Free stay in exchange for free photoshoot of your place. - LA

[Aleksandra50]

Hello everyone,

we are travel couple from Poland. We are travelleing the world since October and right now we are in LA for two weeks. We are are travelling on budget so we are looking for place to stay for free. Well maybe not exactly "for free" because we can offer our skills in exchange for free accommodation.

My boyfriend works as a photographer in Poland specilized in interior and food photography - we can offer to make a photoshoot of your place in exchange for 4 free nights.

[Personal information hidden for safety reasons] 

Have a good day everyone!

[Lizzie]

Hello @Aleksandra50,

Lovely to meet you, my name is Lizzie and I am the Community Manager here in the Airbnb Community Center. 

It is great to hear you have been traveling around the world, I would love to hear more about where you have been. 

In terms of your question, the best way to find places to stay is to go directly through the Airbnb.com site and search for listings in LA within your budget. It is good to remember, if you pay outside of Airbnb you won't be protected by our Terms of Service. 

I wish you the best of luck with finding somewhere great to stay and you enjoy LA and the rest of your trip. 🙂

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Robin4]

@Aleksandra50....I admire your enterprise Aleksandra, but my feeling is you will be hard pressed to find anyone to take you up on your offer!

'Contra' deals are notorious for not delivering what they promise and, I think I probably speak for most hosts when I say...I host to a standard, not a price! I am not interested in 'special deals' because it cheapens what l do! Because I would not be being paid, l would possibly overlook some of those little niceties like, a cheese plate in the fridge, a big bowl of fruit, chocolates on the bedside tables, fresh squeezed juice, a bottle of Corona and a Somersby Cider on arrival.

I don't want to start taking 'short-cuts', and neither do most of the rest of us here.

If someone approached me with a contra deal I would reject it immediately and concentrate my energies on that next paying guest.

I understand your desire to make your traveling dollar go as far as possible...but I have a wife in the latter stages of MS....she has to spend much of her time in hospital.....and l want my hosting dollar to go as far as possible for the sake of both of us!

Sorry Aleksandra, I think offers for your deal will not exactly 'fall thick on the grass'

Cheers.....Rob

[Fred13]

 'fall thick on the grass', now there is a new one. Love it.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Robin4 You had me at Corona. Where do I book? 

[Robin4]

@Rene-and-Zac0

Hi Rene....the door is always open!

I do possibly go a bit overboard with the condiments....and I did have to talk with local council about putting alcohol in the fridge! I guess it is much the same in your part of the world but, it is illegal to sell alcohol here without a liquor licence, but Rene, I have been told it does fall under the same umbrella as the supply of food....as long as I don't put a charge on it, it's ok.

I do keep the rest of the carton away from the the guest though, one bottle is it! I brought 3 cartons of Caronas over a year ago as a special and that cost me $126 AU ($101 US) that was $42 each and I have only just used the last of those, and the Somersby is a bit cheaper so, it's no big deal, couple of bucks a guest so when you break it down, as the average stay is around 3 nights it costs about 70c per guest night.

If I had my time over again I probably would not supply what I do because prospective guests do come to expect it....."where's the cheese plate that Alice and Pete got"??

It just evolved over time and I am committed to keeping with it now!

So, there is a Carona in the fridge...and it's on the house!

Cheers.....Rob 

[Fred13]

If I ever make my way to Australia I am definitely staying with you Robin!

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  I had to laugh about the Corona. It's so funny how things become coveted and exotic when they are from elsewhere. Living in Mexico, I can tell you that Corona is a run-of-the-mill beer here which costs about 75 cents US$/bottle at the store and about $1.50 US if you order one in a restaurant. There are now some small craft breweries in Mexico which are putting out some good and different beers.

I do think I saw some imported Australian beer in a high-end market here that costs about what you're paying for Corona over there. 🙂

[Robin4]

@Sarah977  @Fred13 @Rene-and-Zac0.....Yeah Sarah, understand, and for the life of me, I can't understand what the rest of the world holds dear about a Carona!

Here in Mt Barker we have a boutique brewery called 'The Prancing Pony' ....

http://prancingponybrewery.com.au/    and Sarah this brewery kicks a*se!

They have live music, great food, you can actually get involved in the beer making, and they serve a 'tappas' of beers, and whoever has a visit to 'the Pony' walks away with at least a 6 pack and will say there is no finer beer made!

But If I put a 'Sunshine Ale' in the fridge guests would say, 'What sort of sh*t is this'....but they know a Carona.

I am proud of my area and the wine, cheeses and Angus Beef from this area is the best in the world, but people like what they are familiar with. This Adelaide hills/ Barossa area currently has 4 of the top 10 cool climate white wines in Australia and there are 2 in the worlds top 10 list from here. Three of the worlds top ten red wines which are the Penfolds 'Grange' and the Henschke 'Hill of Grace' and the Glaetzer 'Amon Ra' are grown and produced in this area.

....but for some reason or other people want a Corona!!

Cheers.....Rob

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Robin4 I was just happy there were beers, not really caring about the brands. He he. 

On a side, do you charge extra for sheets and towels? 

[Robin4]

@Rene-and-Zac0

No I don't charge additional for linens and towels Rene, also I do not charge a cleaning fee or set a security deposit either!

I know, taking a bit of a risk but I don't want to penalise everyone because of a few!

Across my whole hosting I have only had two here who have created damage, One was human related and the other pet related. I don't accept pets any more, one couple turned up with a pair of Burnese Mountain dogs which destroyed our garden...took many months to recover! But even if if they don't do damage, pets will tax your sanity. One couple turned up with what I term, a 'bladder with four legs' which it proceeded to continually empty on everything it came across!

Owners of dogs like that just smile and look benignly as there little treasure rushes inside and proceeds to throw up on your carpet. The nearest you will get to apology will be..."Oh dear I don't know how that could have happened! It must have been something he ate" !!

'Yes, I know it was, it was my bloody flowers in the garden....that's what he ate'!!

So like I have said here before, I don't care what it is....it can be a goldfish in a bowl, pets are not encouraged or welcome! 

But I have been very lucky and struck a wonderful collection of guests and I try to look after them as I would friends, which indeed, some have become.

So, as with the Carona....the linens and towels are on the house!

Cheers.....Rob

[Sam-and-Adam0]

@Aleksandra50 Might you have accomidations or other skills you'd be willing to trade?

Just FYI that Airbnb provides hosts with a free photographer in larger cities.

Also an unpaid four-night-stay is a big ask of a host (who'd have to cover actual costs the in hydro,water,cleaning etc) I think most hosts would prefer a paying guest for 4 days 🙂

[Fred13]

@Aleksandra50Maybe make that 2 days and photos available to host along the way, so it doesn't sound like a 'freebie on a promise'. The unusual places get this type of offer every two weeks btw.

[Andrew1067]

Hi @Aleksandra.  I am interested if you are still traveling the states.  I have a new listing that I would love to get professional photos (better than the free ones that Airbnb does).  My listing is in Nashville....

Andrew 

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[*personal information hidden for safety reasons]

[Aspen7]

Hi! Are you still looking for a photographer? Would love to chat!