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How you can rent a room to visitors for the Final Four

Could you profit from renting out your house or a room to some Final Four guests when the NCAA tournament comes to San Antonio next week? Many people will be doing just that.

Airbnb, an internet based service that helps link hosts to guests, is seeing a huge spike in reservations with local property owners.

“We are expecting it to be the biggest Airbnb weekend in San Antonio history, so that's very exciting,” said Nick Shapiro, the Global Head of Trust and Risk Management for the company.

A company news release said when the tournament came to Dallas last week, guest visits spiked by 49 percent and generated an estimated $2 million in economic activity, with hosts bringing in an average of $440.

Shapiro said the company does everything possible to limit risk.

“Trust is the fundamental currency of the sharing economy and it's the heart of everything we do at Airbnb, so every single reservation is scored ahead of time at Airbnb for risk. We use machine learning, behavior analysis, predictive analytics. We instantly evaluate hundreds of different signals, looking for anything suspicious so we can stop a reservation ahead of time,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro said hosts are encouraged to interview potential guests in advance of a visit and make sure there’s a good fit and clearly understood expectations.

“All the guests coming from the US into San Antonio are going to be background checked, so we're looking for any prior violent felony convictions, sex offender registrations, significant misdemeanors and if anything comes up, those people aren't going to be allowed to book through the platform," Shapiro said.

Shapiro said signing up for the matching service is simple and there is still plenty of time for locals to get involved. "There is absolutely still time! The four teams haven't been announced yet so I think after that happens, you'll see a further spike."

Shapiro said hosts must provide for a few safety precautions.

"Make sure you have things like a working smoke and CO detector, make sure your exit routes are clearly marked, make sure you communicate with the guest ahead of time," Shapiro said.

“Airbnb is a great option for the folks who live there to make extra money and do it in a safe way,” Shapiro said, adding that hosts aren’t the only ones who benefit. Shapiro said because guests stay in different areas of the city, small businesses benefit when out-of-town guests spend money in non-traditional places. “Airbnb guests go to local stores, so it’s a great experience for many different people,” Shapiro said.

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