9/17/2023 0 Comments Home alone house airbnb![]() The home’s handlers kept close tabs on Farris’s social media throughout the stay, at one point requesting he take down a photo in an upstairs reading nook he hadn’t realized was off-limits (the owners still live there full-time). Inside the residence, Farris and his friend were greeted by the PR firm Airbnb partnered with for the listing. "One of the neighbors was deadass trying to get us to sneak her into the house," says Farris. When Farris and his friend arrived at the red-brick, Georgian-style house adorned with twinkling lights and traditional wreaths with bows and berries, just like in the ’90s movie, the neighbors beckoned them over to join a charity event they were hosting, then begged to come look around the famous house where Home Alone was filmed. An Airbnb representative emailed him within five minutes to confirm the $25 booking, and the next thing he knew he was dropping his dog off at his mom’s house, calling up his buddy Jared to join him, and "peace-ing out" to the Chicago suburbs to experience the McCallister home decked out for the holidays. ![]() Once the booking went live and Farris threw his hat in the ring, things moved fast. He first discovered the movie-themed stay via a Facebook ad, then set up Twitter notifications for Airbnb’s account in anticipation of an official announcement. But despite all the advance promotional buzz about these offers, there isn’t much out there about who ends up being a "lucky winner"-are they super fans with Google alerts set for anything pertaining to their favorite films? And do the rentals actually live up to the hype? I reached out to reps at Airbnb to learn more about the program (including why they do it, and how the lottery system works) and connect with some prior guests, but the company declined to comment or put me in touch "for a number of reasons, including the strict promotional agreements with partners." (As far as the former, it’s probably safe to assume it’s just a big money maker for the company and partnering studios.) So, I decided to track down a few people who’ve actually stayed in Airbnb’s exclusive, themed rentals to find out more.īryon Farris, a 38-year-old backend computer engineer in San Antonio, Texas, got only a week’s notice when he was selected to stay at the original Home Alone house in Winnetka, Illinois, last December. The selected "winner"-or winners, depending on how many individual stays are part of the platform’s offer-are notified by Airbnb within a day or two of the booking flurry and pay a nominal fee for the stay (they’re usually listed anywhere from $1 to $31 per night), then make their own travel arrangements accordingly. ![]() The rental booking platform runs these exclusive stays like a lottery system that works a bit like online ticket sales for big-name musical acts: At a pre-announced time, the listing goes live and folks rush to the site to request a booking, though there’s no guarantee they’ll get it. Most recently, as part of the Barbie marketing campaign that just keeps giving, Airbnb unveiled a life-size Malibu Barbie Dream House that fans can request to book for two exclusive, individual overnight stays in the signature pink mansion-free of charge-this summer. ![]() ![]() Sometimes the overnights even take place at original filming locations. Every once in a while, typically in the lead-up to the release of a cult classic movie remake or the anniversary of a beloved blockbuster, my social media timelines fill with an onslaught of articles and influencer posts promoting the opportunity to stay in a replica of a famous home from a TV show or movie like the Hocus Pocus cottage, Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine, or Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City apartment via Airbnb. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |