These days, a true Disney short term vacation in Orlando is a fully immersive experience, captivating the minds and imaginations of guests and owners alike.
As a current owner of 14 bedroom luxury short term vacation rental homes in Orlando, Florida I can chime in on some of the tips and experiences of running a Disney short term airbnb & vrbo vacation home. I’ve owned up to 3 of these homes from 12 to 14 bedrooms.
Guest Preferences in a Disney Short Term AirBnb
Theming is very important in a Disney Airbnb & Vrbo, and similar to if you run a beachside cottage, guests are particularly picky when it comes to their Disney travels. In fact, they want to feel like they are at “home” away from home, if that makes sense.
In one of my houses, I even included a Hollywood themed movie theatre room where the entire house was themed after a Hollywood theme, where guests would feel like they are in an actual Hollywood set.
I’ve seen incredible themed houses that have included different Disney characters, including personal items, artifacts, wallpaper and custom painted walls with the different Disney themes. In one situation, I saw a home that even included a full bowling alley on the 2nd floor in the den.
There should also be 1 or 2 childrens rooms which includes themed rooms, with some of the popular themed items from Disney or Universal Studios. Some of the more popular themes include the timeless characters like Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Frozen. Everything from hand-painted custom artwork (hired by custom design artists who hand paint themselves) to pillows, bedding, and toys in the room that resemble the characters as if they were in the rides themselves.
Cyclicality and Trends in a Disney Short Term Vacation Rental
Summertime, particularly in the months of June and July, and the tail-end of August are considered peak season for Disney tourists due to schools being out. The other times are Christmas and New Years, with a small window in March for spring break.
It’s not uncommon for families to come and spend $10k over a week at Disney due to inflation and the high costs.
Getting Started in the Orlando, Florida Short Term Vacation Rental Business
If you are looking to start a Disney or Universal Airbnb & Vrbo, you’ll need to keep the following considerations in mind.
Local Regulations and Zoning
The community has to be zoned properly for short term vacation rentals, and in Orlando, Florida there is only 1 home development zoned for short term rentals at the time of writing and that is Paradiso Grande, developed by Park Square Homes.
Areas such as Kissimmee and Davenport, Florida are popular areas for short term vacation rental homes. It is important to ensure that the neighoorhoods are actually zoned for short-term rentals, as not all HOA’s and neighboorhoods allow those.
I cover exactly which communities and neighboorhoods are zoned for these in my Vacation Rental E-book guide.
Proximity to Disney
Proximity to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios is important, as guests mostly come to Central Florida and Orlando to come to the theme parks, so the localle has to be safe, convenient and not too far from these theme parks.
I’d say no more than 30 minutes away from the theme parks is ideal for travel time to the theme parks.
Professional Furnishing
It’s not enough anymore to just purchase a random bedset or dining package from rooms to go or Ashley’s Furniture and expect great results.
Putting furnishing into a home and filling the rooms with furnishing does not mean the home is furnished.
These days, guests want an elevated experience, to match the luxurious lifestyle they wish to live while on vacation and that includes theming, professional furnishing, art & decor and even items to match the theme in the home.
I suggest even hiring a professional furnishing company to take care of this task, unless you are the artistic creative type with lots of creative ideas.
Finding Your Unique Disney Short Term Vacation Rental Property
Assuming you’ve decided to launch your Orlando, Florida Disney & Vrbo Airbnb, the next thing you’ll need is a good realtor that specializes in short term vacation rentals.
Not every realtor is cut out to handle short term rentals, as most realtors focus on strictly residential real estate or dealing with long term leases.
You’ll need to find a realtor, ideally that is local that is equipped to deal with short term vacation rentals. Particularly in Disney, there are alot of different nuances associated with short term rentals and having a local guide that is familiar with the specific neighboorhoods and tips for launching a new short term vacation rental business is key.
My realtor for example used to run a property management company with over 100 homes and sold to a large fortune 500 company, so he was well versed in the different communities and common pitfalls to look out for.
To get started, I recommend that you interview a few realtors in the area.
Disney Airbnbs & Vrbo Is Not All Cookie Cutter
It’s hard to take a cookie cutter one size fits all to Airbnb & Vrbo, especially in the Disney area. There is alot of different nuances to learn when it comes to these types of rentals. If you want to learn more, check out my guide.