Where to stay: Once-in-a-lifetime Airbnb or the most expensive hotel room in the US?

One costs $75K per night; the other is $69

(Credit from left: Tripadvisor, Airbnb)
(Credit from left: Tripadvisor, Airbnb)

Which would you choose between a camper van parked in Soho or The Mark hotel’s lofty 10,000-square-foot penthouse?

The van is only for one guest and it’s got no running water, so bathroom breaks mean facing the elements or street life, but the nightly rate is a competitive $69.

The Airbnb listing, as cited by the Gothamist, claims to be the right vehicle to “experience New York economically” and gives some advice to the uninitiated on what to expect from #vanlife: “Van-life is for those who embrace adventure and have no problem roughing it, to have a new and memorable experience … Ideal guests approach van-life with an open mind, a sense of humor, and a fun attitude,” the listing reads.

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Meanwhile, in the Upper East Side, The Mark’s penthouse suite hasn’t been available for guests in nearly a decade. At $75,000 per night, it is the most expensive hotel room in the country.

“Before the paint was dry on the renovation, we had someone interested in renting it as an apartment, so it has never been publicized or even on the website,” general manager Olivier Lordonnois told Bloomberg. “We then had a family rent it for 16 months, and now it is finally ready for guests.”

Which would you test out? [Gothamist, Bloomberg] —Erin Hudson