Airbnb ‘Home Alone’ House Available to Rent, But Case Out the Rules First

Wake up your inner Kevin McCallister and be ready to deal with Buzz. Airbnb is running a marketing special for the holidays: the Home Alone house.

But we should all be a little dubious. Don’t be like would-be burglars Harry and Marv.

This promotion seems a little off — and be sure to case out the promotion before pulling out a credit card and calling up your Airbnb profile.

As an example: An Airbnb press release says you and three other guests can win a one-night stay in the Winnetka, Ill., house made famous in the 1990 movie. The overnight stay will be Dec. 12 when you can meet host Buzz (Kevin’s insufferable older brother), take in the McCallister family’s Christmas tree, check out the booby traps, scarf down plenty of Chicago’s finest pizza, meet a real-life tarantula, and view Home Sweet Home Alone, the film franchise’s newest release.

The catch: For $25, plus taxes and fees, you can request to book a stay starting at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, Tuesday. Request? In its press release, the fee carries an asterisk that says “This one-night stay is not a contest.” Obviously, the 25 clams is an entry fee, and a drawing will probably happen. But will you get back the $25 if you don’t win? That part isn’t clear. Airbnb does say it will make a one-time donation to Chicago’s La Rabida Children’s Hospital, so that’s probably where the pool of entry fees will go, but it’s not clear whether all fees will be donated. (It’s like Airbnb wants you to say: “Keep the change, ya filthy animal.”)

One other thing: If you’re lucky enough to win the stay in the McCallister’s house, you might not be able to check out the entire six-bedroom, six-bath, 5,398-square foot Georgian Colonial. Airbnb lists the house as two bedrooms with 1.5 baths, even though it says: “You’ll have the house to yourself.” In a follow-up response to questions from NPR, Airbnb clarified that access will be limited to two bedrooms, 1.5 baths, the dining room, and the living room, but stay out of Buzz’s room. Well, that kind of seems limiting.

Plus, you won’t really be alone. The rest of the McCallisters are in Paris, but Buzz is supposed to be the host and Airbnb will provide a 24-hour onsite security crew and medical staff who’ll make sure COVID-19 protocols are followed.

As Buzz says in the Airbnb press release: “We may all be older and wiser now, but we’re never too old for holiday hijinks. So this year, spend the holidays not-so-home-alone at my parents’ house.”

Above all, the promotion seems aimed at getting an audience to watch Home Sweet Home Alone, now streaming on Disney+. Other features, in the words of Airbnb, include:

• A cozy holiday scene with twinkling lights and a perfectly trimmed tree.
• Booby traps galore (but don’t worry; you’ll be setting them, not sidestepping them!)
• Surprisingly searing splashes of aftershave and ample opportunity to scream into the mirror.
• All the ’90s favorites their hearts desire, including plenty of Chicago’s finest pizza and a candlelit dinner of microwavable Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.
• A LEGO Ideas Home Alone set to take and build at home.

The promotion will remind us of homeowner Jeremy Turner who made his Home Alone-themed Dallas home available through Airbnb in 2020. He’s taking reservations again this year.

“I think it’s a really special place. I don’t think there’s any Airbnb like it,” Turner told CBSDFW.

Well, there is now.