【Deborah Driggs Archives】

Airbnb is Deborah Driggs Archiveswaging a battle against New York state, and it wants its hosts to join.

To that end, the room rental company held a one-day event in Manhattan for hosts, complete with powerful politicians, workshops and a healthy range of refreshments.

On the menu, acai bowls (literally) and Kool-Aid (figuratively).

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"It feels like they want us to drink the Kool-Aid," said Jenny, a longtime Brooklyn Airbnb host, who declined to give her last name. With her blue-gray hair and Frida Kahlo tank, she was unlikely to buy it.

Airbnb's event this past Saturday was billed as its first-ever "host day," filled with practical tips on how to design your home for guests, represent your neighborhood and check in guests seamlessly.

Oh, and maybe help the company fight the state government.

The New York legislature passed a bill in June that would impose hefty fines on anyone who advertises — or lists on Airbnb — a short-term rental that is technically illegal. Since any apartment rental under 30 days in a building with multiple units is illegal, the law could prove a serious threat for Airbnb, especially its 44,000 New York City listings.

"Homesharing is here to stay," former Philadelphia Mayor and Airbnb advisor Michael Nutter told the group of 150 New York metro-area hosts gathered at Civic Hall on Fifth Avenue. "You will not be defeated by those who wish to maintain the status quo."

But really, the event was a rallying cry for Airbnb's foothold in New York.

Airbnb has grown rapidly around the world in the past few years, and nowhere has it faced as much pushback as New York. Affordable housing advocates — and hotel unions — have fought the company, which they say is eating into the city's housing and disturbing New York residents.

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That hasn't done much to dampen the company's growth. It is now valued at $30 billion.

New York remains one of Airbnb's largest markets, with 44,877 listings as of August 1.

On Saturday, the Airbnb hosts who live in or own a fraction of those properties heard energizing speeches from Nutter and local business leaders before they wrote postcards to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo telling him why home-sharing matters to them.

Hosts mingled, sharing hosting tips and horror stories about guests. They attended seminars in rooms named for New York boroughs, plus Long Island and New Jersey.

Occasionally, I overheard hosts actually stating the concerns Airbnb so often says they have.

"I haven't had a raise in years," one host told another in line for the lunchtime salad bar — an exchange that couldn't have been more perfect for the company that likes to say it's an "economic life preserver" for New Yorkers.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Many Airbnb hosts are politically engaged. They know what's happening in Albany and they have opinions about it. One host from Staten Island only started listing her home in June, and she's already joined a host club in the borough and written to Cuomo on her own.

Jenny, the Brooklyn host who began listing her Prospect Park brownstone in 2010, was more skeptical.

"Airbnb is doing this," she said, gesturing to the big event, "but they're not going to pay these fines for us."

Hosts would be slapped with $1,000 fines for a first violation of the bill and $7,500 for a third. The bill in question is awaiting Cuomo's signature, and Airbnb says it will take legal action if the bill is signed into law.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

So was a day of commiseration, an almost-too-nice salad bar and fun decorations enough to rally the Airbnb lobby against New York state?

Maybe — unless Airbnb is brought down by a mole in its midst.

"I hope the bill passes," one New Jersey host said. "Then I'll get more business."

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