Grand Rapids, Michigan Short-Term Rental Market
Grand Rapids allows only owner-occupied room rentals, while September 2026 shows $169 ADR, 65.4% occupancy, $3,081 monthly revenue.
Quick Answer: Grand Rapids, Michigan is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 65%. average monthly revenue is $3,081. average daily rate is $169. the top operator in Grand Rapids is LiveSuites with 46 listings. market score is 98/100 (grade A).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Grand Rapids is a tightly restricted short-term rental market. City rules limit legal operators to owner-occupied homes renting a single room, so the figures below describe how the existing Grand Rapids area STR market performs, not what a new investor could legally run. As of September 2026, the average daily rate across all listings was $169, occupancy was 65.4%, and average monthly revenue per listing was $3,081. Compared with September 2025, occupancy is up 1.9%, ADR is up 2.9%, and revenue is up 5.5%. Entire-place listings earned an ADR of $195, noticeably above the all-listings average because private rooms pull the blended figure down.
Supply in the Grand Rapids area STR market is mostly whole units. There are 675 entire-place listings and 166 private-room listings, so about 80.3% of listings are entire places. By size, 1-bedroom listings lead with 317, followed by 249 two-bedroom, 163 three-bedroom, 81 four-bedroom, and 30 five-bedroom listings. On distribution, 540 listings appear on Airbnb only, 32 on Vrbo only, and 269 on both platforms.
Demand has solid local support. Grand Rapids and Kent County drew a record 22.3 million visitors in 2024, who spent $2.0 billion locally, with visitor volume up 4.4% and spending up 6.1% year over year. Travelers come for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, ArtPrize, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, John Ball Zoo, and a dense craft beer scene, and DeVos Place brings convention and meeting attendees. Hotels sold 2.28 million room-nights in 2024, 10.5% above 2019. The city has about 201,357 residents.
On the StaySTRa market score, Grand Rapids posts a total of 97.6, with rental demand at 91.8, investability at 84.6, revenue growth at 82.5, seasonality at 77.5, and regulation at 74.7, the lowest of the six categories.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 52% |
| Feb | 57% |
| Mar | 58% |
| Apr | 61% |
| May | 65% |
| Jun | 71% |
| Jul | 75% |
| Aug | 70% |
| Sep | 64% |
| Oct | 59% |
| Nov | 56% |
| Dec | 59% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Grand Rapids are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Grand Rapids
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LiveSuites | 46 | 2,550 | ★ 4.74 |
| 2 | The Finnley Hotel | 11 | 71 | ★ 4.75 |
| 3 | Leavetown | 7 | 15 | ★ 4.20 |
| 4 | Extended Stay | 6 | 504 | ★ 4.52 |
| 5 | Livesuites | 5 | 17 | ★ 4.76 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Grand Rapids?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Grand Rapids 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 | 64.2% |
| vrbo | 3.8% |
| both | 32% |
Home Value Trends (Grand Rapids)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids — 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
Grand Rapids permits short-term rentals only under a restrictive home-occupation framework. Rentals must be owner-occupied homes with the owner on premises during guest stays. Only one room may be rented, to a maximum of two adult guests. Whole-house and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rentals are prohibited, and the property must sit in a zoning district that permits the use. The city caps licenses at roughly 200 citywide, and the owner-occupancy and primary residence requirements both apply.
Operators need a Home Occupation License plus Special Land Use approval from the Planning Department. The initial license costs about $518 and renews annually at about $160. A safety inspection covering items such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and egress is also required.
On taxes, stays under 30 consecutive days owe an 8% Kent County lodging excise tax, which rose from 5% on January 1, 2025 after a voter-approved measure in August 2024. Michigan’s 6% state use tax and an Experience Grand Rapids marketing assessment also apply, and Airbnb collects and remits many of these charges.
Enforcement is rated moderate. In February 2026, Mayor LaGrand publicly called for an overhaul of the city’s short-term rental rules, citing hundreds of rentals operating illegally under the current framework, and policy changes were under discussion. Because the legal path rules out non-owner-occupied whole-home rentals, investor-style operations are not viable inside city limits. Confirm current rules with the city before acting.
Market Comparison
Grand Rapids pairs solid occupancy with a mid-range rate. September 2026 occupancy was 65.4% with an ADR of $169. Entire-place listings at $195 and professionally managed listings at $260 sit higher, and luxury listings at $338 are well above the blended rate.
Growth is also positive, with revenue up 5.5% year over year. The 2026 year-to-date average of $2,926 per month is above 2025’s $2,821 and well above the 2023 level of $2,413.
The Grand Rapids area STR market also has a recognizable operator base. LiveSuites is the largest professional operator with 46 listings, a 4.74 rating, and 2,550 reviews. The Finnley Hotel follows with 11 listings, Leavetown has 7, and Extended Stay has 6. The size of that field shows that professionally run inventory carries real weight here.
The key difference from other mid-size markets is regulation. The market score for regulation is 74.7, the lowest of its six categories, and the owner-occupied, one-room framework limits who can legally participate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grand Rapids, Michigan
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