Planning a Bayside purchase or weighing a sale and wondering how amenity passes affect the numbers? You are not alone. At Bayside Golf & Resort in Selbyville, guest passes are common, seasonal, and tied to many of the amenities that make the community so popular. In this guide, you will learn how the pass program works, what it costs, who typically pays, how Delaware’s new short‑term rental tax fits in, and a simple way to model cash flow with clear assumptions. Let’s dive in.
Bayside amenity passes: the basics
Bayside manages a formal Guest Pass Program that controls access to key amenities like pools, the Health & Aquatic Club, the beach shuttle, and more. Passes are required for many guests and are issued by the community. You can review current rules and pickup details on the community’s official Guest Pass Program page.
From a cash‑flow view, amenity passes usually sit outside base rent or purchase price. For rental stays, passes are often charged to guests and remitted to the community, so they are not owner income. This setup matters when you forecast occupancy, pricing, and guest experience.
Owner vs HOA cash flow
Decide whose cash flow you are modeling. For the community or HOA, pass receipts are operating revenue that help fund amenities. For an individual owner, pass fees are commonly treated as a pass‑through that guests pay and the manager remits to Bayside, which means no net gain to the owner when handled this way. Local rental notices explain that the HOA sets prices and managers collect on its behalf, so confirm the exact flow with your manager and agreement terms (example notice).
Pass pricing and timing
Public materials and the Bayside request form show a seasonal structure. Off‑season, the request form lists 3‑day passes at $40 and weekly passes at $70. In‑season, many Bayside listings publish 3‑day passes at $65 and weekly passes at $115. Always verify current rates before you publish or price a listing (official request form, representative in‑season pricing).
Plan for administration. The community guides members and managers to order passes several days in advance, with many references to a 7‑day window and a small service fee if you order late. Guests usually pick up passes at the Health & Aquatic Club, show ID, and complete a Guest Acknowledgement Form, and there are no refunds for lost or unused passes. Check the latest pickup hours and rules on the Guest Pass Program page and the request form.
Delaware STR tax to model
Delaware’s short‑term lodging tax took effect January 1, 2025. The state rate is 4.5 percent, and counties like Sussex are authorized to add up to 3 percent if they choose. The tax applies to rent and sits apart from HOA amenity pass charges, so you should model it directly against gross rental receipts and verify the current county status before you finalize your numbers (bill text summary).
Build your cash flow model
Set your perspective
- HOA perspective: passes are revenue for the community, matched to seasonal operating and reserve needs.
- Owner perspective: passes are usually guest‑paid and remitted, which is neutral to owner income unless you choose to include them in your rate.
Collect key inputs
- Amenity pass prices by season: weekly and 3‑day options, plus any late service fee (request form, in‑season pricing example).
- Guest behavior: typical group size, how many paying guests per booking, and any age cutoff for free children as published by managers.
- Booking metrics: ADR by month, occupancy by month, and average length of stay. Use Sussex County benchmarks to frame seasonality (market summary).
- Fees and taxes: 4.5 percent state STR tax, any county tax, platform or management commissions, and payment processing costs (state tax reference).
Use simple formulas
- Bookings per month = (Occupancy rate × days in month) divided by average nights per booking.
- Gross rental revenue = Bookings × ADR × nights per booking.
- STR tax = Gross rental revenue × 4.5 percent, plus any county rate.
- Amenity passes sold = Bookings × average paying guests per booking, then multiply by seasonal pass price.
- Owner cash flow after passes = Gross rental revenue minus commissions, management fees, cleaning, STR taxes, and any pass cost you choose to absorb.
Plan for timing
Model when pass funds are collected and when they are remitted to Bayside. Include any expedited fee if you order inside the advance window, since that can add up in peak season (request form).
Example per‑booking math
Here is a simple in‑season illustration to show scale. Assume a 7‑night booking, ADR of $450, 6 paying guests, weekly passes at $115, a 20 percent management fee, and the 4.5 percent state tax on rent.
- Gross rent: 7 × $450 = $3,150.
- State STR tax: $3,150 × 4.5 percent = $141.75 (tax source).
- Amenity passes charged to guest: 6 × $115 = $690, typically remitted to the community and not owner income (in‑season pricing example).
- Management fee: $3,150 × 20 percent = $630.
- Owner gross before other expenses: $3,150 − $141.75 − $630 = $2,378.25. If you decide to include passes in your advertised rate, subtract $690 to see the effect on net.
Seasonality and scenarios
Bayside’s demand is highly seasonal, with summer showing the strongest occupancy and rates. Benchmarks for Sussex County point to meaningful swings in occupancy and RevPAR by month, so a month‑by‑month model is more accurate than a single annual average (seasonality reference). Build three scenarios: peak, shoulder, and off‑season. Also test a conversion sensitivity that shows what happens to bookings if the total guest cost rises due to passes.
Practical tips to protect returns
- Clarify who pays passes in your manager agreement and how collection works. Many managers treat them as guest‑paid pass‑throughs for the HOA (example notice).
- Decide how you present prices. Some owners keep rent and passes as separate line items, while others bundle passes into a higher nightly rate. Model both and compare.
- Confirm current pass prices and the advance order window each season on the Guest Pass Program page and request form.
- Update your model for the 4.5 percent state STR tax and verify whether Sussex County adds a county lodging tax (state reference).
Buyer and seller takeaways
If you are buying, the amenity pass structure is part of Bayside’s appeal and your cash‑flow plan. A clean model lets you set competitive pricing and align guest expectations before peak season. If you are selling, showing prospective buyers a clear pass and tax treatment can build confidence in your list price and marketing.
Ready to talk through a Bayside plan that fits your goals and timeline? Reach out to Betsy Perry for hyper‑local guidance and a clear, concierge process from offer to closing.
FAQs
Who typically pays Bayside amenity pass fees for short‑term rentals?
- Guests usually pay the pass fees, which managers collect and remit to the community; confirm the exact flow in your management agreement.
What are the current Bayside amenity pass prices in season?
- Many listings publish in‑season weekly passes at $115 and 3‑day passes at $65; verify the latest rates with the community before you model.
How does Delaware’s 4.5 percent STR tax affect Bayside cash flow?
- The tax applies to rental income and is separate from HOA pass charges, so calculate it on gross rent and exclude passes unless directed otherwise by the community or your tax advisor.
Do amenity pass receipts count as owner income at Bayside?
- When charged by the community and remitted by managers, pass receipts are HOA revenue and are not owner income in most cases.
How should I model seasonality for Bayside rentals?
- Use monthly occupancy and ADR assumptions with peak, shoulder, and off‑season scenarios, then layer in seasonal pass prices and likely uptake by guest count.
