I get having airbnbs near lakes, beaches, tourist spots etc.

"Short term rentals" are nightly and weekly rentals, primarily for tourists or people in town for business etc. 

When we were done at the notary and finished the purchase, we were able to obtain the license and start the works (it was a big commercial old furniture shop where we created 14 tourist apartments). 

It's one of the few routes besides Big Sur that you are directly on the Pacific Ocean and a big reason why there is a steady stream of tourists for luxury STR's. 

We've been going to Edisto Beach or Harbor Island the last few years for a slower pace. we don't really get to be tourist when we are in Charleston we are working.. but we do enjoy the Restaurant scene and its a cool city.

Long Beach, California, is revitalizing its historic Queen Mary ship and hotel to attract tourists during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The building has been passed over by many people due to the layout, but I have a creative and viable solution (boutique hostel/hotel hybrid in well-established and overpriced tourist destination). 

In areas that are very tourist-desirable, like coastal/beachfront resorts in FL tiny homes can provide an alternative to higher priced hotel rooms and attract a younger clientele that is not looking to book the large (sleeps-12-at-a-time) condos.

I think the sweet spot for new STRs is finding mid-size national attractions that bring in a lot of tourists but haven't been priced out too much at the moment like some of the most famous national ones. 

Achieving 2-2.5x base rent in rental arbitrage is highly market-dependent and may work in tourist-heavy areas but is less realistic in stable markets like Houston.