There’s a new entry to the group of so-called “peer to peer” businesses like Airbnb, Uber and Lyft that are offering services in West Hollywood outside the purview of regulators.
It’s Misterb&b, a version of the Airbnb apartment rental service that focuses on gay men. As of Thursday evening, Misterb&b offered 58 apartments and houses for short-term rental in Los Angeles, with a number of those in West Hollywood. Its U.S. listings are concentrated in L.A., New York City and Miami.
Misterb&b was launched last Spring by Parisians Matthieu Jost and Francois de Saint Palais, who also founded Sejourning, the French version of Airbnb.
“Airbnb offers the freedom to go and come as we please and provides us the ultimate traveling experience by situating us far from all the hotel chains — in a real neighborhood surrounded by locals,” Misterb&b says in a description of its service. “But being queer, one question makes the whole experience a little awkward: Does the host mind if two men are sleeping in his/her bed? Sometimes the answer’s not so obvious, but a new website is seeking to make the hunt for gay accommodations a lot easier.
“Misterb&b is the 1st gay-friendly Airbnb. Access to warm and welcoming environments in the hearts of international gay cities is now open to all.”
In February, West Hollywood City Council members Abbe Land and John Heilman asked the city to establish a task force to establish the impact of peer-to-peer businesses in West Hollywood.
Such businesses compete with local hotels, whose room taxes are a major source of West Hollywood’s revenue. Services such as Lyft and Uber also compete with taxi companies, which much get a franchise from the city to operate here and also must meet certain safety regulations.
On the other hand, as the Land/Heilman proposal noted: “These types of entities serve multiple purposes in any community. They may in some cases serve as extra sources of revenue for individual households, while also providing efficient and affordable services to those that use them.”
Misterb&b can be accessed online in English and French. There’s also an iPhone app for the service.
I stayed in Miami in https://www.kingbnb.com/ which also caters to the gay travelers and I had a wonderful time.
Well I assure you that as a 28yr old stock broker I get up early myself and I agree I’m one of the few that still wears a tie and leaves early, but I deal with the free flow of people as I’m sure you should be accustomed to now. Neighbours have loud sex, some kids cry, etc. It’s an apartment not a secluded house in the hills. That said, I choose to live in WeHo because it’s fun. If you want quiet there’s heaps of places for that. This isn’t one of them and it shouldn’t be. Youth flock… Read more »
Tenants in rent controlled apartments are renting out their living room couches for three times of the MAR for the whole apartment. Usually without the consent of the owner. This is not right, and potentially illegal. We don’t need a task force to recognize this.
Erik the “task force” that Heilman and Land proposed is likely a way to stop people from using these services where inappropriate (eg. in an Apt. or Condominium building without the consent of the owner or HOA. If you own a single family residence you can probably do what you want–house swap with Australians or Frenchies for a month. Most likely the task force will decide these services should be licensed and only allowed in certain zones. I’m not sure what they will say about things like Uber and Lyft which are far less impactful.
Ethan, there are a few of us who still get up in the morning for real “non-industry” jobs where peoples lives depend on our showing up well rested. you probably wouldn’t be too happy if you went to the ER one morning and the staff said they were too tired to give you 100%. My friend thought he liked his fun neighbors on Palm avenue too…until two of them were recently killed due to the “party life” that you’re so fond of. If you cant afford your rent so much so that you have to let strangers sleep in your… Read more »
Erik, but this is WeHo and the party life is what makes this city a staple. It’s why I live here. There’s plenty of other communities you can move to that will provide you the quiet secluded environment you want. For me I love having fun neighbors. Heck invite me over when the fun starts ! 🙂
As a former hotel executive (now in health care), I am on the fence about these services. I have stayed at 2 airbnb places and have enjoyed the experience greatly. Without the low rates I would not have been able to afford those trips. On the hand the quality of bedding was horrific, but that’s another story. Bottom line, hotel rates are going through the roof for working class Americans, which has created a perfect environment for sites like MisterBnb. (Profits on hotel rooms often exceed 70% of rates btw). That said, irresponsible guests are a likelihood for ANY visitor.… Read more »
this is not a good idea. I have two units in my building that are doing this. there are strangers on the property all the time. we had to call the police twice because of late night noise. The last time, one of the visitors was so whacked out on drugs he took all he clothes off and was dancing on our deck. the cops took him in. There should not be any warning for this. people who rent out their bed or sofa should be charged with a crime. Too many crazy new drugs on the streets to be… Read more »