College basketball finals could mean big earnings for local Houston Hosts

College basketball fans from all over the United States are coming to Houston for the finals, and local Hosts are preparing to open their doors to help welcome them to their community. In Houston, nearly 80% of Hosts share just one home and big events often bring a significant earning opportunity for residents with space to share and local small businesses that benefit from guest spending.

Since our founding, Airbnb has helped cities use existing space to scale accommodations and absorb the influx of visitors around big events, all while creating important economic opportunities for Hosts and local small businesses. This includes extending those opportunities to neighborhoods outside of city centers that have not traditionally benefited from the tourism economy. When New Orleans was home to the men’s college basketball finals last Spring, local Hosts collectively earned over $4 million from welcoming thousands of guest arrivals. 

With the recent introduction of Airbnb Setup, the all-new, super easy way to Airbnb a home, those interested in becoming a Host can access:

• One-to-one guidance from a Superhost
• The opportunity to have an experienced guest for your first booking
• Specialized support from Airbnb Community Support agents in over 42 languages

For those interested in joining local Hosts to unlock the economic benefits of the upcoming college basketball finals, visit airbnb.com/host.

“My husband and I were both born and raised in Houston and hosting on Airbnb allows us to share what we love about our great city with guests. Now that we are first-time parents, I’m grateful for the additional income we earn from hosting because it helps me spend more time at home taking care of my newborn son.”

 – Anna Zavala, Host in Houston, TX

Affordable accommodation options for guests 

Fans traveling to the area for the college basketball finals can find affordable options on Airbnb, with listings currently available in Harris County for $300 and under and $200 and under¹.

Trust and safety 

Malicious scams are even more common during major events, where consumers are hunting for affordable deals. Third-party scams include bad actors attempting to entice travelers to book on third-party websites that are unrelated to Airbnb. Guests can avoid falling prey to these scams by communicating and paying on our trusted platform. When looking for listings, travelers should always start directly on Airbnb.com or the Airbnb app. 

If anyone believes they’ve encountered a web page designed to look like Airbnb, they can let us know by reporting the website’s URL at www.airbnb.com/report-phishing. If a traveler is unsure whether they booked their reservation through Airbnb, they can check that with us, and report any message that indicates a potential scam.

While fans are celebrating their teams, it is important to remember that Airbnb bans parties and we will be prepared to take quick action if we receive a report of a party in progress. We are helping to enforce that policy through our proprietary reservation screening technology in the US and Canada, which helps reduce the chance of disruptive parties. And we are continuing to promote our 24/7 Neighborhood Support Line so that neighbors can get directly in touch with concerns or to report a party in progress.