Utah cities' Airbnb fees among nation's worst

Park City and Salt Lake City are two of the worst cities in the country for having extra Airbnb fees, according to an analysis from Forbes.

Driving the news: About 45% of the cost of an Airbnb stay in Park City is made up of fees — cleaning, service and taxes — Forbes says. That makes it the sixth-worst city on the list.

• Salt Lake City is at No. 11 of 100 cities, with 44% of costs going to fees.

Why it matters: Short-term rentals are changing the real estate market — especially in Park City, where they made up about 43% of the housing stock, the Deseret News reported last year.

Yes, but: Analysts said the short-term rental market may be getting saturated as more property owners list their spaces, MarketWatch reported last year.

• The costs to stay at a short-term rental also have risen — along with complaints about add-on fees.

Zoom in: Park City's occupancy rates fell this winter, despite the historic snowfall, according to the short-term rental data site Rabbu.com.

• February, historically the busiest month, brought occupancy rates around 72%, down from 84% last year.

• Salt Lake City reached 71% occupancy this year, down from 79% last year, Rabbu finds.

By the numbers: Atlanta is the worst city in terms of fees (48%). The average is 36% in fees on top of nightly rates, Forbes finds.

• The average Airbnb nightly rate in Park City is $293, with Salt Lake City's average at $193.

The bottom line: The higher fees make Airbnb prices comparable to hotel rates in some cities.

Zoom out: Forbes Advisor says it looked at 32,000 listings in the 100 most popular Airbnb markets. The analysis reviewed listings for July 2023.