My Latest Airbnb Trip

I had the pleasure of chaperoning a group of about 70 high school theater students to NYC over Fall Break. We had a fantastic five days in the Big Apple and for many of the kids it was the trip of a lifetime.

The way the hotel situation worked out, I ended up not staying with the group at the Marriott in Times Square, but rather at an Airbnb in Hell’s Kitchen, a couple of blocks away.

I love staying at Airbnb. It represents the very best of the sharing economy. A host has a resource (space in their home) that’s underutilized. The guest is looking for space that meets their needs. In my case, a reasonably priced room close to where my group was staying. The technology allows me to know everything I needed to about the space ahead of time. Small room. Great bed. Wi-Fi, coffee maker and access to the kitchen. No kids, no pets, no parties. Multiple 5-star reviews.

My total cost for four nights with a room to myself was only slightly more than the cost of one night at the Marriott, and I had my room to myself, which was a nice sanity break after a day of chasing four girls around Manhattan. I wasn’t paying for a fancy lobby or a bar with $9 beers that served Pepsi (no Coke). I am a big Airbnb fan, needless to say.

If you’ve never stayed there, give it a shot. In Manhattan there are hundreds if not thousands of rooms available ranging from $50ish per night for a hostel type room to well over $1,000 for a full apartment.

There are a few things you should consider:

• ·       Do they have Wi-Fi? Most do.
• ·       If you are traveling for work, do they have a good workspace. The first one I stayed in did not, the second one had a great standing desk and a 29” monitor for me to plug in to.
• ·       What are the host’s hours? If they are the opposite of yours it could be a problem.
• ·       Communicate with the host. Let them know when you expect to arrive and if any issues come up.
• ·       Be sure to check the cancellation policy. Some require you to forfeit half your stay if you cancel, even weeks out.
• ·       Be nice and leave the room in good shape. Remember, they are rating you too.

Last, you have to roll with it. There will almost always be something quirky that comes up, but if you are flexible and open minded, Airbnb is a way to get a cheap place to stay, meet some new friends and have a good story to tell.

#waveon