There are millions of listings on Airbnb’s website, ranging from treehouses in Brazil to castles in France — but of all the Airbnbs Brian Chesky, the company’s CEO, has stayed in, one home stands apart from the rest.
It’s the Palmer House in Ann Arbor, Michigan designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. “I’m a designer, but growing up, I always thought I wanted to be an architect,” Chesky tells CNBC Make It. “If there’s one listing I had to pick, I’d say the Palmer House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who is my favorite architect.”
The Palmer House, which costs $750 per night, includes three bedrooms and two baths, enough room to comfortably fit six guests.
Set on a two-acre plot of secluded, wooded land about one mile from the University of Michigan’s main campus, the Palmer House was commissioned in 1950 by William and Mary Palmer. A notable feature of the home is its design: Wright built the 2,000-square-foot residence on a pattern of equilateral triangles, and as a result, none of the rooms have 90-degree corners.
A Google Earth view of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Palmer House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Google Earth
After visiting Japan, the Palmers added a teahouse down the hill from the main property, offering panoramic views of the surrounding woods and a cozy fireplace.
Experts are predicting this summer to be the busiest travel season in years as more pandemic-related travel restrictions ease and countries such as Australia slowly welcome back international tourists after nearly two years of sealing their borders.
In March, the U.S. Travel Association reported that Americans spent $95 billion on travel, down only 5% from 2019, and that number is expected to grow in the hotter months. About 6 in 10 Americans are planning to take at least one summer vacation, and of those planning trips, 35% expect to travel more this summer than last, despite higher gas prices.
“Summer is going to be big [for travel],” Catherine Powell, Airbnb’s global head of hosting, tells CNBC Make It. “I know we said this last summer and we’ve said it before, but there’s really strong interest in both domestic and international travel right now … people are eager to leave their homes!”
Powell has noticed a surge in demand among Airbnb customers for bookings in coastal destinations like Maine, Big Sur in California and Cape San Blas, Florida, as well as sunny international locales like Bodrum, Turkey, Capri and Ibiza.
“This summer, I think we’re going to see people return to urban, city destinations, which is wonderful,” Powell adds. “But we’re also going to see international travel be wildly popular, too.”
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