By Kathleen Caulderwood - The FIFA World Cup begins in Brazil today, but online room-sharing service Airbnb is already winning.
As international guests vied for space at hotels around the country, homeowners decided to make use of what they had. The San Francisco-based company plans to welcome more than 120,000 unique visitors from more than 100 countries to Brazil during the World Cup this year.
“We are thrilled that our community has embraced this opportunity to provide an authentic travel experience while expanding the tourist capacity of the host cities to ensure Brazil is the ultimate World Cup host,” Christian Gessner, Airbnb’s General Director for Brazil, said in a press release.
This year alone, Airbnb has added more than 11,000 listings in Rio. During the Confederations Cup last year, the company saw a 600 percent increase in bookings, and is expecting at least an 1000 percent increase this year, according to spokersperson Maria Parra Rodriguez.
Even Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho used the service to rent out his home in Rio de Janeiro that boasts its own home theatre, gourmet kitchen and swimming pool, as well as “an exclusive stage to enjoy a good samba party with friends,” according to his listing.
But if the $15,000 per night price tag is too high, guests can still choose from hundreds of listings that start at just $18 per night for a hostel experience.