Airbnb owner lists tents in living room for London tourists – and charges £68 a night

‘You won’t forget your time in this romantic, memorable place,’ the Airbnb description says

An Airbnb owner is charging London tourists £68 per night to stay in “romantic” tents inside their living room.

The cost of the tents, located in Soho, varies by date and there are discounts available, which could see that price drop to £38 – a bargain £1,140 for a month’s stay.

In contrast, the average rent in London was £2,501 a month in April 2023, according to Rightmove.

Guests may also have to share their sleeping quarters with other visitors – three tents are visible in the online living room photos.

Other amenities available include a kitchen, wifi, a dedicated workspace, air conditioning, washing machine and hairdryer. It also comes with a shared bathroom.

“You won’t forget your time in this romantic, memorable place,” the Airbnb description reads.

Despite the somewhat dire prospect of living in a tent indoors, many previous guests seem quite impressed with the basic offering – the property holds an average rating of 4.45 stars, although some appear to have had issues with their tent neighbours.

The room where the tents are set up by the landlord (Jam Press/Airbnb)

“The apartment is very well located and easily accessible, [the host] is responsive and responds very quickly,” reads one review.

“On the other hand, we had to use a different bathroom every day, including once it was not clean at all (dirt, cigarettes on the floor, clutter...).

“In addition, the toilets in the common areas are not clean, and the sink is not clean either.

“Finally, we suffered the noise for 2 nights of the people from the room next door who went back and forth all night without worrying about being discreet for us.

“For 1 or 2 nights we recommend because it’s pretty decent, but no more [sic].”

Some people who stayed in the tents reported a positive experience (Jam Press/Airbnb)

The host took the opportunity to respond to this criticism, which came with a three-star review, explaining: “I am [apologising] for all.

“As the period of Christmas and New Year are the busiest time for us, some of our cleaners were on holiday. We will do well and improve our service [sic].”

Meanwhile, another recent guest had a more pleasant experience and gave the basic accommodation four stars.

They wrote: “Not pretentious accommodation in a very central area, perfect for a short stay. Excellent communication with the host.”

However, a previous guest did note the problems that can arise from renting a tent in a room full of potential strangers.

Still giving their tent a three-star rating, they wrote: “Excellent location rooms/shower /tents small and noisy.

The Airbnb listing is nestled in the middle of Soho’s popular Chinatown (Google)

“I slept in tent in living room [and] suddenly other guests all came to eat [sic].”

Meanwhile, online, people have shared other thoughts.

“Heading over to London next week for a few client meetings and new projects and was looking for accommodation on Airbnb, when this caught my eye,” wrote one person.

“I mean, props to them, they even put some ‘office space’ in there if you need to do a quick client call – all while sitting next to a snoring stranger who’s probably had one too many pints the night before!”

Someone else added: “Looking for a reasonable place to stay in London on Airbnb, I spotted this absolute bargain: a TENT in someone’s living room for £65 a night! Added extras: a shared TOILET and SINK. And they say that London is expensive...”

Another person seemed lost for words, simply saying: “Wtf.”