Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2020

158 www.CharlestonSchoolDirectory.com | www.MountPleasantHomes.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com N ormally, as the weather warms up, and visitors flock to the area to enjoy the Lowcountry’s beautiful beaches and renowned cuisine, short-term rentals are quite hard to find. But with non- essential businesses closed from mid-March to early May, there was a temporary shut-down of the short-term rental industry. Mount Pleasant resident Laurie Bixler, who owns two short-term rental properties in Mount Pleasant through Charleston Vacation Rentals, said COVID-19 adversely impacted everyone. However, she emphasized that the rental industry supported the decisions made by the mayor and the town of Mount Pleasant to prioritize public health and safety. Now, as businesses continue re-opening, the short-term rental business is rebounding in a big way for Mount Pleasant and Charleston. “It’s very strong now,” Bixler remarked. As international travel has waned, more people are driving to destinations instead of flying, and the Lowcountry area has benefitted from this travel shift. Bixler is “incredibly optimistic” about summer’s outlook and the rest of 2020. “We’re getting more bookings than ever before,” she said. Michelle Whitbeck, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Mount Pleasant, owns a short-term rental in Cooper Estates known as the “Classic Charleston Townhouse.” Whitbeck lost around a dozen bookings between mid-March and June. “We were set up to have a really good year before the pandemic started,” she said. Similar to Bixler’s case, since businesses have started reopening, Whitbecks’s reservation inquiries have returned. Summer looks good, and Whitbeck feels confident the rest of 2020 should be fine. “We are booked now through the end of July,” she remarked during the interview on June 10, adding that she’s also started booking for fall and winter. Whitbeck normally hosts guests from all over the country and the world because of Charleston’s bucket-list destination status. What surprised her is that recent bookings have involved people coming from Northern areas, such as New York. These folks often work remotely and simply desire a scenery change. Also, most reservations are being made last minute, as opposed to the typical several months in advance. Perhaps one reason for short- term rentals’ resilience is that people regard them as safer than a hotel in terms of social distancing, thus they feel more comfortable, noted Bixler and Whitbeck. And you can bring in your own food and supplies. While rental sanitizing procedures have been ramped up during COVID-19, Whitbeck stated that much of what is included in the CDC’s recommended protocol has always been their modus operandi. For example, they already washed linen and rotated it after each use. “There is a high standard of cleanliness with a short-term rental,” affirmed Bixler. For her properties, she uses duvet covers, and everything is washed after each guest. She has leather couches as real estate BY COLIN MCCANDLESS Business as Usual Short-Term Rentals are Rebounding Photo by Laurie Bixler. Photo by Laurie Bixler. Photo by Laurie Bixler. The Pool Trust House., The Big Chill on the Waterfront. The Big Chill on the Waterfront.