World Cup doubles my Airbnb rates this summer

The FIFA World Cup has sent demand spiking for Jennifer Smith, who is renting her McKinney, Texas, cottages on Airbnb. Not from a soccer family, she said she only grasped the scale of the event when international guests began booking; the homes sit about 45 minutes from AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Smith and her husband operate two next-door rentals, the Kentucky Cottage and Derby, each a two-bedroom, one-bath home. They spent about $75,000 renovating the older houses. On a slow week the cottages normally go for about $155 a night, weekends around $195–$200, and holidays closer to $250, but for June and July their rates have about doubled using Airbnb’s Smart Pricing.

To make visitors feel welcome, the couple is assembling baskets with local and country-specific items, hanging flags, and writing messages on welcome boards. They’ve even considered bourbon for a July 4th nod to America’s 250th birthday, and plan to note where guests are from and which team they support while staying mindful of world events.

United States, McKinney, Texas

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