Another way to rent your house to vacationers launches in L.A.
Move over, Airbnb. A new competitor in the rent-your-home-to-vacationers business is launching in Los Angeles with the aim of giving visitors the feel of living like a local — or at least a local with money.
The London service, Onefinestay, is focusing on popular neighborhoods and niceties such as fresh linens and snacks from trendy restaurants. Along with a nicely appointed pad, starting at $250 a night, travelers also get use of a iPhone loaded with insider info on things to do and places to eat.
With its debut Monday in L.A., Onefinestay joins the emerging “sharing economy,” in which technology-driven businesses, including Lyft and TaskRabbit, tout rides and expertise.
That one can use the Internet to look at Onefinestay home offerings is about the extent of similarities to online listing platforms for travelers such as Airbnb or HomeAway.
Service-oriented Onefinestay aims to arm home-stay visitors with local knowledge gleaned from the homeowners — and not just where to eat and shop or the route to the nearest cup of good coffee.
Yoga practitioners, a local acupuncturist and a good masseuse are among contact details that Venice architect David Hertz has compiled for whoever lands in his family home in the canal area.
“We tend to feel like we live in a spa-like environment, a resort-like environment,” Hertz said.
He also included walking and biking routes to shops and points of interest along hip Abbot Kinney Boulevard and at the beach.
To make the most of the Southern California penchant for indoor-outdoor living, he designed and built a Bali-inspired, four-structure compound, which is connected by three bridges and centers on a lap pool.
Onefinestay homes are a “curated” collection of distinctive dwellings, company co-founder Evan Frank said. Staff visits member houses to be sure they meet company standards and interviews the owners. Most homes on the roster are primary residences.
“The personal stamp of the owner is something we look for,” Frank said. “We would not have the character and richness of our portfolio if the homes sat empty all year-round.”
A West Hollywood home once owned by “Wonder Woman” actress Lynda Carter, a Bel-Air house with a swimming pool and an ocean-view house in Pacific Palisades are among the nearly two dozen choices available in the L.A. area. Prices range from $250 a night for a one-bedroom Western-decorated apartment in WeHo to $2,159 a night for Hertz’s four-bedroom home in Venice. Most stays are at least a week.
The owners are often involved in creative fields or endeavors that require extended travel during which the homes would otherwise be vacant.
Work can take Hertz away from home for a month at a time. With children away at college, his wife usually joins him.
“This gives us the freedom to travel and have our expenses covered,” Hertz said. “Every bit helps with three kids in school.”
Plus, he is spared the expense of hiring a house-sitter to keep an eye on the notable residence, which was used as a location for the first two seasons of “Californication.”
The epiphany that family homes can offer a broader experience than hotel stays came to co-founder Greg Marsh in his own travels and led to the company’s formation in 2010. New York City homes were added last year. Paris also joined the roster Monday with two dozen houses.
All the legwork is done for the homeowner members, called hosts by Onefinestay despite their absences. The company sends a photographer to take photos for the website, markets the property and screens guests.
Onefinestay cleans the house and makes sure it is returned in the shape in which it was found. Hotel-like amenities are stocked, including high-quality linens and towels, toiletries and even snacks from Joan’s on Third.
Guests are met on arrival and given the use of an iPhone loaded with local information.
That greeting at arrival isn’t all about goodwill, however. Onefinestay staff checks that passports match those of the expected visitors and takes other security measures.
“We provide assurance that everything will be managed and controlled,” Frank said. “Should anything go wrong, we will be there to rectify it.”
Company insurance provides a further safety net.
Home sharing with vacationers is stirring controversy in parts of Los Angeles, where some residents are trying to ban short-term rentals. Airbnb, in particular, has come up against opposition in Silver Lake because of residents’ concerns about noise, traffic and parking congestion.
The initial Onefinestay homes, gathered largely by word of mouth, are thinly spread across the Westside, but the goal is to increase the number to close to 100 by the end of the year.
So far, the 1,000 houses and apartments that have opened their doors to Onefinestay in London and New York have been most popular with Australians, although travelers come from all parts of the globe. Families wanting to experience a slice of life elsewhere make up most of the visitors.
Hertz is cautiously optimistic that guest stays will go smoothly at his Venice showplace. A friend who lists a New York home with the service introduced him to Onefinestay. And, Hertz said, he likes the shared-economy aspect of the enterprise.
But, as an architect, he receives an added professional benefit: “Having people see the house is one of the best ways I get work.”
Twitter: @LATHotProperty
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