New Yorkers are milking the upcoming Super Bowl for all it’s worth, charging football enthusiasts hefty mark-ups for their apartments during Super Bowl weekend through websites such as Airbnb and Craigslist.
The Seattle Seahawks will take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday, February 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Some Airbnb hosts are charging up to $1,000 per night for their pads over that weekend, and using language in the listing to directly appeal to gridiron junkies.
The owner of a three-bedroom East Village apartment on Second Avenue, for example, says in his Airbnb listing that the living and dining room can accommodate up to 50 people – the “perfect party space for Super Bowl weekend!” And in Stuy-Town, a 925-square-foot apartment listed on Craigslist is offering six nights for $6,500, according to EV Grieve.
New York State attorney general Eric Schneiderman recently subpoenaed Airbnb’s data on its host users in New York, as part of an investigation into illegal short-term rentals. A state law bans subleasing for fewer than 30 days. [EV Grieve] – Hiten Samtani