2021-2031 Tourism Business Improvement District
Visit Greater Palm Springs (Visit GPS) is the official tourism marketing agency for the Coachella Valley. Founded in May 1989 by a Joint Powers Authority comprising the cities of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta and Indio, and the County of Riverside, Visit GPS was created as a public-private partnership to help grow the region’s tourism economy.
The mission of Visit GPS is to positively affect the destination’s tourism economy and quality of life for its residents, serving the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Business Improvement District (GPSTBID) Partners and providing sales, marketing and public relations support targeting potential leisure travelers from around the world as well as event, meeting and convention groups. In addition to destination sales and marketing, Visit GPS supports air service development, workforce development, consumer and group business research, visitor studies and destination stewardship.
Vacation Rental lodging owners successfully petitioned in 2020 to be included, alongside hotels with 50 rooms or more, in the GPSTBID.
Assessment by lodging type:
- Vacation Rentals: 1% assessment of gross short-term rental revenue on stays of 27 days or less.
- Hotels with 50 rooms or more : 3% assessment of gross short-term room rental revenue on stays of 27 days or less.
Click HERE for vacation rentals in unincorporated Riverside County areas.
HOW DO I PAY THE ASSESSMENT?
Vacation Rentals:
The GPSTBID assessment is remitted to the same City (or County for some) that you pay TOT to. You can find the payment forms, or online payment portal, on each City's website.
All hosts and property managers are responsible for remitting GPSTBID directly to the City or County (for unincorporated areas) where your short-term vacation rental is located. At this time, platforms like Airbnb or VRBO, will not collect it for you, even if they are remitting TOT directly to the City on your behalf.
Forms for cities where platforms do not collect either TOT or GPSTBID directly from guests, both must be remitted by hosts or property managers to the City:
Palm Springs
La Quinta
Indian Wells
Cathedral City
Forms for cities (unincorporated county) where one or more platforms collects TOT directly from guests, but hosts must still pay GPSTBID separately:
Rancho Mirage
Palm Desert
Indio
Desert Hot Springs
Riverside County
Hotels with 50 rooms or more:
Payment is due monthly to Visit Greater Palm Springs for all hotels with 50 rooms or more in the GPSTBID boundary. For forms and more information, contact Dan Tackett, staff accountant, at dan@visitgreaterps.com or (760) 969-1343.
LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Hotels with 50 rooms or more and Vacation rental property managers and owners have online access to an account with Visit Greater Palm Springs. Access allows you to update your profile, images and listing information, add special offers, and more. Use the link below to log in:
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Vacation Rentals:
- Sign up for regular Vacation Rental TBID partner communications here.
- An advisory group of vacation rental owners and property managers helps guide promotion priorities and make recommendations. To apply for the Advisory Group, please complete the application form linked below and return it to Davis Meyer at davis@visitgreaterps.com or call (760) 969-1360 if you have questions.
Hotels with 50 rooms or more:
- GPSTBID hotel sales and marketing reps are invited to join regular update meetings for GPSTBID hotels. Please contact Colleen Pace, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, at colleen@visitgreaterps.com, or (760) 969-1347 if you have questions.
Sign up for regular Vacation Rental TBID partner communications here.
Please review the FAQs below for more details on the assessment and benefits.
Additional FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
-
How much is the assessment?
The annual assessment rate is a percentage (3% for hotels; 1% for vacation rental properties) of gross short-term rental revenue, calculated monthly in the same way you calculate and remit TOT. Assessments will not be collected on long-term stays of 28 days or more.
The fee is typically passed on to the overnight guest via their nightly rental bill. Travelers in the U.S. have become accustomed to these destination fees, which are standard practice across the country.
-
Who pays into the TBID?
All lodging businesses with 50 rooms or more and vacation rentals located within the boundaries of the cities of Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta and Indio, as well as portions of the unincorporated area of Riverside County in the Coachella Valley.
-
When do I begin paying the assessment?
Vacation rentals should begin assessing stays July 1, 2021. Assessments for each month are due by the end of the following month to avoid penalties or late fees.
-
How is the assessment calculated?
The TBID assessment is calculated as 1% of gross rental revenue on short term stays of less than 28 day, remitted each month in the same way you calculate and remit Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT).
-
How do I pay the assessment?
The GPSTBID assessment will be remitted by the City (or County for some) that you pay TOT to. An additional line for GPSTBID collection will be added to the forms or platforms you use to remit TOT.
Please note, if you use Airbnb for bookings and your property is located in Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indio or the unincorporated areas of Riverside County within the GPSTBID boundaries, Airbnb will NOT remit the GPSTBID for you the way they remit TOT. You have a couple different options for collecting and remitting the TBID. Details and instructions for how to set up your account in Airbnb to collect the TBID, in addition to your TOT, are available on their website HERE.
If you do not wish to add the TBID as a pass-through to the guest, you will simply pay the TBID directly to the city/county on the Airbnb exemptions form that you file. -
What is the duration of the TBID Renewal?
The renewed TBID will have a 10-year life, beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2031.
-
When will I have access to my Visit GPS account as a vacation rental owner or manager?
Visit Greater Palm Springs will begin loading in vacation rental owner information received from each of our eight cities and Riverside County for permitted homes within our boundaries in the spring of 2021. Once your information is loaded in, an email will be sent to you, or your property manager, with information about how to log in and access your account.
-
Why are Vacation Rentals now included in Greater Palm Springs’ Tourism Business Improvement District?
Local vacation rental agents and owners asked Visit GPS to begin the process of becoming a part of the TBID several years ago. With the renewal of the GPS TBID that started in 2020, all vacation rental permit holders within our boundaries were mailed petitions. With petitions representing over 73% of the district returned in favor of renewing the GPS TBID including vacation rentals, they successfully petitioned to be included.
Vacation rentals are key for our destination to help meet visitor demand during our busiest times of the year, and having them be part of our Board of Directors benefits all of us. The funds collected from vacation rentals for the TBID will be used specifically for marketing and destination development programs designed to bring in more visitors—with a special focus on educating homeowners, neighbors and guests in order to create a positive environment in the local community and improve the vacation rental guest experience.
-
What is a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID)?
A Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) is a collection of lodging properties that pay an assessment on individual room night stays. The assessment—a small fee usually paid by guests on their nightly bill—provides funding for destination marketing and development to grow visitation year-round and help the destination remain competitive worldwide.
Over 160 tourism improvement districts exist across the United States, with the majority being in California, including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Big Bear Lake, Napa Valley, Huntington Beach, Oceanside and Temecula.
The Greater Palm Springs TBID helps us compete with these destinations and promote our many wonderful activities, events, attractions and unique places to stay to visitors around the world.
-
Why does Greater Palm Springs need a TBID?
The TBID provides a stable, long-term funding source to promote tourism, our region’s No. 1 industry. Increasing visitation and room night sales ultimately benefits our hotel/vacation rental businesses and helps grow the local economy. Unlike Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections, which can be used for a variety of purposes, TBID funds are protected for exclusive use by the destination marketing organization (in this case, Visit Greater Palm Springs). The Greater Palm Springs TBID represents 83.7% of Visit GPS' total annual funding.
-
How do I add the TBID Assessment to my Airbnb or VRBO listing?
For homes located in the City of Palm Springs, Click here to download a step-by-step guide on how to set up your TOT + TBID on Airbnb & VRBO.
For all other properties, click here for instructions from Airbnb.