Asheville – It was early October when Buncombe County planned to curb the proliferation of short-term rentals. Instead, it circulated a bulletin “seeking Airbnb or room accommodations for emergency telecommunicators who are coming into the state to assist with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.”
Chip Craig, owner and founder of Greybeard Realty, was managing hundreds of reservations when Helene struck. Immediately after the hurricane, everyone at Greybeard was digging themselves out and checking on property owners. The staff went to work clearing paths to their rental properties, rescuing guests, and repairing damages, including removing trees from two roofs.
They canceled all bookings for October while staff members were paid to volunteer with relief efforts in the broader community. This did not require a mass eviction, as vacationers had better things to do than sit in homes without power, water, or a place to go.
However, Craig began hearing from people who had either lost everything or wanted a place to stay when they came to Asheville on a mission of mercy. Consequently, Greybeard asked hosts of properties that remained up to code if they would rent to them for free or at reduced rates. Needs were communicated by word of mouth until Craig invested in Starlink.
At a meeting of the Short-Term Rental Alliance, someone proposed creating “a bulletin board or landing page” to connect hosts with renters. Gay Weber, COO of Carolina Mornings, managed the site. “We took our inspiration from the old LendingTree commercials, where you would reach out once and then multiple banks would reach back out to you with offers,” he explained. Whenever a renter signed up, their profile was emailed to all registered hosts willing to rent for free or at reduced rates. They did their best to spread the word to people without access to modern communications. At its peak, 140 hosts and 100 guests were listed.
Weber and his wife had been trapped on their property for three days until they could carry bicycles out and ride to a hotspot. They had just enough charge in their phones to inform their families that they were safe. It took eleven days before he resumed running the business “with tool batteries on the Starlink and a laptop battery, recharging everything twice a day.” He recalls, “I was thankful our CEO was on vacation in Europe, and she was available to work with our remote team members to be available for our guests, team members, and property owners.”
Like Craig, Weber canceled all reservations, issued refunds, and paid his employees to assist with relief efforts. “We didn’t want to encourage anyone to travel to our area right after the storm, so we bit the bullet and returned all of the revenue from our second-highest revenue month of the year.” Weber reported that his hosts continue to house over 100 relief groups and work crews for free or at a discount.
The situation was similar for Mark Bastin, CMO at Yonder Luxury Vacation Rentals. Yonder managed 29 reservations for first responders and individuals now affectionately known in the business as simply “workers.” They also accommodated 34 displaced families, seven of whom remain as long-term guests.
“In addition, because several of our team members lived close to the Swannanoa River, they assisted search and rescue personnel immediately after the storm. Our team has also volunteered in cleanup and water-testing events,” he said.
Seven months later, Craig shares stories about the generosity of the evacuated guests—some hauling supplies back, others opening their homes to evacuees, and many donating their refunds to relief organizations. Craig stated that if there was any message to convey to the public, besides thank you, it was, “We’re open for business.” He noted that the media has emphasized the devastation more than the recovery.