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July 19, 2022

Airbnb seeks wacky ideas for weary travelers

PHOTOS | Courtesy Airbnb Some of the most unusual Airbnb offerings range from a UFO to a shoe to a giant potato.
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich

Have you imagined hosting travelers from around the world in a unique setting? Maybe you want to build a treehouse or a hobbit-style underground lodging to rent out in your backyard? 

If money has been an issue, a new contest might help give you the financial backing you need.

Airbnb is seeking the “craziest and most unique” property ideas for its ‘OMG! Fund of $10 Million’ contest in search of finding the next boot, UFO, caboose, potato or other unusual place for travelers to stay in.

Company officials will award 100 contest winners with $100,000 each for creating the most unique property ideas and turning them into an Airbnb OMG! Listing.

Airbnb’s OMG! Category features one-of-a-kind homes across the globe, ranging from a pirate ship and covered wagon in Tennessee to a Flintstone’s-inspired bedrock house in Vermont and a windmill in Portugal. There is a Big Idaho Potato Hotel in Boise, Idaho.

In Connecticut, there is a geodesic dome in Bethlehem and a tree house in Willington.

The wackier the idea the better, and ideas will be judged by a panel of experts for their originality, feasibility, the experience the space will provide guests and sustainability. A panel of judges will pick the winners, to be announced this fall.

For rules, and to submit an application with ideas online, visit www.airbnb.com/omgfund. The deadline is midnight July 22.

In 2021, the typical Airbnb host in the U.S. earned more than $13,800, an increase of 85 percent over 2019, according to the company. In Connecticut, last year, hosts with unique properties earned more than $1.5 million on Airbnb, an increase of more than 80 percent from 2019. One of Connecticut’s top wish-listed properties is the Tiny House on a farm in Guilford. 

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