Talk about a room with a view. Make that an Olympic view.
The room in question is the prize in a publicity event put on by Airbnb, a sponsor of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The contest winner and guest are to stay overnight next week in a converted VIP box in the Olympic Arena, which is holding a test event in gymnastics at the time.
It is also the venue for gymnastics when the Games open in just under four months.
“In the Games, we will not be able to do this because IOC [International Olympic Committee] will not open up for any promotion there,” Airbnb manager for Brazil Leonardo Tristao told reporters. “They’ll be able to watch the event from their own room and of course they will sleep there.”
The room is both luxurious and spartan: It is painted gold with a fluffy bed, but has no toilet, no kitchen and little privacy.
Tristao said that there would be curtains to guarantee a good night’s sleep.
It’s all a fair trade for getting to see behind the scenes and meet top gymnasts, including Brazilians Diego and Daniele Hypolito.
The siblings are to work out with the guests, who will also be involved in the gold-medal ceremony at the test event.
Airbnb has used this kind of promotion before, putting people up in the Paris’ Catacombs and in 2014 holding a sleepover at the Maracana Stadium in Rio, the venue for the FIFA World Cup soccer final.
“We are taking people to live a unique experience, which is to sleep in an Olympic venue and feel the whole atmosphere,” Tristao said.
The stunt is also a way to drum up business during the Aug. 5 to Aug. 21 Olympics.
Tristao said Airbnb sales were going “really well,” despite the threat of the Zika virus.
Rio organizers have reported lukewarm tickets sales, dampened by Brazil’s severe recession and the political turmoil surrounding the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
Tristao said Airbnb accommodation prices range from less than US$100 per night to more than US$5,000.
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