Nothing quite beats a good hotel, but I’m also a huge fan of short-term rentals—basically, Airbnbs. They can be quirky, unique, and off the beaten path, often with kind and hospitable hosts. It’s a way to truly immerse in a locality.

It seems like many World Cup travelers are thinking about Airbnb-ing it. While some hotels are panicking around lower-than-expected occupancy, Airbnb is optimistic about its short-term rentals this summer. It’s even offering new hosts $750 rewards to help deal with the surge in demand.

So not only is it an option for fans in search of accommodation, but it could also earn locals a decent buck if they want to get out of town during the World Cup. They could fund their own vacation with someone else’s.

AirDNA is a platform offering all sorts of data analytics around short-term rentals—and has a new World Cup dashboard where people can view demand around every single match, and calculate how much they might earn if they escaped for the summer.

Talib speaks to Bram Gallagher, an economist at AirDNA, about some of the company’s findings. And how hosting could change travelers’ perceptions about Americans during a time when the country feels particularly unwelcoming.

00:00 Intro

00:38 Hotels Not Seeing Windfall

01:33 Why Travelers Choose Rentals

02:27 AirDNA Data And Dashboard

05:49 Meet Economist Bram Gallagher

06:49 How AirDNA Collects Listings

08:40 Biggest Rental Event Forecast

10:33 Demand Spikes By City And Match

12:21 Regulations Shape Market Winners

15:23 Suburbs And Longer Stays Trend

17:42 Brooklyn Earnings Example

19:30 Hosts Cash In And Try Renting

20:09 Host Premiums Surge

20:54 Fans vs Hotels Value

22:15 Where Travelers Come From

23:11 International Trends by Market

26:14 Geopolitics and Demand Risks

28:20 Booking Timing Patterns

29:50 Travel Tips and Getting Around

31:07 Hospitality as a Bridge

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