i think it's pretty cool. i might try it once, just for kicks and see how it works.. but i also enjoy staying at hostels when i go to europe.. you just get a better environment.. and it's cheap!

how on earth do you stay safe? it's hard to trust anyone these days, let alone opening your home to a stranger or trying to get a sound night's sleep in a stranger's home.

I was at el Rio the other night and met the guy who started this. I was a bit skeptical at first, but hey, he didn't seem creepy so I'm hoping the people renting follow suite.

Someone on the Metafilter thread discussing this startup had the perfect comment:

"MurderedInYourSleep.com"

Not something I'd ever try. I don't like staying with family, so bunking with strangers would be out of the question.

sounds like someone's trying to cash in on couchsurfing, which is quite successful. Couchsurfing, however, is free and involves a lot of social networking-type stuff. I host and have been hosted and it's worked great. Bringing money into the equation, though, thoroughly changes the dynamic.

just checked the site, and it's heavily borrowed from flickr in its aesthetic. and you can just "book it" with no right for the host to refuse or even know a little bit about you first? and $50 to sleep on someone's couch??

I'm probably pretty close to their ideal target market and I gotta say, not a fan.

OMG this reminds me of the time my ex husband and I could not find a hotel or anywhere to stay just outside of Yosemite, forgot the name of the town.

Well we ended up in a couples home that provided this service. They were nice enough but we got a strange feeling about them and decided to stay out as late as we could so we would not have to hang out at their house or stay in the bedroom which was weird. Well when we returned to the house around 10:00 PM (curfew) they and another couple were there and lets just say they were "swingers" and wanted us to join.
We got out of there and slept in the car that night. I am not a prude but it was creepy especially since we were in our 20's and they in their 40's.

I have a friend who has used the site. Erica, the host doesn't have to accept the person staying with them. Besides, how is this any more unsafe than a traditional bed and breakfast, where typically one lady will be the innkeeper by herself? Thousands of people do this on Craigslist everyday, not to mention Couchsurfing.

Couchsurfing (which I use as well) is meant to meet people. It is inappropriate to use it as a cheap accommodation. I would submit it is safer than couchsurfing or a traditional Bed & Breakfast (though only a theory) because I assume the company has records of who stays where.

I only bring this up because there are always contrarians who propose irrational arguments about why something wouldn't work. And by the way, I bet a number of people leaving comments have used craigslist before.

Ha ha. Couchsurfing is EXACTLY for cheap accommodation, and has records of who/what/etc, and a lot more "verification".

Regular B&Bs have some sort of dedicated staff, not just someone with a full time job and an airmattress in the living room. They rely on their reputation for their livelihood.

I can see that AirB&B is trying for the space in between these two (and to make a buck off it), but it's a really an awkward fit.

Adam, I assume you or your friend work for Airbed&Breakfast since you signed up with AT just to post this rebuttal?