Airbnb Dos & Don'ts

By The Second City | Apr 14, 2014

It’s Cubs season in Chicago, which can only mean one thing: Strangers want to pay me lots of money to stay in my guest room a few blocks away from Wrigley Field. What could go wrong?

The following dos & don’ts are completely true things I’ve learned while being an AirBnB host.  Please take them into consideration before opening your own home up to any potential orgy and/or brothel activity.

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DO: Keep your personal things locked away. Seriously. Those old Vicodin from your root canal will disappear.

DON’T: Use your hairbrush ever again after you find it in your guest’s luggage.

DO: Put nice chocolates on the pillows before guests arrive.

DON’T: Try too hard to determine the origin of the brown stains on your sheets.

DO: Make sure your profile picture is an accurate representation of you and your home.

DON’T: “No, the ‘Caitlin’ we are looking for was skinny in her picture and wasn’t in a multiracial relationship...”

DO: Tell your guests that you and your boyfriend are performers. Sign autographs when they ask.

DON’T: Don’t invite them to your improv show, where they quickly learn your autograph is worth nothing.

DO: Have a beer with your guests! Learn about where they are from, and find out what makes them interesting.

DON’T: Be too polite. You need to be able to cut someone off when they talk about their squash blog for 2 hours.

DO: Ignore it when you overhear a couple getting it on. They are on vacation!

DON’T: Get bitter when hosting affects your own sex life. Cause it will. Man, condo walls are thin.

DO: Keep things guests leave behind. You’ll look like a world traveler with your Chinese coin purse full of Canadian loonies and toonies.

DON’T: Offer to mail forgotten items to guests. The line at the post office sucks when you are trying to mail Charlotte’s missing slipper to Charlotte, North Carolina.

DO: Make money.

DON’T: Get murdered.

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Caitlin Costello is an alum of Second City Theatricals where she performed aboard the Norwegian Star. She is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and iO Chicago. Currently, you can see her perform with Back Room Shakespeare Project and Storytown. She a teacher, director and (unpaid) dancer. 

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