In what can only be described as a solid plot for a zany sitcom, college students are renting out their dorm rooms on Airbnb. Yes, the poor college student persona is out, and the enterprising, hospitality-showing college student is in! Jack Worth, a student at Emerson College, has brought the potentially illegal hotel industry into the national spotlight after being punished for renting out his dorm room as an Airbnb.
Details of his punishment by the school are yet unknown, but support is being rallied for the potential bread and breakfast host in the form of an online petition which has gained 300 signatures. What Worth did could be considered illegal, but with that many signatures, you have to think his guests enjoyed their stay. That might be what really matters here.
Worth, like any trailblazer, is casting a light on the rest of the dorm-bnb industry around the country, which seems to be thriving. The people backing Worth are saying he’s just a kid, trying to make an extra buck. They’re reminding us that Airbnb is full of perpetual killjoys. But the reality of the situation, and the stance of schools across the nation, is that this is a security breach that puts all residents at risk.
That, and you probably shouldn’t rent out something that isn’t yours, even if your home-cooked hotplate breakfast is delicious.
(Via Huffington Post)
