Desert Hot Springs, California Short-Term Rental Market
Desert Hot Springs short-term rentals averaged $403 a night at 41.2% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: Desert Hot Springs, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Coachella Valley market area is 41%. average monthly revenue in the Coachella Valley market area is $4,764. average daily rate in the Coachella Valley market area is $403. the top operator in the Coachella Valley market area is Vacasa with 539 listings. market score is 44/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Coachella Valley regional market, which includes Desert Hot Springs. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Desert Hot Springs.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Desert Hot Springs, California, part of the Greater Palm Springs and Coachella Valley wellness and spa market, sits within a wider Coachella Valley short-term rental market that tracks 16,916 listings as of June 2026; the listing-mix figures below reflect that shared regional data set rather than Desert Hot Springs in isolation. Desert Hot Springs’ own STR performance averaged $402.93 a night (ADR) at 41.2% occupancy, generating an average of $4,764 in monthly revenue per listing. Occupancy is up 0.6% year over year and ADR is up 4.1%, while revenue is essentially flat, down 0.1% year over year.
The listing mix across this regional market is dominated by entire places: 16,238 of the 16,916 listings (96.0%) are whole units, with 657 (3.9%) private rooms and 21 (0.1%) shared rooms. Of the 16,897 listings with bedroom data on file, 3-bedroom units are the largest group at 5,169 (30.6%), followed by 2-bedroom units at 4,201 (24.9%) and 1-bedroom units at 3,301 (19.5%). Larger 4-bedroom and 5-bedroom properties account for 2,710 (16.0%) and 1,516 (9.0%) of the market, a notably larger share of big houses than many markets, consistent with the area’s pool-home and group-getaway positioning.
Channel distribution across the region favors dual listing: 9,543 properties (56.4%) are marketed on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 5,345 (31.6%) are Airbnb only, and 2,028 (12.0%) are Vrbo only.
Revenue varies sharply by property type in Desert Hot Springs itself: apartment-style units average $2,322 a month, entire-place units average $4,850, and standalone houses average $5,517, more than double the apartment figure.
Desert Hot Springs has a population of about 33,438 and is known for its naturally occurring hot and cold mineral springs, drawing wellness travelers and spa guests, with many visitors also passing through en route to Joshua Tree National Park.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 56% |
| Feb | 70% |
| Mar | 72% |
| Apr | 57% |
| May | 39% |
| Jun | 45% |
| Jul | 47% |
| Aug | 44% |
| Sep | 40% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 55% |
| Dec | 49% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Desert Hot Springs are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Coachella Valley market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Coachella Valley market as a whole, which includes Desert Hot Springs, so these counts are not Desert Hot Springs-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 539 | 12,998 | ★ 4.48 |
| 2 | Evolve | 342 | 9,790 | ★ 4.71 |
| 3 | AvantStay | 252 | 5,340 | ★ 4.80 |
| 4 | Acme House | 187 | 6,136 | ★ 4.78 |
| 5 | Park Royal Indian Palms Intervals | 170 | 5 | ★ 5.00 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Desert Hot Springs?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Desert Hot Springs are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 31.6% |
| vrbo | 12% |
| both | 56.4% |
Home Value Trends (Desert Hot Springs)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Desert Hot Springs are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Desert Hot Springs — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in Desert Hot Springs but tightly regulated through a three-category Vacation Rental Permit system: General (no owner-occupancy requirement), Home Share (owner lives on-site), and Primary Residence. The general permit fee on file is $1,241.81, renewed annually.
The city caps total vacation rental permits at 4% of developed housing parcels, roughly 368 permits based on 9,201 parcels counted in 2025. Accessory dwelling units cannot be used as short-term rentals, and HOAs that prohibit rentals block permit approval.
A February 19, 2026 ordinance amendment tightened the rules further: it reduced the required separation radius between vacation rental parcels to 250 feet citywide (retaining a stricter 500-foot radius only in the Rolling Hills, DHS 41, and Hacienda Heights neighborhoods due to existing concentration), made a valid permit mandatory for every vacation rental regardless of how often it is rented (removing a prior low-volume exemption), and now requires owners or their agents to complete city-certified training before a permit is issued. Permits also terminate immediately upon sale or transfer of the property, so an incoming buyer cannot simply inherit the seller’s permit.
Operators must collect and remit a 12.0% transient occupancy tax. Enforcement is rated strict. Existing rentals in good standing are grandfathered against the permit cap on renewal, but because permits do not transfer with a sale, buyers should confirm permit eligibility under the current cap before closing rather than assuming an existing STR’s permit carries over.
Market Comparison
Desert Hot Springs’ 41.2% occupancy runs well below the national short-term rental median of roughly 55%, about 13.8 percentage points lower, while its $402.93 ADR is roughly 83.2% above a national median ADR of about $220. This is a high-rate, lower-occupancy market, consistent with a strongly seasonal desert destination where owners charge a premium during the January through April high season but see meaningfully softer bookings the rest of the year.
Across the wider Coachella Valley market that includes Desert Hot Springs, national vacation rental managers lead. Vacasa holds the top spot with 539 listings (3.2% of the region’s 16,916 tracked listings) and 12,998 reviews at a 4.48 average rating. Evolve is second with 342 listings (2.0% share) and 9,790 reviews at 4.71. AvantStay ranks third with 252 listings (1.5% share) and 5,340 reviews at 4.80. Together, the top three managers control only about 6.7% of tracked listings across this regional market, indicating limited professional-management consolidation relative to the region’s overall size.
Frequently Asked Questions About Desert Hot Springs, California
What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in Desert Hot Springs, CA?
What is the average nightly rate for a Desert Hot Springs vacation rental?
How many short-term rental permits does Desert Hot Springs allow?
How much revenue does the average Desert Hot Springs short-term rental generate per month?
When is peak season for Desert Hot Springs vacation rentals?
Who are the top property managers operating in the Desert Hot Springs / Coachella Valley area?
What lodging tax applies to short-term rentals in Desert Hot Springs?
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