Central Coast Airbnbs and hotels are almost fully booked for Thanksgiving.
With the CDC urging people to avoid traditional large gatherings, many out-of-towners are traveling with their immediate families to celebrate on the Central Coast,. Also, some locals are booking staycations.
With Thanksgiving two weeks away, Melissa Crandall, owner of Hacienda Vacation Services, is stocking a Paso Robles rental with serving platters for holiday guests.
"Our homes are equipped with everything and we also have enough seating and extra chairs if they need it,” Crandall said.
She co-manages 15 properties across San Luis Obispo County and all of them are booked for Thanksgiving weekend.
As of Friday, 81% of listings for two guests are fully booked from November 26-29, according to Airbnb's app.
For those same dates, listings for four guests are 90% full and there’s even less availability for groups of five or more.
Hotel managers also say they are almost fully booked for Thanksgiving and expect to sell out by next weekend.
For Ron Zimmer, his Arroyo Grande house has been booked almost every weekend, but he blocked out Thanksgiving to spend time with his son.
"Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and I turned those down too, but I know I would have gotten more if I had been open to it,” said Zimmer, Airbnb host. “It's been very busy all year."
What are your Thanksgiving plans? If you are traveling, are you heeding to medical experts’ advice to start a 14-day quarantine? 🦃
— Megan Healy (@MeganHealyTV) November 13, 2020
Hosts said they have been cleaning thoroughly after guests leave and before new ones arrive.
“We follow a protocol with Airbnb and we have to clean everything, and I do that immediately after people leave,” Zimmer said.
He says renting out his primary residence can be risky, especially during a pandemic.
“I’ve been lucky until this weekend when someone in the group reported that they were positive. It was a close call to have someone with COVID in the house,” he said.
Health experts say you should take extra precautions this holiday season to protect the ones we love.
“Thanksgiving is a time for family and people still want to be with family. They are just doing it in a safer way,” Crandall said.
If you are planning on visiting family, health experts say you should have already started a 14-day quarantine.
