Residents of Omaha and Council Bluffs who rented out all or part of their homes during last weekend’s N-C-double-A men’s basketball tournament made a nice chunk of change. Ben Breit, spokesman for Midwest Airbnb, says it was a very successful weekend for the region’s hosts.

“They welcomed about 650 guests during the NCAA tournament while earning about $50,000 combined in supplemental incomes,” Breit says. Statewide, Breit says Iowa Airbnb hosts welcomed a record 60-thousand guests in 2017, earning a combined five-point-eight million dollars. Both figures more than doubled the results from 2016.

The homesharing platform says Des Moines is Iowa’s top Airbnb city, followed by Iowa City, Decorah, Dubuque and Ames. Using the service is an excellent way to make extra money, he says, and you don’t need a ton of space. “About half are just sharing an extra room,” Breit says. “Maybe you’re an empty nester or a senior and the kids have grown up and left the home. Now that extra room is an economic opportunity. Another half are renting a full home, a proper vacation rental or just sharing your primary residence during big events.”

While the weekend was profitable for hosts, he says it was also profitable for that region of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. “It’s just going to cause more conferences, more and more sporting events to want to go to Omaha because they know they can handle all of the demand,” Breit says. Des Moines will host the opening rounds of the N-C-double-A men’s basketball tournament again next year. Iowa’s largest city first hosted the event in 2016.

(Radio Iowa)