What brings guests here
Hot Springs National Park
Bathhouse Row and the thermal springs sit right downtown, with hiking trails on the mountains above.
Oaklawn racing
The 2026-27 live meet runs November 27, 2026 through May 1, 2027, the earliest opening in the track's history. The Arkansas Derby is April 10, 2027.
The lakes
Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine lie south and southeast of town, and Lake Ouachita is to the northwest. Summer boating and fishing bring families and groups.
Garvan Woodland Gardens
The University of Arkansas botanical garden covers 210 acres on Lake Hamilton.
Documentary Film Festival
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival runs each October. The 2026 festival, its 35th, is October 9 to 17.
Hot Springs Village
The large gated community north of town brings visiting family and prospective buyers who need a place to stay.
Supply is limited by license
The city requires a short-term rental license for every STR inside city limits, renewed each year. In residential zones it also requires a Special Use Permit and caps the number of licenses.
As of July 1, 2025, the city said no new residential-zone licenses were available, while applications in non-residential zones were still accepted. That limits how fast new rentals can open in neighborhoods, and it means a house's existing license status matters to any buyer.
Costs and taxes hosts face
- Airbnb's single host fee is 15.5% for most hosts, with no separate guest service fee.
- Guests pay Arkansas's 6.5% gross receipts tax, the 2% state tourism tax, local sales tax and the 3% Hot Springs A&P tax on stays of 29 nights or fewer. Airbnb collects and remits these.
- The city license fee is listed at $50 per bed, and Hot Springs Village charges $50 a year to register a rental.
Reading the numbers
We do not publish average rates or occupancy figures we cannot verify. For underwriting, pull current data for the specific area from a market data service and check the calendars of comparable listings.
Look at results month by month. Racing weekends, summer lake weeks and festival dates fill differently from winter weekdays, and an annual average can hide a weak stretch.
Sources
- Hot Springs National Park (NPS)
- Horse Racing Nation: Oaklawn 2026-27 stakes schedule
- Oaklawn racing calendar
- Garvan Woodland Gardens (Wikipedia)
- Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
- City of Hot Springs: Short-term rental information
- City of Hot Springs: STR policies, rules and regulations
- Airbnb: Airbnb service fees
- Airbnb: Occupancy tax collection and remittance
Questions about short-term rentals in Hot Springs?
Call or text 501.365.1001, or send a note and we will get back to you.