Ottawa, Illinois Short-Term Rental Market
Ottawa, IL STRs averaged $189/night at 61.2% occupancy in June 2026 across 8,003 active listings.
Quick Answer: Ottawa, Illinois is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Illinois Area market area is 61%. average monthly revenue in the Illinois Area market area is $3,147. average daily rate in the Illinois Area market area is $189. the top operator in the Illinois Area market area is Evolve with 100 listings. market score is 97/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Illinois Area regional market, which includes Ottawa. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Ottawa.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Ottawa counted 8,003 active short-term rental listings in the latest snapshot, with entire-place units at 88.9% of supply (7,117 listings), private rooms at 11.0% (876), and shared rooms at 0.1% (10). Average daily rate was $189.28 at 61.19% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $3,147 per listing. Year over year, occupancy was roughly flat (down 0.9 percentage points), ADR declined 0.6%, and revenue still grew 3.5%.
Bedroom mix leans toward smaller units: 1-bedroom listings are the largest category at 33.3% of supply (2,665), followed by 2-bedroom at 31.0% (2,478), 3-bedroom at 21.5% (1,720), 4-bedroom at 8.6% (690), and 5-bedroom at 5.5% (442). On booking channels, 57.1% of listings (4,572) are Airbnb-only, 37.0% (2,959) are on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 5.9% (472) are Vrbo-only.
Population is 18,752. Ottawa sits at the heart of ‘Starved Rock Country’ in LaSalle County, roughly 80 to 90 minutes southwest of Chicago at the confluence of the Fox and Illinois Rivers. The regional draw is overwhelmingly outdoor and heritage tourism: nearby Starved Rock State Park, Illinois’ most-visited state park, draws an estimated 2 to 3 million visitors per year, much of that traffic passing through or lodging in the Ottawa area. The market posts an exceptional investability score of 98.79 out of 100 and total score of 96.66.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41% | $129 | $1,594 |
| Feb | 48% | $130 | $1,585 |
| Mar | 53% | $134 | $1,922 |
| Apr | 52% | $133 | $1,870 |
| May | 54% | $148 | $2,126 |
| Jun | 60% | $169 | $2,727 |
| Jul | 63% | $172 | $3,016 |
| Aug | 59% | $164 | $2,709 |
| Sep | 53% | $153 | $2,251 |
| Oct | 54% | $156 | $2,396 |
| Nov | 50% | $144 | $2,011 |
| Dec | 46% | $148 | $1,988 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Illinois Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Illinois Area market as a whole, which includes Ottawa, so these counts are not Ottawa-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 100 | 4,033 | ★ 4.69 |
| 2 | Harbor Inn | 83 | 979 | ★ 4.74 |
| 3 | MySuiteSpot | 67 | 4,900 | ★ 4.77 |
| 4 | Rosebud Rentals | 58 | 3,513 | ★ 4.78 |
| 5 | Southern Illinois Vacation Rentals | 55 | 5,325 | ★ 4.94 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Ottawa?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,665 |
| 2 bed | 2,478 |
| 3 bed | 1,720 |
| 4 bed | 690 |
| 5 bed | 442 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $199 |
| Luxury | $379 |
| Professionally Managed | $246 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,184 |
| Entire Place | $3,314 |
| House | $3,524 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 57.1% |
| vrbo | 5.9% |
| both | 37% |
Investment Analysis
Rate tiers show a wide spread by property positioning. The blended average daily rate of $189.28 compares to $198.91 for the entire-home tier (5.1% above blended), $246.21 for professionally managed listings (30.1% above blended), and $379.20 for the luxury tier, 100.3% above blended, exactly double the market average, one of the widest luxury premiums in this batch.
Revenue grew 3.5% year over year through June 2026 despite occupancy and ADR both declining slightly, a divergence worth monitoring but consistent with modest overall market health. Housing valuation data (typical home value, median sale price) is not published for Ottawa in the current snapshot, so a gross yield estimate cannot be calculated here; investors should pull comparable local sales directly before underwriting acquisition costs.
Houses generate the highest average revenue at $3,524 per month, 12.0% above the all-listings blended average of $3,147, while apartments trail at $2,184, about 30.6% below blended, one of the wider property-type spreads in this batch, reflecting the appeal of standalone cabins and houses near Starved Rock relative to in-town apartment units.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time is 56.5 days, meaning most guests book about eight weeks before arrival, a longer window consistent with a state-park and outdoor-recreation destination where trips are planned around hiking, paddling, and fall foliage timing.
Average length of stay is 4.02 nights, a moderate booking pattern. Combined with the longer lead time, this points to guests planning multi-night Starved Rock getaways well in advance, giving operators solid forecasting visibility for the summer peak season.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Ottawa requires short-term rental operators (Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar platforms) to register their properties. In May 2025, the city launched a digital registration and tax-collection program in partnership with Deckard Technologies; hosts register, submit documentation, and pay applicable lodging tax (the local ‘pillow tax’) through the online portal. The stated goals are compliance, oversight, and capturing lodging-tax revenue, and the city uses the Deckard platform to identify unregistered rentals, with hosts warned to register promptly to avoid penalties. STRs are regulated under Municipal Code Chapter 26, Article XI.
Illinois’ STR definition explicitly includes owner-occupied, tenant-occupied, and non-owner-occupied dwellings, so a primary-residence requirement does not appear to apply in Ottawa. At the state level, Illinois extended the Hotel Operators’ Occupation Tax (6% of 94% of gross receipts) to short-term rentals, with hosting platforms required to collect and remit beginning in 2025-2026.
Several local specifics could not be verified from accessible primary sources: the specific Ottawa local lodging-tax rate, the registration fee amount, the renewal period, and any zoning or density limits. Investors should confirm these directly with the City of Ottawa before purchasing. Enforcement is rated moderate, driven by the city’s active use of the Deckard platform to identify and pursue unregistered rentals.
Market Comparison
Ottawa runs above typical U.S. short-term rental benchmarks on occupancy and below on rate. At 61.19% occupancy, the market is about 6.2 percentage points above the roughly 55% national median. Average daily rate of $189.28 is about 14.0% below the roughly $220 national median ADR, consistent with a smaller regional market rather than a premium destination.
Among property managers, Evolve leads with 100 active listings (1.3% of the area’s 8,003 total listings) and 4,033 reviews at a 4.69 average rating. Southern Illinois Vacation Rentals holds the highest guest rating among the top five at 4.94 across 55 listings and 5,325 reviews. The top five combined operators hold 363 listings, about 4.5% of total inventory, indicating a market dominated by independent and smaller operators.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ottawa, Illinois
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