Over 1,675 Airbnb rooms listed in the Kootenays

From rooms and suites to entire houses, from rustic cabins to high-end accommodation, the choice is endless through Airbnb.

Airbnb is proving to have a growing presence in the Kootenays in the room rental sector. — Photo courtesy AirBnB

US-based Airbnb has a major presence throughout the Kootenays. The San Francisco technology start-up which is shaking up the hospitality industry worldwide is an online marketplace that enables people to list, find, then rent vacation homes for a processing fee. While local municipalities struggle with issues like how to regulate the shared economy, access taxes and deal with increased residential traffic, this online service is growing in the Kootenays.

There are a total of 1675 rooms and/or properties listed for rent through Airbnb in the Kootenays. (Remember, there might be some overlap here as some communities also list rooms in neighbouring communities.)

Where's the most expensive place to rent an Airbnb room in the Kootenays? Believe it or not, it's Canal Flats at an average nightly rental fee of $222 (probably because listings here tend to be entire houses, not single or multiple rooms like other areas), followed by Revelstoke at $220, then Fernie at $207 per night and Fairmont Hot Springs at $199. The most economical place to rent a room in the Kootenays on Airbnb is Creston at $100 per night and Castlegar at $112 per night.

Here is a Top 20 list of how many Airbnb rentals are available in the Kootenays—listed by how many rentals listed in the community as well as the average nightly rental room fee in that community: 

Nelson—205 rentals, average nightly rental: $114
Castlegar—198 rentals, average nightly rental: $112
Radium Hot Springs—126 rentals, average nightly rental: $194
Invermere/Panorama—123 rentals, average nightly rental: $197
Fairmont Hot Springs—121 rentals, average nightly rental: $199
Revelstoke—118 rentals, average nightly rental: $220
Sparwood—98 rentals, average nightly rental: $193
Fernie—97 rentals, average nightly rental: $207
Golden—92 rentals, average nightly rental: $183
Kaslo—75 rentals, average nightly rental: $169
Trail—62 rentals, average nightly rental: $138
Christina Lake—60 rentals, average nightly rental: $158
Cranbrook—60 rentals, average nightly rental: $140
Rossland—58 rentals, average nightly rental: $142
Kimberley—55 rentals, average nightly rental: $136
New Denver—44 rentals, average nightly rental: $160
Canal Flats—34 rentals, average nightly rental: $222
Grand Forks—28 rentals, average nightly rental: $141
Creston—13 rentals, average nightly rental: $100
Elkford—8 rentals, average nightly rental: $194

This information, of course, is constantly changing. The numbers here represent a snapshot taken as of Monday, July 11, 2016.