Vacation Rentals Outnumber Hotel Rooms in Playa del Carmen

Vacation rentals in Playa del Carmen have surpassed the city's hotel capacity. There are now approximately 12,000 short-term rentals compared to 8,000 rooms across traditional lodging properties.

Hotel association calls for a level playing field

Manuel Paredes Mendoza, director of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, announced that the industry will demand that those responsible for vacation rentals offer the same guarantees to tourists, including liability insurance and other requirements that hotels are obliged to comply with. The objective is to ensure that there is no unfair competition.

“We will continue as a hotel association to fight for the regularization of vacation rentals so that they can obtain the safety conditions required by law in the lodging segment, that they have a civil liability plan with insurance, and that they also have civil protection programs as required by law for the safety of tourists.”

— Manuel Paredes, director of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association.

Paredes also acknowledged that this lodging segment is of great importance for the accommodation of tourists. The ideal scenario would be for short-term rentals to meet the requirements a destination like Quintana Roo needs in order to remain one of the most important in the world.

Pandemic, recovery and Easter Week outlook

The hotel association also stated that vacation rentals expanded in recent years due to the pandemic, when most hotels were closed. The current hotel lodging situation is positive, with general average occupancy rates above 70% across the Riviera Maya.

Ahead of Easter Week, hoteliers anticipate an even stronger rebound thanks to the Covid-19 green epidemiological status across Mexican territory. Figures are expected to match or even exceed those of 2019.

In summary

Playa del Carmen has crossed a tipping point: vacation rentals now outnumber hotel rooms, and the regulatory debate around safety, insurance and fair competition is just beginning to define the next chapter of Riviera Maya tourism.