APR
19

Call it quits on hotels for hot-ticket events

By Dana McMahan
Rented! As anyone who has travelled to a Super Bowl or other huge event knows, hotels for miles around raise rates beyond belief and throw in minimum-night stays to boot when the big show comes to town. Even knowing this I was stunned in my own city of Louisville to see $50-a-night motels rocket to $200 a night with a three-night minimum for the Kentucky Derby. That's when I decided to join the growing number of people who rent their homes out for the Derby. I listed my house on Craigslist and posted an advertisement on my blog. I was bombarded with responses. Unfortunately my first experience was a bad one -- though seemingly nice, our guests' check bounced.

I decided to work with an agency this year, Rent My House 4 Derby. Though they take a 25% commission, they handle all the financials and take a non-refundable 50% deposit from guests which we receive in advance. We rented our house again with no trouble and have no worries that we'll receive our money this time. It's a win-win situation. We make a tidy profit and our guests get to stay in a house rather than a hotel. They'll have much more room, can cook if they like, and are only two miles from the racetrack. And if I say so myself, my house is quite comfy. I think they'll enjoy it.

Having been on the homeowner side of things, I would definitely do this as a traveller. A good place to start if you're headed to a popular destination is the city's craigslist. Look under vacation rentals and you'll find any number of private homes for rent, often for prices comparable to a hotel. This can come with risks though, as we learned the hard way.

Your safest best, though it may cost more, is to find an agency. (Ours charged a grand more than we did last year doing it on our own.) However, with an agency you have a third party to mediate should there be an issue. In most cases, the agency has also inspected the home, so you know you're getting what you've paid for.

Googling "rent home" and the name of your destination or event will likely turn up an agency quickly. I found "Vancouver Accommodations rental for 2010 Vancouver Olympics Games" at www.rentforthegames.com in a couple clicks, as well as houses for rent for the SuperBowl in Tampa next year at www.beachhousefl.com.

So before you shell out big bucks for an overpriced hotel the next time you go to that big event, consider renting someone's house. You'll get to live like a local, and may even save some money.

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