Tampa Bay is gearing up to host the College Football National Championship game January 9, 2017. And they're expecting thousands and thousands of fans, all needing a place to stay.
There are already listings on the travel site Airbnb. People renting out their homes could be the big winners.
“A game of this magnitude..I mean you know the tickets are going to sell out right away once the two playoff games are decided,” Jared Greenbaum said.
No matter the teams, average joes could win big. Greenbaum hopes to make a good chunk of change, renting his three-bedroom home on Airbnb for the first time, just for this big game.
“Rent out for the weekend and be able to pay off the mortgage for a month, two even three months, depending on how long they want to stay I mean, my fiancé and I live here and her family’s in town so we can go stay with them for a few days," Greenbaum said.
Airbnb said there are about 600 hosts in Tampa and that number has jumped 8 percent in the last two months alone. The company even sent a letter to Mayor Bob Buckhorn, offering to help as Tampa hotels fill up game weekend.
At several hundred dollars a night, Airbnb rentals near Raymond James stadium could infuse the neighborhood economy.
“The tickets for the game I looked online, the nosebleed seats are $450 so there’s no reason to think people wouldn’t pay a similar price per night to rent out a house and walk to the stadium,” Greenbaum said.
He expects his house to rent when the teams playing in the championship game are decided December 31.
