they step outside and feel the cool sunlit hope for spring. The first thing a recreational boater is thinking?

“I’m ready to get back on the water.”

According to the NMMA, powerboat sales exceeded 300,000 units twice in the past fifteen years. Those years were 2020 and 2021. The recreational boating market is projected to grow by more than six billion dollars by 2027, and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation detailed that 55 million people went fishing in 2021 and gathered the highest participation in over a decade. That’s a lot of numbers to say: An assertive marina owner should be looking for innovative ways to draw these millions of new enthusiasts into their marina.

One such method was detailed in the first 2022 issue of Marina Dock Age—breaking down the impressive growth benefits of utilizing Airbnb lodgings through analysis of the largest marina in Louisiana—Marina Del Ray.

Marina Dock Age is an industry powerhouse that provides monthly reports and commentary on trends, design innovations, events, and effective ways for marinas to grow their income. You may have seen them circulating at a previous International Marina & Boatyard Conference or you might be one of the 16,000 monthly readers with the most recent copy lying on a stack on your tackle shop counter. Marina Del Ray, the destination highlighted for its use of Airbnb rentals, has over a thousand slips and operates on the gulf coast as the last stop in the Tchefuncte River before entering Lake Pontchartrain.

The meat of Marina Del Ray’s experience initiating Airbnb rentals went something like this:

Marina Del Ray was pitched the idea that they should convert dormant storage space into rentals by Hammer & Nail Marketing, a boutique marketing company that specializes in marina marketing for small- to mid-sized marinas. The analysis walks through the importance of learning local inspection requirements and zoning regulations, how to price units, the pandemic’s effect on sales, and the little things that will make your marina’s lodgings memorable—like making sure your guests’ fridge is full of beer.

Within a year of implementing two short-term rental units, Marina Del Ray saw an increase in fuel sales, restaurant patrons, boat club members, and slip rentals. Other local businesses saw increased revenue due to the increase of out-of-town visitors. The whole community benefited, and Marina Del Ray’s sales mimicked a rocket leaving trails in the stratosphere.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely already aware of the promising state of the industry and the incoming tide of newcomers who want to explore the water. Translating this knowledge into actionable growth is the next step, and short-term rentals through Airbnb or VRBO are a solution with a high upside and low risk of making your hair fall out from stress.

When the trend becomes a norm at marinas across the industry, that casual boater checking out the weather on their porch is going to think about more than just getting out on the water. They’ll be wondering about the softness of your beds, the smell of steak wafting from the marina restaurant, and what it’s like to see sunsets from the porch of a feature that you developed for growth and they bought into for an experience.

Visit Marina Dock Age to read the entirety of the short-term rental breakdown entitled “Implementing Airbnb Lodgings: How to Evolve Your Marina’s Perception from Shoreside Storage to a Relaxation Alcove”.

Article by Hammer and Nail Marketing

WHAT IS HAMMER & NAIL?

Hammer and Nail Marketing is a boutique marketing firm that helps small to mid-sized marinas get noticed by boaters. If you’d like to focus on operating your marina without the additional responsibility of marketing, get in touch with us.

We’re boaters ourselves from a background of operating a family-run marina. From a group of experts who know the water, let Hammer and Nail Marketing help you be the waterfront your local boaters see every time they cast off.